Good news for fans of the GameCube and those with the new Nintendo Switch 2! Nintendo Switch Online recently added Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, a classic RPG, to its GameCube offerings on the Switch 2. This release is exciting for players and should also be welcome news for collectors, as it’s likely to significantly lower the price of a very rare and expensive retro game.
The Fire Emblem series has become a major success for Nintendo in recent years. It started as a franchise exclusive to Japan and didn’t come to the West until 2003 with the Game Boy Advance title Fire Emblem. The series gained significant popularity around 2013 with Fire Emblem: Awakening on the 3DS, and even more players joined the fanbase with 2019’s Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Because many older games haven’t been widely available, services like Nintendo Switch Online have been a huge benefit for fans looking to experience the classic titles.
Nintendo Switch Online membership remains at $19.99 annually, and owners of the Nintendo Switch 2 will be able to play GameCube games as part of their existing subscription at no additional charge.
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance on NSO Means Players Can Finally Access a $100+ Game at No Extra Cost
Released in 2005 as the ninth installment in the series, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance was the only Fire Emblem game made for the GameCube. It’s also where many Super Smash Bros. fans first met Ike. Unfortunately, playing the game today can be expensive – copies often cost between $100 and $200, and sometimes even more.
As a big Fire Emblem fan, I remember being shocked last year when I saw how expensive a complete copy of Path of Radiance had gotten! It was going for over $300, which seemed crazy at the time.
Why Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is So Expensive
- Limited original sales
- No prior re-release
- Niche series that became more popular over time
Okay, so why is a physical copy of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance so expensive? It really comes down to how few copies were made originally. When it first came out, it only sold about 290,000 units in the US. Nintendo said it was one of their best sellers for 2005, but because it released near the end of the GameCube’s lifespan, it probably didn’t reach its full sales potential. That scarcity is definitely driving up the price now.
Game Rant | Image source via Nintendo One of the main reasons Path of Radiance is so expensive is that Nintendo never re-released it. Many other games from that time, and even older ones, have been updated and re-released on newer systems or through online services. But Path of Radiance has remained exclusive to the original GameCube. This means that until 2026, the only way to legitimately play the game was to buy one of the rare GameCube copies, creating competition among collectors and new Fire Emblem fans who wanted to experience it.
Retro Game Collectors Should Be Cheering After Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance Hits NSO
Image via Nintendo With Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance becoming easier to find and less in demand as a physical copy, its price on the retro game market is likely to decrease. This is great news for GameCube collectors, as the game’s addition to the Nintendo Switch Online library saves them money. However, its sequel, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn for the Wii, is still quite expensive, typically costing around $100. Hopefully, Nintendo will eventually add Wii games to Nintendo Switch Online, making Radiant Dawn more accessible to fans.
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2026-01-12 02:04