Nintendo expanded its Game Boy Advance library on October 14, 2026, adding three classic titles to the subscription app on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. The new releases bring creature-raising simulation, side-scrolling run-and-gun action, and a puzzle sequel to the Expansion Pack tier.
Subscribers to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack tier gained access to three distinct Game Boy Advance titles. The October 2026 update introduces Tecmo’s creature sim, SNK’s action shooter, and a puzzle sequel that brings a previously Japan-only release to Western audiences for the first time.
Three Classic Games Join Nintendo Switch Online
The headline additions for the retro library draw on established franchises from the early 2000s. Originally released in 2001, Monster Rancher Advance places players in the role of a breeder tasked with raising, training, and preparing creatures for tournament battles.
Users must carefully raise, train, and ready every creature for successful combat encounters. With a roster exceeding 400 collectable monsters, users acquire them by inputting designated secret codes directly into the console. Because every creature features distinct abilities, attack moves, advantages, and vulnerabilities, participants need to develop tactics that give their chosen beast the upper hand. Although Monster Rancher and Pokémon exhibit several distinct differences, they share plenty of similarities, making this an ideal 20-hour adventure for gamers to play while awaiting the Mega Dimension DLC for Pokémon Z-A.
Fans of side-scrolling action received the GBA port of SNK’s Metal Slug Advance, which originally debuted in 2004. The run-and-gun title addresses an absence of run ‘n gun games on the GBA platform while arriving ahead of the franchise’s upcoming collection release.
This title is for fans waiting for the METAL SLUG ULTIMATE COLLECTION set to release next year for the franchise’s 30th anniversary. Because Metal Slug Advance wraps up in just one or two hours, its brief runtime ensures that users can easily revisit it next year despite its inclusion in the bundle.
Kururin Paradise Crosses the Pacific After More Than Two Decades
The most unexpected addition to the service is Kururin Paradise, a puzzle sequel developed by Eighting and Nintendo that originally launched in Japan in December 2002. While its predecessor, Kuru Kuru Kururin, eventually reached North American players via the Wii U Virtual Console and later the NSO app, the sequel never made the journey to the United States until now.
E3 2002 featured Kururin Paradise—the follow-up to Kuru Kuru Kururin—with plans for a North American release later that same year. However, just like its predecessor, Kururin Paradise never made the journey. At long last, more than twenty years later, enthusiasts of puzzle games can experience Kururin Paradise through the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack.
The game challenges players to steer a rotating platform through intricate, maze-like structures. Because the software retains its original Japanese release format without translation, players playing the puzzle stages may need to rely on external translation tools to interpret on-screen text.
Three classic games are now available to play with Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members!☑️ Monster Rancher Advance☑️ METAL SLUG ADVANCE☑️ Kururin Paradise pic.twitter.com/GHxhuHwnMr
Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack Adds Three Games
All three games are available right now through the Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics app. Access requires an active membership to the premium Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack tier, which supports both the original Nintendo Switch and the newer Nintendo Switch 2 hardware.
Nintendo marketed the trio under the promotional banner Raise, Blaze, and a Maze
, highlighting the distinct gameplay style of each title. The drop continues a stream of retro library updates for the subscription service following earlier additions of classic titles throughout the year.