Gaming Wii U Games that work WITHOUT the Wii U GamePad

[Retro_Mod_Gamer]

The Wii U GamePad is going to become a relic that will become increasingly harder to find as they break down, go missing, are destroyed, batteries die etc. Inevitably resulting in scarcity of working GamePads while many working consoles will likely remain in abundance.

Many Wii U games will not launch without a GamePad present.
Some games are compatible with the WiiMote and Wii U Pro Controller and can be played without the USE of the GamePad, however WILL NOT LAUNCH unless you have a GamePad connected. Other games will launch but then require the GamePad after loading.

There are many games that will launch without first checking for GamePad connection and can also be played with the WiiMote (Classic Controller / Nunchuk) and/or Wii U Pro Controller.

It is worth noting that you will need a Wii U GamePad to set up a console. This could be borrowed for setup then returned with no further need to own a GamePad after setup / homebrew / game installing is complete

Here is my list of Wii U Games that work without requiring the Wii U GamePad accessory. I have tested every one of these games personally.

Game Compatiblity Legend:
2P+ = Number of players (if Multiplayer)
W = Game works on WiiMotes without attachments
N = Game works with WiiMote+Nunchuk
C = Game works with WiiMote+Classic Controller
P = Game also works with Wii U Pro Controller
99% = Some game content inaccessible without GamePad

