A cool 'Pokémon' GameCube game is now on Nintendo Switch 2, but there's a catch

Pokémon Pokopia isn't the only Pokémon game to come to Nintendo Switch 2 this month.

On Tuesday, Nintendo pushed the big red update button and gave Nintendo Switch 2 owners the ability to play 2005's Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, originally released on GameCube. This is, of course, very cool and good, but there is a catch: You can't just buy and download the game.

Instead, Nintendo has bundled Pokémon XD and a growing collection of other classic GameCube titles in with the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription, which is $49.99/year.

Having to pay for a subscription just to play old games is kind of a bummer, but the good news is you get a lot more than just GameCube games for that price. Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and even Virtual Boy games are also included as part of the deal. Also, crucially, this subscription lets you play new Switch and Switch 2 games online. That part matters a lot, too.

Anyway, once you get that subscription business sorted out, Pokémon XD is a cool look at a previous era of Pokémon. In 2005, mainline Pokémon RPGs were still handheld games, leaving fans to dream of what a real big boy console Pokémon game would look like years before games like Scarlet and Violet came out.

Pokémon XD and its predecessor Pokémon Coliseum (which is not available on Switch 2 yet) are interesting little experiments in that they are technically console Pokémon RPGs, but with entirely unique systems and maybe not quite as much adventurous overworld exploration as you might like.

If nothing else, you can use Pokémon XD to flex your Pokémon battling muscles in between lengthy Pokopia construction sessions.