Uncover GameCube Secrets on Switch 2 via Button Combos

Nintendo has hidden some clever Easter eggs for GameCube enthusiasts within Switch 2, players have found.

With the launch of Nintendo's newest console, fans can finally enjoy GameCube titles via Nintendo Switch Online—but if you start a game from the era of that beloved purple box, you’ll quickly notice something’s missing: the console’s famous startup animation.

Anyone who owned a GameCube likely has the image of its logo unfolding on-screen—accompanied by that cheerful jingle—etched into memory. Amazingly, Nintendo actually lets you bring back that animation with a simple button tap, though it never tells you how.

Credit goes to Spawn Wave for pointing out that you can trigger the GameCube startup by holding the Switch 2 control stick in any direction as the Nintendo Switch Online GameCube app loads. This plays the retro startup sequence, just as you remember it.

Only this time, it’s not exactly the same—it’s been remastered in 4K. Yes, this polished version of the logo first appeared during Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct earlier this year, when GameCube titles were officially confirmed.

“Cool, so when stick drift kicks in you'll see it every time,” one fan joked after learning the secret.

As tested by IGN, there’s an even deeper Easter egg that lets you replicate the GameCube’s secondary startup sound, originally triggered on the console by holding the Z button. On Switch 2, simply tilt the control stick while holding the R button—try it just as the ‘2’ in the Switch 2 app logo appears.

Now, fans are curious whether the third GameCube startup sound is also hidden in the system, perhaps behind an even more elusive button combo. In the original console, this sound played when the Z button was pressed on four GameCube controllers at the same time.

Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 - GameCube Games

View 10 Images

Over the weekend, players using the new wireless GameCube controllers designed for Switch 2 noticed the controllers now feature gyro controls for the first time, opening up new possibilities for use with classic games.

Currently, the Switch Online Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics lineup is still limited, with only the original The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and SoulCalibur 2 available.

Still, Nintendo has announced several more GameCube classics are on the way—including Super Mario Sunshine, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, Mario Smash Football, Luigi’s Mansion, and Chibi-Robo!—though release dates have not yet been shared.