Nintendo Switch Online release date announced for Super Mario Sunshine
Posted on July 30, 2026 by Brian(@NE_Brian)
in News, Switch 2
We finally have a release date for Super Mario Sunshine on Nintendo Switch Online. The game will be added to the service on August 13, 2026, Nintendo just announced.
Super Mario Sunshine will be playable on Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics for Switch 2. Note that a membership to Nintendo Switch Online’s Expansion Pack tier is required.
Super Mario Sunshine originally shipped for the GameCube in 2002. Here’s some information about it:
It’s been a long wait for a proper follow-up to Super Mario 64, the game that shifted the videogame landscape forever back in 1996. But one glimpse at Super Mario Sunshine and it’s clear that Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s head games brain, has spent those six years conjuring up the kind of stunning Nintendo GameCube debut that the Mario series demanded.
Super Mario Sunshine kicks off with Mario packing enough red t-shirts and blue dungarees for two weeks’ wear, and jetting off with Princess Peach for a much-deserved holiday on a sun-kissed tropical island. But the rest and relaxation don’t last long. A dastardly vandal has been polluting the beautiful landscape – and to make matters worse, he’s the spitting image of Mario himself! His moustache no doubt bristling with rage, Mario sets out to clear up the island – and clear his name.
What that means for you is an eight-centimetre disc loaded with the greatest Mario adventure yet, as you run, leap, bounce, slide and climb your way around an impossible expansive and utterly beautiful 3D world, soaking up both the glorious sun, and hour upon hour of that instantly gripping Mario gameplay.
But no Mario adventure would be complete without a stunning innovation – and in Super Mario Sunshine, it’s that curious water-filled pump strapped to the portly plumber’s back. On the one hand, this hydro-powered device is Mario’s means to hosing down the muddy mess that the mock Mario has created – and its powerful spray is accompanied by some of the finest watery effects ever witnessed. But the backpack can also be used to jetpack around the crystal clear skies of the island, help Mario somersault while clinging onto ropes, propel our dungareed friend across ponds as he stands on lily pads… and perform a host of yet-to-be-revealed secret functions during Mario’s quest to restore the power of Shine to the island.
Mario will be bumping into many of his old friends during Super Mario Sunshine – joy of joys, he’ll even be hopping on Yoshi for an enemy-squishing ride around the island. And he’ll be showing off a range of new moves, including an impressive spinning jump, and an improved belly-slide that takes advantage of the mud slicks coating the landscape.
View a trailer for Super Mario Sunshine on Nintendo Switch Online below.
Super Mario Sunshine Trailer
To hold you over, Nintendo is also putting out new games on the Virtual Boy app. All of the details about that can be found here.
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