Nintendo is adding two third-party Game Boy Advance games to the Switch Online retro library, ending a run of only first-party versions. Starting September 25, expansion pack subscribers will be able to play the Namco classic game Klonoa: Empire of Dreams, a side-scrolling adventure game, and the puzzle game Mr. Driller 2. This marks a shift in third-party GBA games being added to the lineup. It is worth noting that Bandai Namco has been actively revisiting its retro works. Remastered versions of “Mr. Driller Drill Land” and “Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series” have already been launched on Switch, and more classic works will be launched on Atari 50 later this year.
Nintendo Switch Online gets Namco’s first third-party GBA game in September
On Wednesday night, Nintendo confirmed in a YouTube trailer that Klonoa: Empire of Dreams and Mr. Driller 2 will join the Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics collection. Both games are available with the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription on Switch and Switch 2.
Klonoa: Empire of Dreams is a spin-off of Namco’s PlayStation 2.5D platformer series from the early 2000s. While some spin-offs of GBA console games feel very different, this game stands out for how closely it replicates the experience of the console original.
Mr. Driller 2, meanwhile, is a port of the classic Namco arcade game that lets players dig down through differently colored blocks while keeping track of their air supply. Although it was the spiritual successor to Dig Dug, it never achieved the same reputation. Neither Mr. Driller 2 nor Klonoa: Empire of Dreams are new re-releases, as they were previously available on the Wii U’s Virtual Console.
The news comes less than a week after Nintendo’s recent Direct, which revealed a surprising update for Nintendo Classics: Virtual Boy games will be added to the service. All 14 games in the Virtual Boy series will launch on February 17, 2026, and will require specific accessories to play.