Playing Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness In The Modern Era


On February 27th, 2026, it was announced that Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness would receive a port to the Nintendo Classics: GameCube service on the Nintendo Switch 2. This allows new players to experience the game on a new system and catch Pokémon with rare attacks that can't be obtained in any other Pokémon game. While this sounds like a perfect opportunity to play Pokémon XD, there are a few reasons why the Nintendo Classics port of the game isn't the best way to experience it.

Like with Nintendo Classics: Nintendo 64, Nintendo Classics: GameCube is tied to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass service. This means that you'll have to spend $50 a year to play Pokémon XD. (Alongside all the other GameCube games the service offers) Not only that, but Nintendo Classics: GameCube is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2 and can't be played on the original Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, or Nintendo Switch OLED. So if you want to play the game, you'll need to buy a Switch 2.

Even with all these extra obstacles, you might still want to play Pokémon XD since the game might be worth the extra money. But this new port of the game has some very conflicting issues. What if I were to tell you that the Nintendo Classics: GameCube port of Pokémon XD was the worst version of the game?

Why You Shouldn't Play Pokémon XD On Nintendo Switch 2



At first, the Nintendo Classics: GameCube port of Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness doesn't look too different from the original GameCube version. It would make for a nice way to play the game. But after playing the port, you'll realize that there are a few features that are either missing or have been completely removed.



Much like Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2, Pokémon XD has been stripped of the ability to connect to the Game Boy Advance Pokémon games. Because of this, you can't use your Pokémon in the Battle Mode. If you want to battle with a friend in this game, you're both restricted to the Pokémon you can use in Battle Now.

Another feature that's been removed is Pokémon trading. Unlike Pokémon Stadium 1 and Pokémon Stadium 2, the Pokémon you can get in Pokémon XD aren't rentals. They're treated like actual Pokémon you can keep for yourself and fine-tune their stats and movesets. Besides owning the Pokémon, they're also kind of valuable.

Compared to Pokémon Colosseum, Pokémon XD contains Pokémon you can catch (or snag) that have unique attacks they can't learn outside of this game. These attacks are both extremely powerful (Psycho Boost for Lugia) and incredibly useful (Refresh for most Pokémon and Morning Sun for Moltres). If you beat Mt. Battle in one sitting, you can also get a Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile that know the ultimate moves that only their final evolutions can learn. (Alongside a special ribbon that's given to all the Pokémon in your party.) But since trading has been removed from this game, you won't be able to use them in any of the GBA Pokémon games. (Including the Nintendo Switch ports of Pokémon Fire Red Version and Leaf Green Version.) The game also isn't supported by Pokémon HOME, so any Pokémon you obtain are stuck to your Pokémon XD save file and can't be transferred to any new titles.

With the high cost to play the game, the lack of Game Boy Advance connectivity, the lackluster multiplayer, and inability to transfer Pokémon to newer Pokémon games, this makes the Nintendo Classics: GameCube port of Pokémon XD a terrible way to play the game. If you wanted to play Pokémon XD like this, you could just emulate it. But even the best GameCube emulators could spoof the GameCube to Game Boy Advance link cable to allow basic connectivity between consoles. It just isn't worth it to play a downgraded version of this game.

That's why if you want the best Pokémon XD experience, Nintendo Switch Online isn't the way to go.

Playing Pokémon XD on original hardware

When it comes to playing Pokémon XD outside of the Nintendo Classics: GameCube port, you have a few options. You can play it on the original hardware or emulate it through an emulator like Dolphin. Since I'm more well-versed with playing on an actual console, this guide will focus on the former. If you want to play through an emulator (or even transfer your Pokémon to modern games), then check out this guide to learn how.

If you want to play Pokémon XD physically, these are the things you'll need to make the most out of your experience:
  • A Nintendo GameCube or Nintendo Wii (Any of these consoles would be fine. But the Wii is probably the most accessible out of the two.)
  • A Nintendo Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Advance SP
  • Pokémon XD
  • Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Fire Red, Leaf Green, and/or Emerald Version
  • A GameCube to Game Boy Advance Link Cable
Once you have everything set up, you can finally play Pokémon XD the way it was intended!

Outside of the Story Mode, you're greeted to a ton of extras that will breathe new life into your GBA Pokémon games!
  • You can trade your most strongest GBA Pokémon to Pokémon XD so they can dominate the Orre Colosseum and help you earn more TMs and PokéCoupons.
  • You can take on Mt. Battle with your GBA Pokémon to improve their stats, level them up faster, and earn them a special ribbon.
  • Send your Pokémon from Pokémon XD to Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald so they can win new ribbons. (Using a Shadow Pokémon from Pokémon XD, it's possible to obtain every ribbon in the Advanced series!) They can also be entered in Pokémon Contests and can help you get through the Battle Tower/Battle Frontier.
  • Send your Pokémon from Pokémon XD to your GBA Pokémon games to have them compete in Pokémon Colosseum's Battle Mode.
  • If you have a Mew, you can trade it to Pokémon XD so it can be taught a good moveset by a man in Mt. Battle's main lobby.
  • If you want to, you can send your Pokémon to your GBA Pokémon games, where you can then transfer them to newer titles. (Transferring Pokémon to later generations is a one-time process. Make sure this is something you really want to do.)

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