Unsurprisingly, some first-party Nintendo titles from the company’s most iconic franchises stand among the GameCube greats. There are also a few games of very different stripes, however, exemplifying just how wide the range of great experiences on the console was. These are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to great GameCube games, but they’re the perfect titles to get you started.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
A Horror Game Like No Other
Despite the strong presence of the Resident Evil series on GameCube, the PlayStation 2 was arguably the better destination for horror as a whole. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, however, provided a horror experience unlike anything on competing consoles. While the game failed to make a significant dent in the market, it made a much stronger mark on history.
Eternal Darkness‘s titular “Sanity” mechanic, which makes the player character’s grip on reality increasingly tenuous as they suffer from enemy sightings, feels like an obvious inspiration for genre-defining games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Add in branching choices and the game’s clever touches of fourth-wall-breaking effects, and you have a horror experience like no other.
Soulcalibur 2
High-Caliber Fighting
Unlike most of the GameCube’s standout titles, Soulcalibur 2 wasn’t a true exclusive. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions, however, didn’t have Link. PS2’s Heihachi Mishima and Xbox’s Spawn were nice alternatives, but it’s hard to deny the sheer power of wielding the Master Sword against truly deadly foes in a totally unexpected environment.
Beyond the inclusion of Link, Soulcalibur 2 set a gold standard for fighting games across the board. Simple inputs combined with complex strategy for a perfect mix of easy-to-learn, hard-to-master gameplay, and a surplus of fun modes and characters gave it a lot of longevity. Soulcalibur 3 added even more, but it never quite recaptured the perfect balance of Soulcalibur 2‘s approach.
Pikmin
The Start Of A Great Series
By the time of the GameCube, Nintendo was quite comfortably settled into its regular roster of franchises. Long-running institutions like Mario and Zelda had made the leap to 3D gracefully, and even relative newcomers like Super Smash Bros. were settling into stride on the system. Pikmin, on the other hand, proved that Shigeru Miyamoto and the other great minds at Nintendo still had what it took to make something totally new and equally great.
Pikmin plays like nothing else, mixing real-time strategy fundamentals with an atmospheric action platformer format. Ordering Pikmin around to recover spaceship parts requires both smart planning and on-the-spot adaptability, as well as the emotional fortitude to withstand the tragic demise of loyal followers. Every Pikmin entry to date has been a critical hit, and it’s all thanks to the genius of the original game (and its excellent sequel) on the GameCube.
Metroid Prime
A Big Leap For Nintendo
Games like Eternal Darkness and Resident Evil 4 proved that more mature titles had a central place on the GameCube, but Metroid Prime might be the most significant development. Even without an M rating, Nintendo pivoting one of its central franchises to a first-person shooter format was a surprise, and it blends the adventure formula of the Metroid series with first-person action flawlessly.
Over eight years after its announcement, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond finally arrived on the Switch 2 in 2025, but it was met with more of a solid reception than a truly great one. Elsewhere, Metroid Prime‘s influence can be seen in titles like the modern Doom games or even Subnautica. While we might not get another entry any time soon after Prime 4 failed to set the world on fire, Metroid Prime still casts an undeniably long shadow.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Still A Staple
Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 was a fresh take on the fighting genre, throwing iconic Nintendo characters together in a more casual platform brawling environment. If you left it at that, though, it’s hard to imagine that Smash Bros. would still be a massive institution in the 2020s. Super Smash Bros. Melee sealed the deal, going bigger and better in virtually every way.
Even after the success of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Melee remains the favorite of many players. Its mostly straightforward mechanics belie a shocking potential for technical depth, letting both casual players and professionals have an equally great time. Without Melee, you probably wouldn’t have games like Brawlhalla, Rivals of Aether, or Nickelodean All-Star Brawl, but none of these competitors have ever claimed its throne.
Animal Crossing
Cozy Games Are Everywhere Now
Love the endless succession of modern cozy games? Hate them? Either way, you’ve got Animal Crossing to thank for at least a good portion of the hype. The original GameCube game lacked the omnipresent sweetness that defines a lot of modern cozy games, but the concept of a slow-living game with a cast of cute characters laid the blueprint for so much of what was to come.
Animal Crossing has added an endless succession of new features in the years since, and the significant limitations imposed by the original game can take some time to get used to if you’ve played later titles. Once you settle into its groove, though, the personality and atmosphere of the GameCube entry still outstrip anything that New Leaf and New Horizons have to offer. Hopefully, this one will end up coming to Nintendo Switch Online while we wait for a new Switch 2 entry.
Resident Evil 4
A Benchmark For Action Games Since
Resident Evil 4 represents a massive shift from previous Resident Evil games, abandoning fixed camera perspectives and relatively methodical gameplay in favor of a guns-blazing approach. Done wrong, this could have dumbed down a great series into something commonplace. Luckily, Resident Evil 4 did it right, with a long succession of brilliant set pieces and memorable characters making every moment count.
Today, it’s hard not to be awed by the undeniable influence that Resident Evil 4 has had on the action genre as a whole. The game’s DNA is all over games like Uncharted or virtually any successive third-person shooter, and it still holds its own against the best of them. Resident Evil 4‘s remake is also a great way to play, but the original remains worthy in its own right.
The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Winner In The Long Run
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker didn’t immediately win the heart of every Zelda fan. At a time when fans were excited to see The Legend of Zelda take the next step toward realism, Nintendo took a hard left with a cel-shaded art style and squat, cutesy take on Link. While Twilight Princess later delivered the darker, more detailed style that many fans wanted, The Wind Waker‘s acclaim has only grown with time.
The Wind Waker‘s cartoon style looks as fantastic as ever today, refusing to age in the same way as GameCube attempts at greater realism. It’s also one of the best Zelda games across the board. With a freewheeling open sea format, lively locations, and perhaps the best take on Ganondorf to date, The Wind Waker is a shining example of what the Zelda series can be and a credit to the GameCube era.