3 GameCube Games Everyone Owned In The 2000s
Nintendo's GameCube may have been ultimately overshadowed by the PlayStation 2 in the early 2000s, but its library of games, and especially its exclusives, continue to have loyal followings in 2026. Now, it's hard to imagine a world where The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Super Smash Bros. Melee aren't adored, but back then, it certainly felt like the GameCube was a bit of an underdog.
While the GameCube introduced us to many games that became classics, some titles were simply more popular than others. From Super Mario Sunshine to Resident Evil 4 and Soul Caliber 2, some of these titles became synonymous with the GameCube era. However, if you owned a GameCube back then, you definitely owned these games.
3 Resident Evil 4
This one may need an asterisk, since younger GameCube owners likely weren't allowed to purchase and play Resident Evil 4. If you were, though, you definitely owned it. As a timed exclusive on GameCube, RE4 was a bit of a coup for Nintendo. Who else can remember walking through a desolate swampland and hearing a chainsaw in the distance for the first time? What about the fight with Del Lago at the lake? So many core memories have been unlocked by thinking about Resident Evil 4 circa 2005.
Despite being an M-rated title, Resident Evil 4 was one of the best-selling games on GameCube, and a lot of fans still consider it to be the best Resident Evil game of all time. Ports to other consoles and a 2023 remake have only bolstered RE4's popularity in the years since, but this is still an all-timer for the GameCube.
2 The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Remember the controversy Wind Waker had when it was first shown off? If you don't, all you need to know is that Zelda fans were pretty livid Link had become a cartoon after the darker, edgier Zelda games we'd gotten on N64. However, Wind Waker ended up winning over fans and is now considered one of the premier Legend of Zelda titles. It also happens to be one of the best-selling GameCube video games ever.
The Legend of Zelda is always a popular IP for Nintendo, so it's perhaps unsurprising that Wind Waker was such a popular title on GameCube. Of everyone I know who had a GameCube, and that's admittedly a pretty sizable chunk of people, everyone owned Wind Waker. If you had a GameCube and didn't own the game, then you at least knew someone who did. If you haven't managed to play this one yet, then here's hoping those Wind Waker HD Switch 2 rumors pan out. You can also play it via Nintendo Switch Online's GameCube library.
1 Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee is widely considered to be the best game in the series, although Ultimate may have stolen its crown. One thing is for sure, though: Melee is the Smash Bros. standard to which all others are held to. If you owned a GameCube, the odds are that you had Super Smash Bros. Melee too.
Its multiplayer is legendary, and for anyone who had tournaments with their friends, Melee is probably a huge part of your memories from that era. Sales for Super Smash Bros. Melee also show it was one of the most popular games on the console, and perhaps that's why its legacy continues to live on. If there was one game every GameCube owner seemed to have, it was this one.