Nintendo Switch New Free Game Is Worth Over $500, Huge Win

One of the rarest games on the Nintendo GameCube is basically available for free on the Nintendo Switch 2 right now.

Digital delivery, whether it’s video games, TV and film or music, is growing ever more popular by the day. For example, in an age where the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus and Amazon’s Prime Video are gobbling up all the entertainment companies across the world, visits to the cinema are becoming less frequent.

As an avid movie lover and someone who loves visiting the cinema, it will be a sad day indeed if digital movies ultimately kill theatres. What’s more, physical video games are also feeling the digital pinch in this generation.

Whether we access our games on the Steam or Epic Games stores, the PlayStation Store, Xbox Marketplace or Nintendo eShop, digital games are also quickly taking over physical media, and that’s not even taking into account subscription services such as PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass.

Thankfully, despite many retailers closing their doors, there are still places where we can buy physical games for all the latest AAA and indie releases. However, with physical media gradually dwindling, it also means that physical retro game prices are continually on the rise.

A Rare Nintendo GameCube Game Is Practically Free

One such game is Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, originally released on the Nintendo GameCube in 2005. At launch, this game would have sold for around $50 / £40 at retail, but today, it’s far more expensive.

On eBay, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance for a mint copy can sell for as much as $550 in the US and £340 in the UK. Obviously, unless you’re an avid retro collector with money to burn, that price will be out of many gamers' range. You can pick up a less graded copy for around $200/£150, but that could have minor imperfections on the case or be missing something like a manual.

Thankfully, you can play Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance at no extra cost if you’re a subscriber to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, because its emulation is available to stream right now.

The only snag is that it’s only available to play on the Nintendo Switch 2, and not the original Nintendo Switch console. Even if you’re a subscriber to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, which is a damn shame.

At least, if you shop about, you could probably pick up a Nintendo Switch 2 console for less than it costs to buy a pre-owned mint copy of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. Which is quite absurd when you think about it.