Nintendo adds three Game Boy Advance games to Switch Online

Three Game Boy Advance games joined Nintendo Switch Online in October 2026: Monster Rancher Advance, Metal Slug Advance and Kururin Paradise.

The titles arrive through the Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics app, which downloads from the Nintendo eShop and requires an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription. Standard subscribers cannot play the Game Boy Advance games. The premium membership costs $49.99 per year, more than the base tier, and it also unlocks GameCube, Nintendo 64 and Virtual Boy libraries that regular subscribers cannot access.

Monster Rancher Advance released in 2001. It is a Tecmo life-sim built around a transmedia IP that began as a 1997 anime and first PlayStation game, focused on breeding and battling monsters, and it was published in Japan and the United States. Softonic describes it as a cult classic alternative to Pokémon centered on raising monsters.

Metal Slug Advance came out in 2004 from Noise Factory, a team of Atlus veterans coming off Princess Crown. The sources describe it as an SNK run-and-gun, and Softonic calls it an intense and vibrant take on the Nazca classic with an intriguing twist.

Kururin Paradise launched in 2002, developed by Eighting and originally published by Nintendo, and it had never been released outside Japan before this addition. Softonic notes the Eighting-developed puzzle game never left Japan. The game requires guiding a constantly spinning ship through tight mazes without touching the walls.

Nintendo Switch Online memberships provide access to a curated collection of more than 150 classic games, and many titles include online features that let users compete or cooperate with friends. The service also provides more than 100 Super NES and NES classic games at no extra charge, including Super Mario Kart, Super Metroid, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Donkey Kong Country.

The existing Game Boy Advance catalog already includes Dr. Mario, Puzzle League, F-Zero titles, Fire Emblem and Metroid Fusion. Seven Virtual Boy games launched on Nintendo Switch Online on February 17, 2026, including Teleroboxer, Galactic Pinball, RED ALARM, GOLF, Virtual Boy Wario Land, 3D TETRIS and The Mansion of Innsmouth, and all required the Expansion Pack tier.

Nine more Virtual Boy games were scheduled to roll out before the end of 2026, including Mario Clash, Mario Tennis, Jack Bros, Space Invaders Virtual Collection, Virtual Bowling, Virtual Force, V-Tetris, Zero Racers and D-HOPPER, two of which had never seen release, and they also required the Expansion Pack tier. Playing Virtual Boy games on Switch or Switch 2 requires a cardboard or original replica accessory to enable stereoscopic 3D.

VICE said subscribers should check back soon for drops that may arrive in the coming months, framing the update as part of an ongoing catalog expansion with more retro titles expected later.