The green brother’s premiere ghost hunt is back! Nintendo is bringing the original Luigi’s Mansion to Switch 2 courtesy of the incoming new GameCube Classics Library for subscribers to Nintendo Switch Online with the Expansion Pack. It’s a wise, fan-pleasing move that bundles one of the defining launch titles for GameCube into a service already spanning several retro eras.
For players, that means a new way to search the haunted halls that turned Luigi from second fiddle into a reluctantly lovable lead. For Nintendo, it shows a new level of dedication to curation of its back catalog on modern hardware rather than depending solely on remasters or ports.
A GameCube Launch Gem Lives Again on Switch 2
Launching alongside the GameCube, Luigi’s Mansion soon became a showpiece for the system with its dynamic lighting, expressive character movement, and clever puzzle-box mansion design. Using Nintendo’s historical sales numbers, the original eventually sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, a remarkable performance for a brand-new out-of-the-gate subseries at the time.
The plot is disarmingly simple: With the guidance of the quirky Professor E. Gadd and his ghost-sucking Poltergust 3000, Luigi uncovers rooms, tangles with pesky ghosts, and figures out what in the world was going on in a mansion that wasn’t so free after all.
The campaign’s bite-size time commitment — often short of 10 hours — was once a quibble with some reviewers, but it has become the kind of breezy, replayable adventure that translates well to portable play.
The franchise’s long tail is unmistakable. Luigi’s Mansion 3, based on Nintendo’s latest investor materials, has shot past 12M units now, evidence that the series resonates in some way. Returning to the 2001 original isn’t mere nostalgia; it’s a chance to see where the series’ tactile humor, mild frights, and environmental storytelling finally clicked.
What This Means for Switch 2 Gamers and Subscribers
Luigi’s Mansion is part of the GameCube Classics Library — a Switch 2 exclusive that comes with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. The premium tier also includes selections from Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, and Sega Genesis libraries, providing subscribers with a wide retro runway under one membership.
Recent GameCube titles that have received the catalog treatment (F-Zero GX, SoulCalibur II, and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker) imply a plan to blend first-party pillars with third-party standouts. That balance is designed to benefit the service and create a cleaner historical throughline for an entire generation of gamers who may have skipped over the cube-shaped console altogether.
It costs $49.99 a year for individual plans in the US, with family plans available.
The app is then accessible from the home screen of Switch 2, with subscribers able to flick through the library and fire up titles without leaving their console’s operating environment.
What the Luigi’s Mansion Revival Will Look Like
Unfortunately, Nintendo hasn’t specified the precise technical tweaks for Luigi’s Mansion in the GameCube Classics Library. But prior Nintendo Switch Online apps for legacy systems at least had some quality-of-life features to call their own, such as save states, optional display filters, and controller remapping options. Even without sweeping changes, the game’s real-time lighting and atmospheric audio continue to be a showcase for cozy-spooky vibes.
The other watch item is control fidelity. The first game’s vacuum management flowed tightly through its analog input, and modern controllers simply do it better with stronger sticks and haptics. If Nintendo goes by the model of its other classic apps, it will have control presets that retain the original layout but comply with contemporary hardware standards.
On the content side, don’t expect new levels or story beats — this is a preservation-first release. With that said, it comes at the perfect time when play sessions are seasonally appropriate, and how bite-sized the game is should allow for a little burst of escaping haunted rooms.
Why Luigi’s Mansion Still Haunts After Two Decades
What makes the show work is that it’s a blend of gentle frights and slapstick physical comedy. Rooms are puzzles, ghosts are characters, and Luigi’s nervous hums do double duty both as stylistic flourish and mechanical feedback. That design language would go on to influence other Nintendo adventures that value playful experimentation over punishment.
There is also a larger preservation argument to consider. The Video Game History Foundation did a study revealing that most classic games are not available in an easy-to-buy form through legitimate sources. Adding GameCube releases to an official subscription library is a meaningful step toward having formative games playable in a way that doesn’t involve buying old hardware or paying aftermarket prices.
For families, Luigi’s Mansion is still an easy recommendation. It’s ESRB-rated for everyone, leans “Halloween cartoon” over horror, and imparts spatial reasoning and cause-and-effect through environmental puzzles. For veterans, it’s a sharp reminder of how Nintendo took a chance on Luigi and, in so doing, opened up a lane that still feels uniquely its own.
Final Say for Ghost Hunters Interested in Switch 2
One of the personality-charged adventures available on the platform in a more modern, convenient format is coming to subscribers of Nintendo’s premium online tier with Switch 2 — the original Luigi’s Mansion. Whether you are clearing rooms for the first time or doing so in hopes of a faster clear, the mansion’s doors are open again — and the lights remain delightfully dim.