Games that work with WiiMote ( Classic Controller / Nunchuk )
Most of these games are also compatible with the Wii U Pro Controller
-
1001 Spikes [ 4P W / P ]
360 Breakout [ 2P C / P ]
99 Moves [ 4P W / C / P ]
99 Seconds [ 4P W / C / P ]
Absolutely Unstoppable MineRun [ W ]
Adventures of Pip [ W / N / C / P ]
Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures [ C / P ]
Aperion Cyberstorm [ 5P W / N / C / P ]
Aqua Moto Racing 3D [ 2P C / P ]
Astral Breakers [ 2P W / C / P ]
Badland Game of the year edition [ 4P W / N / C / P ] (Press 'B' when GamePad warning appears)
Ben 10 Omniverse [ N / C ]
Ben 10 Omniverse 2 [ N / C ]
Blockara [ 2P C / P ]
Bombing Bastards [ 5P W / C / P ]
Breakout Defense [ 2P C / P ]
Breakout Defense 2 [ 2P C / P ]
Brick Breaker [ 4P W / C / P ]
Call of Duty Black Ops II [ 4P N / C / P ]
Call of Duty Ghosts [ 2P N / C / P ]
Cabela's Big Game Hunter Pro Hunts [ N ]
Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013 [ 2P N ]
Cars 3: Driven To Win [ 2P N / C / P ]
Chariot [ 2P N / C / P ]
Chompy Chomp Chomp Party [ 9P W / N / C / P ] (WiiMote + Classic Controller / Nunchuk can be shared as 2 controllers)
Chronicles Of Teddy / Finding Teddy II [ C / P ]
Cloudberry Kingdom [ 4P W / P ]
Darksiders Warmastered Edition [ N / P ]
Devil's Third [ C / P ]
Dodge Club Party [ 4P W / N / C P ]
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze [ 2P W / N / P ]
Don't Touch Anything Red [ 4P W / P ]
Double Breakout [ 2P C / P ]
Double Breakout II [ 2P C / P ]
Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles Of Mystara [ 4P W / C / P ]
Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome of Ice [ W / N / C / P ]
Dragon Fantasy: Volumes of Westeria [ W / N / C / P ]
Extreme Exorcism [ 4P W / N / C / P ]
F1 Race Stars [ 4P w / N / C / P]
Fast Racing Neo [ 4P W / N / C / P ]
Fifa 13 [ 4P W / N / C / P ]
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2 [ C / P ]
Freedom Planet [ C / P ]
FullBlast [ 2P W / C ]
Futuridium EP Deluxe [ C / P ]
Ghost Blade HD [ 2P W / N / C ]
Gunman Clive HD Collection [ W / N / C / P ]
Hive Jump [ 4P C / P ]
Hurry Up! Bird Hunter [ 4P W ]
Injustice: Gods Among Us [ 2P C / P ]
Jolt Family Robot Racer [ 4P W / N / C / P ]
Lovely Planet [ N / C / P ]
Mario Kart 8 [ 4P W / N / C / P ]
Mario Party 10 [ 4P W ] [99%] (Cannot play "Bowser Party" without GamePad)
Mario Tennis Ultra Smash [ 4P W / C / P ]
Marvel Avengers: Battle For Earth [ N ]
Mighty No. 9 [ C / P ]
Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition [ C / P ]
Mighty Switch Force! 2 [ C / P ]
Minecraft: Wii U Edition [ 4P C / P ]
Monkey Pirates [ 4P W / N / C / P ]
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate [ C / P ]
Mutant Mudds Deluxe [ W / N / C / P ]
Mutant Mudds Super Challenge [ W / N / C / P ]
Need for Speed Most Wanted U [ W / N / C / P ]
New Super Luigi Bros. U [ 4P W / P ]
New Super Mario Bros. U [ 4P W / P ]
Ninja Pizza Girl [ W / C / P ]
Olympia Rising [ W / N / C / P ]
One Piece Unlimited World Red [ C / P ]
PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures [ 4P N / C / P ]
PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures 2 [ N / C / P ]
Plenty of Fishies [ W / N / C ]
Pokken Tournament [ N / C / P ] [99%] (GamePad needed initially to create save file)
Pinball Breakout [ 2P C / P ]
Pirate Pop Plus [ W / C / P ]
PixelJunk Monsters [ 2P W / N / C / P ]
Rock 'N Racing Off Road [ 4P W / C / P ]
Rock 'N Racing Off Road DX [ 4P W / C / P ]
Runbow [ 9P W / N / C / P ] (WiiMote + Classic Controller / Nunchuk can be shared as 2 controllers)
Shadow Puppeteer [ 2P N / C / P ]
Shakedown Hawaii [ W / C / P ]
Shiftlings [ 2P W / N / C / P ]
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse [ C / P ]
Shmup Collection [ C / P ]
Shovel Knight (Treasure Trove) [ 4P W / N / C / P ]
Sky Force Anniversary [ 2P C / P ]
Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed [ 4P W / N / C / P ]
Soul Axiom [ C / P ]
SphereZor [ 4P W ]
Sportsball [ 4P W / N / C / P ]
Star Wars Pinball
STARWHAL [ 4P W / P ]
Steel Lords [ 2P C / P ]
Steel Rivals [ 2P C / P ]
Super Mario 3D World [ 3P W / N / C / P ] [99%] (Captain Toad levels do not work without GamePad)
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U [ 8P W / N / C / P ]
Super Toy Cars [ 4P W / P ]
Swap Fire [ 4P W / C / P ]
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition [ 2P W / C / P ]
Terraria [ 4P N / P ]
Teslapunk [ C / P ]
Teslagrad [ C ]
The Cave [ 4P N / P ]
Toto Temple Deluxe [ 4P W / N / C / P ]
Transformers Prime [ 2P N / P ]
Trine 2 Director's Cut [ 3P N / C / P ]
Tumblestone [ 4P W / C / P ]
Triple Breakout [ 2P C / P ]
Twisted Fusion [ 5P W / C / P ]
Vector Assault [ C / P ]
Vektor Wars [ C / P ]
Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper [ 2P C / P ]
Wii Fit U [ 8P Balance Board ] [99%] (2 minigames require the GamePad)
Wii Party U [ 4P W ]
Wii Sports Club [ 4P W ] [99%] (Tennis, Bowling, Boxing work without GamePad)
WinKings [ 4P C / P ]
Woah Dave! [ 2P W / N / C / P ]
XType Plus [ C ]
Yoshi's Woolly World [ 2P W / C / P ]
Ziggurat [ C / P ]
*
Virtual Console:
NES [ 2P W / C / P ]
Turbo Grafx 16 [ 5P W / C / P ]
Super NES [ 2P C / P ]
N64 [ 4P C / P ]
-
Wii U Pro Controller Only:
These games will launch without the GamePad but require a Wii U Pro Controller to play.
-
007 Legends [ 4P ]
Assassin's Creed III
Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag
Axiom Verge
Batman Arkham Origins
Bayonetta 2
forma.8
FreezeME
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams
Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition [ 2P ]
Hyrule Warriors [99%] (Cannot play 2-Players without GamePad)
Legend of Kay Anniversary
Master Reboot
NBA 2K13 [ 2P ]
Nova-111
OlliOlli
Pumped BMX +
Shantae Half-Genie Hero
Shantae Risky's Revenge Director's Cut
Star Wars Pinball
Stick it to the Man
Super Meat Boy
Tachyon Project
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The Binding of Isaac
The Deer God
The Girl and the Robot
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild [99%] (Some shrines cannot be beaten without GamePad)
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
The Perplexing Orb
The Swindle
The Walking Dead Survival Instinct
Thomas Was Alone
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
Transformers Rise of the Dark Spark
Trine: Enchanted Edition (Can use WiiMotes - Pro Controller needed for Title Menu)
Ultratron
Volgarr the Viking
Y.A.S.G. (2-Player only)
Xenoblade Chronicles X [99%] (GamePad needed to skip MiiVerse warning, fixed by playing offline)
-
Meta.XML edited by changing "drc_use" to "1":
These games work without the GamePad after a simple changing or swap of an .XML file.
-
Cutie Clash [ 5P W / N / C / P ]
Ectoplaza [ 4P N / C / P ]
Epic Dumpster Bear [ P ]
NES Remix Pack [ 2P W / C / P ] (Use GamePad to select yes to MiiVerse in NES Remix 1 & 2 in initial setup)

