As is becoming weirdly common with Switch Online updates, Nintendo announced last night that Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness is now available for subscribers to the Expansion Pack tier on Switch 2. After teasing the game a few weeks back with no date, the game suddenly appeared like a wild Pokémon and is ready for Trainers to capture.
With Eevee as your companion, fight against an evil organization using Shadow Pokémon in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, available now on #NintendoSwitch2 with GameCube – Nintendo Classics for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members. pic.twitter.com/L2xv6bOmJ5
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 18, 2026
Our previous coverage of Gale of Darkness was in late February 2026 when Nintendo stated it would be added to the service “soon.” I guess three weeks was soon, though I imagine the delay was because of Pokémon Pokopia’s release earlier this month. Nintendo didn’t want to compete against itself by having two Pokémon titles release at the same time… even if Gale of Darkness is 21 years old.
Anyway, you can now boot up this GameCube classic to relive some of the glory days of the franchise. It has a surprisingly robust combat system, something that the series has homogenized away over the decades. Here’s hoping that Pokémon Winds and Waves takes some cues from older games and allows for more complex strategies and builds.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
