Super Mario Sunshine finally splashes onto Nintendo Switch Online this August

Super Mario Sunshine is finally making its way to Nintendo Switch Online, giving you another chance to clean up Isle Delfino without having to pick up an increasingly pricey copy of Super Mario 3D All-Stars.

Nintendo has confirmed that the GameCube staple will join the Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics library on August 13, 2026. However, the mildly frustrating catches are that you’ll need both a Nintendo Switch 2 and an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership to play it.

That obviously means the tropical adventure won’t be available through the standard subscription tier or on the original Nintendo Switch. The GameCube Nintendo Classics app is completely exclusive to Switch 2, offering features such as save points and customisable controls alongside improved image quality for supported games.

If you haven’t had a chance to play it since its original 2002 GameCube release, Super Mario Sunshine swaps out the usual Mushroom Kingdom environment for the much sunnier Isle Delfino. Mario’s holiday quickly goes off the rails when the island is covered in paint-like goop and he is blamed for the mess.

As previously alluded to, Super Mario Sunshine did return on modern hardware through Super Mario 3D All-Stars, which bundled it with Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy. However, Nintendo stopped selling the digital collection in March 2021 after making it available for a limited period, leaving physical copies as one of the few official ways to access that version.

Therefore, this Nintendo Switch Online arrival makes Sunshine much easier to play again, even if it is locked behind both Nintendo’s newer console and its more expensive subscription tier.

Super Mario Sunshine joins an already pretty solid GameCube library that already includes The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, Soulcalibur II and Super Mario Strikers, with more classics still planned for the service.