On October 30, 2025, Luigi’s Mansion became available on the Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics library for the Nintendo Switch 2 via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription tier.
The official announcement states that the game will be playable “with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership starting Oct. 30 — just in time for Halloween.” The release is intended for subscribers with the appropriate hardware and membership; no separate purchase of the game is required beyond the membership.
Luigi’s won a mansion! The bad news is that it’s crawling with ghosts… 😱
Discover what frights await in Luigi’s Mansion, coming to Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics on #NintendoSwitch2 for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members on Oct 30! pic.twitter.com/vG0OfgwEP2
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) October 22, 2025
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With Luigi’s Mansion joining the service, Nintendo noted that all three games in the series can now be played on Nintendo Switch 2, referring to the original Luigi’s Mansion, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, and Luigi’s Mansion 3.
Background and original release
Luigi’s Mansion was developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo as a launch‑title for the Nintendo GameCube in 2001. It released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in Europe on May 3, 2002. The game placed Mario’s brother Luigi in the starring role rather than Mario himself.
(from left) Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) in Nintendo and Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.
In the game’s plot, Luigi inherits a large mansion and arrives to find it filled with ghosts. With the aid of scientist Professor E. Gadd and his ghost‑vacuum device, the Poltergust 3000, Luigi must explore the mansion, capture ghosts, and ultimately rescue Mario.
Luigi’s Mansion stood out among Nintendo’s release schedule because it adopted a haunted‑house theme rather than the more traditional platform gameplay that had characterized earlier Mario‑series entries. The game introduced a somewhat darker, atmospheric environment while remaining family‑friendly.
Reception and impact
At its original release, Luigi’s Mansion received generally positive reviews. Critics praised elements such as the game’s visual design, its atmosphere, and the novelty of casting Luigi in a starring role. Review summaries note that the game delivered fresh experiences on the GameCube platform.
Commercially, the game sold approximately 3.33 million copies worldwide by 2020. In the United States, it sold roughly 2.19 million units, making it the fifth best‑selling GameCube game in that market. In Japan, however, the total was lower — around 348,918 units.
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Because it served as a launch title for the GameCube and offered a departure from Nintendo’s more familiar platforming formulas, Luigi’s Mansion has held a distinctive position in the company’s catalogue. While it may not have achieved the blockbuster sales of other Nintendo franchises, its commercial performance and unique positioning have made it a noteworthy part of the platform’s history.
Timing and significance of the Switch 2 release
The timing of the Switch 2 release of Luigi’s Mansion on October 30 carries significance beyond simply adding another retro title. The Halloween‑adjacent date matches the haunted‑house theme of the game, and the addition to the subscription service lowers the barrier to access for players who did not own GameCube hardware.
The inclusion of Luigi’s Mansion completes the availability of the trilogy on a modern platform, which may appeal to players wanting to experience or revisit the series in one ecosystem. From a strategic standpoint, the release may help drive engagement with the GameCube Classics library as part of the broader Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack offering.
Luigi enters the mansion in Luigi’s mansion – YouTube, Nintendo Central
Moreover, by bringing this 2001 title to a 2025 service, Nintendo acknowledges the longevity of its back catalog and the continuing interest in its legacy products. The move supports the company’s broader efforts to provide access to its older software through modern distribution channels.
In summary, the 2025 release of Luigi’s Mansion on the Switch 2 GameCube Classics service revisits a 2001 GameCube title, provides modern‑platform access to it, and aligns the release with the Halloween season to reinforce its ghost‑hunting motif. While the game is nearly a quarter‑century old, its entrance into the subscription library signals ongoing support for Nintendo’s legacy catalog.
What are your thoughts about the Luigi’s Mansion and its expansion to the Switch 2? Let us know in the comments below.
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Predator Badlands got destroyed by Critical Drinker. Another woke Disney movie, apparently. Seems made for girls. I cannot see this movie doing well, given the negativity surrounding it (except in the shill media). I mean, it looks horrible.
I couldn’t care less about another port. I’ll stick with the original or the Switch port on an SD card. At lease the latter are physical media that can’t be yanked away at a moment’s notice–or worse, altered to “fit with modern sensibilities.”
Then there’s how it reflects a worrying trend with Nintendo: porting legacy titles to compensate for the slow release of new ones on Switch 2. I said it before and I’ll say it again: the *investors* are getting exactly what they asked for. They wanted the Switch 2 released ASAP to compensate for lagging profits, not realizing the critical lack of exclusive titles on launch and the development time of new ones would ruin their efforts.
Notice how Nintendo hasn’t given us any details on sales after the initial launch? If we don’t see equal or higher sales figures after the holidays, it’s safe to say the Switch 2 is this generation’s Wii U.