GameCube games landing on Nintendo Switch Online with the Expansion Pack was a big deal. But now that the dust has settled, the next obvious question is sitting right there: what about the Wii?
The Wii library is packed with games that never got a second chance. Some sold poorly despite being excellent. Others were regional oddities that most players missed entirely. A few are genuinely irreplaceable experiences that exist on aging hardware and nothing else. If Nintendo is serious about preserving its history, the Wii conversation needs to happen now.
Some games making the strongest case
Here's the lowdown on why this particular list hits differently. These aren't just fan favorites or nostalgia picks. Several of these titles represent genres that barely exist on modern consoles, and a few are the only versions of their experience you can realistically access in 2026.
Excite Truck (2006) kicked off the Wii's launch window as an arcade racer from Monster Games, letting players launch pickup trucks off hills with nitrous boosts while the terrain shifted around them. Its sequel, Excitebots: Trick Racing, arrived in 2009 and then the franchise vanished completely. A Switch Online appearance would be the closest thing to a revival this series is likely to get.
Dawn of Discovery (2009) is the one that surprises people. Published by Ubisoft and ported by Keen Games, it was a console-friendly version of Anno 1404, which is still considered one of the best city builders ever made. The Wii version simplified the interface without gutting the addictive gameplay loop. It never got a sequel on console, and the PC original remains locked behind a platform many Nintendo fans don't use.
Little King's Story (2009) from Cing and Town Factory is the real-time strategy game that deserved a much bigger audience. A Steam port exists through Xseed Games, but console players have had no access for years. The concept of a cartoon king exploring his kingdom, battling monsters, and expanding his territory holds up remarkably well.
The Dog Island (2007) from Yuke's sounds like a joke until you actually play it. A cozy adventure game starring big-eyed puppies exploring gentle environments, it was the third entry in a Japanese series and the first to release outside Japan. The art direction is genuinely soothing, and the adventure has more substance than the cute exterior suggests.
Fortune Street (2011) was the first time most North American players got to experience Square Enix's long-running Itadaki Street board game series in English. Combining Nintendo and Dragon Quest characters on Monopoly-style boards sounds like a slam dunk, but it reportedly sat unsold in retail stores for years. A younger audience discovering it through Switch Online might respond very differently.
The Last Story (2011) from Mistwalker, directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi (the creator of the original Final Fantasy series), remains one of the most interesting action-RPGs the Wii produced. Its combat was genuinely inventive, and the story held up well enough that players who experienced it still talk about it. With Muramasa: Revenant Blades arriving as a remake in February 2027, the timing for getting the original Vanillaware title, Muramasa: The Demon Blade (2009), back in front of players could not be better.
Punch-Out!! (2009) from Next Level Games is the one Nintendo fans have been asking about for years. Little Mac hasn't had a proper solo game since, beyond appearing in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Glass Joe, King Hippo, Super Macho Man, and the rest of the roster deserve another round.
Dokapon Kingdom (2008) from Sting and Atlus is the multiplayer board game that publisher Atlus literally marketed as a friendship-ruiner. Players move around a fantasy board, capture cities, battle each other, and occasionally inflict humiliating cosmetic penalties on whoever they defeat. Dokapon Kingdom: Connect brought a remastered version to Switch in 2023, but the original Wii release in Switch Online's library would give the game a much wider reach.
Elebits (2006) from Konami launched alongside the Wii itself and remains one of the most creative uses of motion controls the system ever produced. Players searched rooms for tiny creatures in first-person, rearranging furniture and absorbing energy to unlock new environmental interactions. It was quietly one of the best games of the Wii's early years and has been completely inaccessible since.
Why the timing actually makes sense right now
The pattern Nintendo has followed with Switch Online is clear. NES and SNES libraries came first, then N64 and Sega Genesis, then Game Boy and Game Boy Advance, and now GameCube. The Wii is the logical next step in that progression.
What most players miss in this conversation is the licensing complexity. Several of the games on this list were published by third parties like Ubisoft, Atlus, and Xseed Games, meaning Nintendo would need to negotiate access rather than simply flipping a switch. That's exactly why the Wii library risks becoming a silent generation of gaming history if no one pushes for it.
The Switch 2 is already expanding what's possible on Nintendo hardware. Phasmophobia is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026, which signals that third-party developers are actively engaged with the platform. That same energy could translate into Wii publishers revisiting their back catalogues for Switch Online.
The Wii sold over 100 million units. The games made for it reached an enormous audience, and plenty of those players are now on Switch. Giving them access to Punch-Out!!, Elebits, or The Last Story through a subscription they're already paying for is a straightforward win for everyone involved.
For more Nintendo content and the latest gaming guides covering everything from strategy tips to full walkthroughs, check out what's new on our site. And if you're already on Switch and want to know what else is worth your time, the all characters unlock guide for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is worth bookmarking for your next Nintendo session.