There appears to be a method of using FTPiUU to edit the meta.xml files to allow more games to work without the GamePad, credit to Zaweet! I will test games with this method and add any that work. If you have the ability to edit the game's .XML file, you can change the "drc_use" tag in the game's meta.xml from a 2 to a 1 to bypass the home menu GamePad block.

For a list of Physical DISC Games that work without the GamePad, click here.
Wii U Discs you can play WITHOUT the GamePad | GBAtemp.net

I will be updating this list until completion!
Please let me know of any that I missed and I will verify and add them.

 

[AmandaRose]

Can I suggest that you don't use white writing in the thread. It's near impossible to read on some themes especially Rosey Blossom.

 

[Lostbhoy]

Also... Worth noting that Breath of the wild CAN be played with the pro controller however there are a good few shrines that require motion control to be completed, therefor gamepad is definitely required.

 

[godreborn]

Also... Worth noting that Breath of the wild CAN be played with the pro controller however there are a good few shrines that require motion control to be completed, therefor gamepad is definitely required.

super mario 3d world also requires the gamepad for captain toad as well as a handful of normal stages. I don't even bother with them whenever I play the game on the wii u. I like the wii u version more than the switch one due to being able to use the dpad.

 

[Retro_Mod_Gamer]

Can I suggest that you don't use white writing in the thread. It's near impossible to read on some themes especially Rosey Blossom.

View attachment 247637

It was to hide it from view but be searchable for SEO, my amateur attempt anyway

Also... Worth noting that Breath of the wild CAN be played with the pro controller however there are a good few shrines that require motion control to be completed, therefor gamepad is definitely required.

required to 100% the game but is it required to beat the game?

super mario 3d world also requires the gamepad for captain toad as well as a handful of normal stages. I don't even bother with them whenever I play the game on the wii u. I like the wii u version more than the switch one due to being able to use the dpad.

I believe the game is beatable without the GamePad but not able to 100% it.

 

[Lostbhoy]

Depends what you mean by "beat the game".

Most people like to beat games 100% and without beating the shrines that require the motion control with the gamepad you are losing out on the rewards given for doing so.... ie heart/stamina containers, the master cycle for completion of ALL shrines. Therfore not gaining 100% completion.

I'm not bashing your list but you certainly should mention the game cannot be competed 100% without the gamepad. If you are going to make such a list you should mention everything that it entails and I'm quite sure most people here will contribute information like this for other games that you could update the original post with.

Might as well be thorough about it.

 

[Retro_Mod_Gamer]

Depends what you mean by "beat the game".

Most people like to beat games 100% and without beating the shrines that require the motion control with the gamepad you are losing out on the rewards given for doing so.... ie heart/stamina containers, the master cycle for completion of ALL shrines. Therfore not gaining 100% completion.

I'm not bashing your list but you certainly should mention the game cannot be competed 100% without the gamepad. If you are going to make such a list you should mention everything that it entails and I'm quite sure most people here will contribute information like this for other games that you could update the original post with.

Might as well be thorough about it.

Hey I'd be happy to make those notations if that's what the community wants

 

[cubes]

Another notation:
Wii Sports Club:
Tennis, Bowling, Boxing -> fully work Online/Offline/Local
Baseball, Golf -> will NOT start without a Wii U gamepad connected

 

[Retro_Mod_Gamer]

Another notation:
Wii Sports Club:
Tennis, Bowling, Boxing -> fully work Online/Offline/Local
Baseball, Golf -> will NOT start without a Wii U gamepad connected

Thank you for the contribution!

 

[cubes]

Wii Fit U:
Boots without any gamepad connected
Multiplayer/Party mode works without any gamepad connected (Only 2 mini games require the game pad)

Edit:
Daily check requires gamepad! But you are free to do all the Balance games and tasks that don't require it

 

[Retro_Mod_Gamer]

Wii Fit U:
Boots without any gamepad connected
Multiplayer/Party mode works without any gamepad connected (Only 2 mini games require the game pad)

Thanks for the contributions!

 

[adilucky3]

new super mario bross u, cant play without gamepad. Stuck on spotpass inforrmation, cant skip it. Any idea?