Nintendo Switch Online Celebrates Mario and Pokémon with New Game Additions – NSO Roundup March 2026.

The Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service celebrated two monumental franchises in March of 2026. March 10th is Mario Day (write out MAR-10 without the hyphen and you’ll see why), and the Pokémon franchise recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. As such, Nintendo Switch Online added some new Mario and Pokémon games to its retro collections

Nintendo Switch Online Additions for March 2026

Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness

Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness for the GameCube is the follow-up to Pokémon Colosseum, which also debuted on the GameCube. However, Colosseum is not currently available on Nintendo Switch Online. Gale of Darkness takes place five years after the events of Colosseum, and the game mainly centers around the Shadow Pokémon that Colosseum introduced. Like in most Pokémon games, you explore, you talk to people, you capture Pokémon, and you use your Pokémon to battle other trainers’ Pokémon.

Unfortunately, you cannot transfer Pokémon from other games to the Nintendo Switch Online version of Gale of Darkness, even though Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen were recently released to the Switch’s eShop. Some players might think an important part of the game is missing because of this, while others might be satisfied with trying to capture the eighty-three Shadow Pokémon in Gale of Darkness.

Mario’s Tennis

Since Nintendo added Virtual Boy games to their retro collections in February, they were able to add two Mario Virtual Boy games for Mario Day. Believe it or not, Mario’s first tennis game was on the Virtual Boy. However, the game is pretty bare bones. You choose your Mario character and play in singles or doubles matches. There is also a tournament mode. The 3D effect of the ball flying towards you is pretty neat, though it took me a while to get the hang of the physics. It’s fun for a few minutes, but you’re better off getting your Mario Tennis fix with the excellent Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64 games, which are also on Nintendo Switch Online.

Mario Clash 

Do you remember the Mario Bros. arcade game? If so, you’ll feel at home with the Virtual Boy’s Mario Clash, which is a spiritual successor to the arcade game. You jump on Koopas, grab their shells, and throw their shells to defeat other enemies. Defeat all the enemies, and you complete the level. Like the arcade game, this game is simple fun, and it gets more and more challenging as you progress. There are ninety-nine levels, and thanks to Nintendo Switch Online’s save states and rewind feature, you just might get through all of them. 

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

This puzzle game for the Game Boy Advance acts as a spiritual successor to the 1994 reimagining of Donkey Kong that came out for the original Game Boy. In Mario vs. Donkey Kong, a new toy line called “Mini-Marios” has come out, and Donkey Kong wants all of them. As such, it’s up to Mario to get them back. Mario must climb, jump, and backflip through various obstacles to rescue the Mini-Marios. The puzzles are cleverly thought out and require brain power to get through, and the game is super addictive. This is definitely a high recommendation. 

What’s Ahead for Nintendo Switch Online?

Adding these games was an apt way to celebrate Mario and Pokémon, but once again, people who have a regular Nintendo Switch Online account without the Expansion Pack may feel left out. With the addition of the Virtual Boy, there are now more Expansion Pack exclusive systems than the base NSO membership. Nintendo clearly wants you to pay for the more expensive service, and by making so many games Expansion Pack exclusive, they seem to be exploiting their fans. Moreover, their tactics seem to be working.