The Nintendo GameCube launched more than two decades ago as a successor to the Nintendo 64. It was a fantastic console that undercut the competition like the PlayStation 2 in terms of pricing, while also maintaining a smaller form factor. Everything from the hardware to the game library was excellent, making it a classic retro console that made invaluable contributions to the world of gaming. One of the highlights of the GameCube was its extensive game library with notable titles like The Legend of Zelda, Mario Kart: Double Dash, Animal Crossing, and Resident Evil 4.

Like me, if you've grown up playing these games on your GameCube, you would surely want to relive the nostalgia. Modern AAA titles may have hyperrealistic graphics and ray tracing, and whatnot, but the thrill and adrenaline rush when playing retro games is unmatched. Luckily, you can create a retro gaming simulator using a Raspberry Pi -- by following a few simple steps. After that, you can run some of the best GameCube titles flawlessly right at home! We tried playing a few, and here are the ones that work the best.

5 Luigi's Mansion

A ghost-hunting adventure

Luigi's Mansion is a drastic departure from the usual set of Mario games that we're all used to seeing and playing. It's more of an action-adventure game centered around Mario's supposedly timid brother Luigi. The plot revolves around how Luigi wins a mansion inside which Mario is captured by ghostly forces. Luigi goes room to room solving puzzles, using a ghost-sucking vacuum to eliminate obstacles, and eventually gets to Mario.

Using Dolphin or Retropie on the Raspberry Pi 5 for emulation, you can achieve a constant 30fps gameplay at the native 480p resolution. This is primarily due to the superior CPU and GPU on the Pi 5. If you're using older versions of the Raspberry Pi, the game may stutter, especially during busy scenes.

4 Animal Crossing

Life simulation

This is a game that was quite ahead of its time, if you ask me. You begin the game as a human who has just moved to a village with anthropomorphic animals. The idea is that you simulate the real world by talking to other villagers, building a house, and carrying out day-today activities like decorating, fishing, collecting fossils, etc.

There are several realistic elements added into the gameplay, like paying off your home loan, adding furniture inside the home, dealing with neighbors who may be cranky or friendly, etc. Thanks to the low-polygon model of the game along with static camera angles, Animal Crossing works almost flawlessly at 30 fps on the Raspberry Pi 5. Even with older Pi models, the frame rate shouldn't take a large hit since the game isn't demanding.

3 Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

The classic racing game

Mario Kart is an extremely popular racing game in the Mario franchise; this version is rather different. There's a unique touch in the form of two characters riding in each cart. One navigates the vehicle itself, while the other uses special objects allocated to them as per their strength. For instance, Bowser has a giant shell whereas Yoshi has eggs.

There are 16 tracks that you can unlock with various characters and modes. One of the key standout aspects of the game is the ability to switch between the two characters in the cart. If you wish to switch the objects in use, simply switch with the driver of the vehicle. Another cool feature is split-screen multiplayer gameplay. Up to four players can play at once, and the Raspberry Pi 5 can achieve a max frame rate of 60 fps with Vulkan backend and anti-aliasing disabled. Since it's a demanding title, older versions of the SBC may struggle, with frame rates capping out at 30fps.

2 F-Zero GX

Futuristic racing

While it may not be as popular as some other racing games out there, F-Zero GX is one of the most impressive titles for the GameCube. It has a futuristic rendition thanks to intense, vibrant visuals accompanied by an upbeat soundtrack. Those who've played the game will remember how challenging it was, making it one of the hardest titles to play. The visuals were fantastic for its time, and the game still looks rather impressive on the Raspberry Pi 5.

As for performance -- the Pi 5 can run the game at 1080p with a constant frame rate of 60fps with some workarounds like using Vulkan and overclocking the CPU. However, older versions of the Raspberry Pi cannot run the game due to a weaker GPU. This only goes to show how impressive the GPU enhancements on the Raspberry Pi 5 are compared to the last-gen model.

1 Kirby Air Ride

Chaotic multiplayer gameplay

After a difficult game that requires precise input, it's time to run Kirby Air Ride -- a fun, quirky title that's unlike any other racing game out there. Kirby rides along colorful tracks atop Warp Stars or vehicles using a single analog stick for controls. Additional side-missions like collecting power-ups in a city and competing against players in drag racing made the game more fun.

There's no storyline per se, and the game follows a simple and fun approach. Like Mario Kart, this game also offers a split-screen multiplayer mode where four players can play at once. It's also the game on this list with the least demanding hardware requirements. So, not only does it run at a constant 60fps on the Raspberry Pi 5, but it's also works at a smooth 40-60fps on older models.

Play retro games from the comfort of your couch

If you miss playing long sessions of Mario Kart on your GameCube, all you need is a Raspberry Pi to relive that experience. Notably, all games may not run at perfect 60 fps or without any frame drops or rendering issues. However, the overall experience is good enough to relive those nostalgic memories as a kid. There are a plethora of GameCube ROMs you can find online, so feel free to run all of them and test out which ones work the best!