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Ah, theGameCube. What a unique console. It gave us one of gaming’s most celebrated controllers, some truly astounding games that have stood the test of time magnificently, and also a rather big downturn for Nintendo’s third-party efforts that weren’t rectified until the Switch.
It was far from Nintendo’s least successful console, both at the time and since, though it marked a downturn in its home console efforts. That doesn’t change the fact that the GameCube is a beloved console that was had a very strong turnaround in recent years. But just how many games came to the GameCube anyway? Let’s find out.
How Many Games Were Released On The GameCube?
We all know the GameCube, and posthumously, many of us love the GameCube too. The rose-tinted glasses make it very easy to look at the past and remember only the good qualities, no matter how many negatives there may have been. But in the case of the GameCube,the sheer quality of its games did outmatch any of its negative traits.
Like any console with a decent run, it can be hard to find exact figures. Some games are region exclusive, or end up releasing later in some regions but not others. All of that said though, the total library for the GameCube is stillsomewhere around 650-700.It’s not Nintendo’s most packed library of games, appearing on the lower end near the N64, though it’s still packed with more inventive games than not.
2003 was the year with the most GameCube game releases,with around 195 games, almost a third of the console’s entire library, in a single year.
When Was The Last Game Released For The GameCube?
Like any console, the GameCube eventually had to end, relegated to the dust of history, replacement parts no more and its games locked in a timeless vault until Nintendo sees fit to unearth them, which is a rare event indeed. Much ofthe GameCube’s library still remains locked on the consoleto this day.
And, like most consoles, that respectable run came to an end with a sports game. Like the N64 before it and the PS2 succeeding it, it was a sports game that capped off the console’s library. In the case of the GameCube,that game was Madden NFL 08. It released onAugust 14th, 2007in North America. The GameCube version of Madden NFL 08 was also exclusive to North America, presumably because the console had already been discontinued internationally.
Ratatouille was technically the last game, released in Europe on July 15, 2025, though it had previously already launched in North America. As such, Madden remains the last new release on the GameCube.
What Were The Launch Titles For The GameCube?
Stepping away from the GameCube’s demise momentarily, let’s focus on the moment of its launch instead. It had afairly staggered release internationally, coming out first in Japan, and lastly in Australia.
As you can see from the table below, that staggered release might have been to Nintendo’s benefit, and a later international release might have helped them a lot more.
Launch Titles In Europe And Australia
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure
The GameCube only hadthree launch titles in Japan. Contrast this with the12 games of the North American releaseonly two months later, and it’s easy to see why the console picked up steam in the US much more quickly than domestically.
Europe, with a launch almost eight months after the initial Japanese one, came with a considerably higher amount of games. This included the full US and Japanese launch catalogs (minus Madden NFL 2002, which was US exclusive on most platforms), and a bevy of extra games, too.This gave Europe a launch catalog of 22 games.
Internationally, the games available at launch were respectable, though few and far between in Japan and didn’t have many big names. This was rectified a few months post-launch, with the likes ofAnimal Crossing, Smash Melee, and Sonic Adventure 2 releasing.
