Reference · Release Dates
When did the GameCube come out?
September 14, 2001 in Japan. November 18, 2001 in North America. May 3, 2002 in Europe. One console, three dates, spread across eight months — which is why two people who both remember unboxing a GameCube can be remembering different years.
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The three dates
| Region | Release date | Launch price |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | September 14, 2001 | ¥25,000 |
| North America | November 18, 2001 | US$199.99 |
| Europe | May 3, 2002 | — |
Japan had the machine for two months before North America, and for nearly eight months before Europe. A European player who bought one on day one was joining a conversation Japanese players had already been having since the previous autumn.
What launch day in Japan actually looked like
Nintendo shipped somewhere around half a million units to Japanese retailers for September 14, at ¥25,000 each, and stores sold roughly 300,000 of them in the first three days. The console arrived in a single colour: Indigo, the purple that became its face. Jet Black and an orange variant joined it on November 21, ten weeks later, and Platinum not until November 2002.
There were three games on the shelf that morning: Luigi’s Mansion, Wave Race: Blue Storm and Super Monkey Ball. The two Nintendo titles were ¥6,800 each; the third came from Sega. A new Nintendo console usually launches behind Mario. This one launched behind Mario’s brother, in a haunted house, armed with a vacuum cleaner.
The dates that came after
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Jet Black and orange added (Japan) | November 21, 2001 |
| Panasonic Q (DOL-010) — Japan only | December 2001 |
| US price cut, $199.99 → $149 | May 2002 |
| WaveBird wireless controller | 2002 |
| Platinum colour added | November 3, 2002 |
The Panasonic Q is the one that surprises people. Three months after launch, and only in Japan, a stainless-steel GameCube appeared that played DVDs, CDs and MP3s — built under licence by Matsushita. Fewer than 100,000 were made before production ended on December 18, 2003. It remains the only complete GameCube console Nintendo did not build itself.
The friend who says it is a 2002 console
A release date is usually treated as trivia — a number to win an argument with. The friend who insists the GameCube is “a 2002 console” is not misremembering. They are remembering Europe.
Common questions
- When did the GameCube come out?
- The Nintendo GameCube came out on September 14, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, and May 3, 2002 in Europe. Japan received it first, two months ahead of North America and roughly eight months ahead of Europe.
- What year did the GameCube come out?
- 2001 in Japan and North America; 2002 in Europe.
- When was the GameCube released in Japan?
- September 14, 2001, at ¥25,000. Nintendo shipped somewhere around half a million units to Japanese retailers, and stores sold roughly 300,000 in the first three days. Japan launched in a single colour — Indigo. Jet Black and an orange variant were added on November 21, 2001. (North America was different: it launched that November with Indigo and Jet Black together.)
- When did the GameCube come out in Europe?
- May 3, 2002 — the last of the three main regions. Europe waited about eight months after Japan and roughly five and a half months after North America.
- How much did the GameCube cost at launch?
- ¥25,000 in Japan and US$199.99 in North America. That US price undercut both of its sixth-generation rivals — the PS2 and the Xbox were each $299 that November. Nintendo held $199.99 for about six months before cutting it to $149 in May 2002.
- What were the GameCube launch games?
- Japan launched with three: Luigi’s Mansion, Wave Race: Blue Storm and Super Monkey Ball. The two Nintendo titles sold for ¥6,800 each; Super Monkey Ball was published by Sega.
- Is the GameCube release date the same as the Panasonic Q?
- No. The Panasonic Q (DOL-010) — the stainless-steel GameCube that also played DVDs, CDs and MP3s — arrived in December 2001, three months after the standard console, and only in Japan. It is the only complete GameCube console ever built by a company other than Nintendo.