Super Mario Sunshine hits Nintendo Switch Online on August 13

Super Mario Sunshine is coming to Nintendo Switch Online's GameCube library on August 13, Nintendo confirmed via its official Twitter account on July 31. The 2002 platformer joins a small but growing roster of GameCube classics available exclusively on Switch 2.

The game drops Mario onto the tropical Delfino Island, where a mysterious imposter called Shadow Mario is plastering the place with graffiti and has kidnapped Princess Peach. Armed with F.L.U.D.D. — a talking water-pack that doubles as a jetpack — Mario has to scrub the island clean and get Peach back. Sunshine is also historically notable as the debut appearance of Bowser Jr. To access it, you'll need a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription; the GameCube catalog is Switch 2 exclusive and won't run on the original Switch hardware.

Super Mario Sunshine has always been a divisive one in the Mario canon. Released in 2002 as a follow-up to Super Mario 64, it leaned hard into F.L.U.D.D.'s water mechanics in ways that split fans — some loved the beachy creativity, others found the nozzle-focused design restrictive compared to 64's open-ended movement. It's never had an official re-release outside of the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection on Switch in 2020, which was a limited-time release Nintendo pulled from sale, making this NSO addition a meaningful way for players to revisit or discover it. The GameCube NSO lineup already includes Luigi's Mansion, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, among others.

No additional GameCube titles were announced alongside Sunshine, but Nintendo has been steadily expanding the catalog since launch. August 13 is the date to mark.