Nintendo Reveals Restriction With Switch 2 GameCube Controller

Summary
- The GameCube controller for the Nintendo Switch 2 is only compatible with the GameCube Classics library, not other games.
- Fans are disappointed with the GameCube controller restriction, and prefer the Pro Controller 2 for wider compatibility.
- Fans create a GameCube wishlist for the Switch 2, and hope for classics like Metal Gear Solid and Zelda to be added.
Nintendo has revealed a surprising restriction connected to the announced GameCube controller designed for the Switch 2, and gamers are finding the catch hard to believe. The GameCube controller was one of the highlights in Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct, showcased alongside the new console’s impressive and improved hardware and software, with a slew of games to go hand-in-hand.
The GameCube console was released in 2001 and remains one of the most popular and nostalgic consoles in Nintendo’s history. In the past, Nintendo had several successful GameCube launch titles, including Batman: Vengeance, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, and Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader, and fans are hoping the Switch 2 catalog will grow to become just as rich.

Related
Every Major Video Game Release Coming Soon For Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch’s library is vast and constantly growing. Here is every major new Switch game releasing in 2025 or beyond.
Included in Nintendo’s recent trailer, the fine print at the end of the showcase revealed the GameCube controller was only compatible with the Nintendo GameCube Classics’ library, meaning the controller cannot be used to play other Switch 2 games. Nintendo announced the GameCube games coming to the Switch 2 at launch, which will join the GameCube Nintendo Classics library. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Soulcalibur 2 and F-Zero GX will be available to play on day one, and the publisher’s Nintendo Treehouse livestream confirmed more titles would be added later on. However, fans were not pleased to hear about the GameCube controller’s restriction, especially since the button mapping would be compatible with other games.
Nintendo’s GameCube Switch 2 Controller Is Only Compatible With GameCube Games
The gaming community doesn’t take long to air opinions, and Nintendo fans have already voiced a change they want in the GameCube controller before it’s even been released. Some social media users believed the restriction was a mistake, and others thought it was a real shame the controller couldn’t even be used to play the Super Smash Bros. fighting game. More comments encouraged gamers to default to the Pro Controller 2 instead, and a few disgruntled fans noted their time playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate used the N64 controller and wondered why the GameCube controller couldn’t follow suit.
Gamers are still a few months away from the controller’s June 5, 2025, release date in tandem with the new console, but Nintendo fans have already made their Switch 2 Online GameCube wishlist. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Animal Crossing were some of the games on fans’ wishlists to be added to the GameCube catalog, in addition to classics like Mario Kart: Double Dash and Super Smash Bros. Melee.