Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) is an online subscription service created by Nintendo for its video game consoles, the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. It is the third version of Nintendo's online service after Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and the Nintendo Network. The service officially began on September 18, 2018. A more advanced version, called Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, was released on October 25, 2021.
Features of Nintendo Switch Online include online multiplayer games, cloud saving, voice chat through a smartphone app or GameChat, special profile pictures, and other promotions. The service also provides access to a collection of retro games called Nintendo Classics. The Expansion Pack adds access to more retro game libraries (up to GameCube as of June 2025) and downloadable content for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Splatoon 2. Members of the Expansion Pack also received free upgrades to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in June 2025.
The basic version of Nintendo Switch Online received mixed feedback. Some people criticized the need to use a smartphone app for voice chat, limited cloud save options, and technical problems, though the price was praised. The Expansion Pack also had mixed reactions, with some people questioning its higher cost.
History
The Nintendo Switch was announced in October 2016 and released on March 3, 2017. Before the system launched, Nintendo said users would need to pay for an online service eventually, but it would be free for all users until the service started. Features included a smartphone app and free access to one Nintendo Entertainment System game each month. The service was first planned for late 2017. By June 2017, Nintendo delayed the service until late December 2018 but shared pricing plans, with an average yearly cost of US$20, depending on the region. From July 21, 2017, Nintendo offered a temporary period with free online multiplayer and launched the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app.
Reggie Fils-Aimé, then-president of Nintendo of America, said the delays were to ensure the service was high quality and had enough features available at launch to justify its cost. Nintendo aimed for a lower price than PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold because its service did not include the same features. Tatsumi Kimishima, then-Nintendo president, said the price was important in designing the online service and that Nintendo would focus on making it affordable for users.
The Nintendo Switch Online service launched on September 18, 2018. A Nintendo Direct five days before the launch explained the full features, including a larger library of NES games with 20 available at launch and more added later, as well as cloud save support. The service initially covered 43 markets, with more expected to join later.
In September 2018, the same month the service launched, Nintendo Switch consoles imported to mainland China faced connectivity problems because the service used Google’s servers, which are blocked in China. The Nintendo Switch officially launched in China on December 10, 2019, with Tencent providing free network services powered by WeChat instead of the Nintendo Switch Online service. These services will end by May 15, 2026.
The service officially launched in South Korea and Hong Kong on April 23, 2019, in Israel on August 20, 2019, in Taiwan on September 9, 2025, and in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand on November 18, 2025. The service was suspended in Russia on May 31, 2023, because payment processors stopped operating there after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
On September 5, 2019, Super NES games were added to the service through a separate app. On December 1, 2020, the 11.0.0 software update added a Nintendo Switch Online app to the console’s home screen.
Nintendo introduced a new subscription tier called Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on October 26, 2021. This tier added Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games to the classic games service and included free access to downloadable content like Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise for the duration of the subscription. The tier cost about US$50 per year or US$80 for a family plan (including the base price of US$20 from the original service). In February 2023, Nintendo added Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance titles to the service. The standard subscription gave access to Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles, while Game Boy Advance titles required the Expansion Pack tier. In November 2023, Nintendo launched a new version of the Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Switch Online in Japan for games with a CERO Z rating, called NINTENDO 64 Nintendo Switch Online +18. A similar version was released for users outside Japan on June 18, 2024, called Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Switch Online: MATURE 17+.
During a financial meeting in November 2024, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said the Nintendo Switch Online service will also be available on the Nintendo Switch 2.
By December 31, 2018, about three months after its launch, the service had more than eight million subscribers. Nintendo reported in late April 2019 that the service had 9.8 million subscribers. It reached over 10 million by July 2019 and over 15 million by January 2020. The service had over 26 million members by September 2020 and over 32 million by September 2021.
In May 2022, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said in an interview that the number of paid service subscribers had "gradually" increased, with a large share of new members in the United States.
Features
Nintendo Switch Online is needed to play online multiplayer in most games. Some free-to-play games, like Fortnite Battle Royale and Warframe, and games sold in China (because the Chinese version of the Nintendo Switch does not include Nintendo Switch Online) do not need a subscription to play online. These games can be played online without paying for the service.
Cloud storage helps save game progress online. This means players can recover their saved games if they switch to a different Nintendo Switch console or use multiple consoles. If a player stops their subscription, they will lose access to their cloud saves. However, they have six months to renew their subscription and recover their saves before they are permanently deleted.
Some first-party and third-party games, such as those with online features like trading items or competing in leaderboards, do not support cloud storage. Nintendo says this is because they want to prevent unfair gameplay that could happen if people misuse the feature.
The Nintendo Switch App (formerly called the Nintendo Switch Online App) is a tool that works with the Nintendo Switch Online service. It was released on July 21, 2017, for iOS and Android devices. The app includes voice chat and special features for games like Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Arms, Mario Tennis Aces, Nintendo Entertainment System for Nintendo Switch Online, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. On the Nintendo Switch 2, players can share screenshots and videos from games through the app.
Players can use the Nintendo Switch App on smartphones to chat with others during games. Voice chat is not available directly on the Switch console. Nintendo explained that they chose to offer voice chat through a smartphone app instead of the console itself because of technical limitations. Later, the Switch 2 included a built-in app called GameChat, which allows voice chat, video calls, and screen sharing without needing a smartphone.
Since the Wii era, Nintendo has provided retro games from older consoles through the Virtual Console. However, starting with the Nintendo Switch, they stopped using the Virtual Console brand and instead used the name "Nintendo Classics." Subscribers to Nintendo Switch Online can play retro games from older systems like the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Over time, the service added support for games from the Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and GameCube. Some of these games were updated to allow up to four players to play together locally or online. Virtual Boy games were added later but require a special accessory or cardboard kit to create a 3D effect.
Nintendo Switch Online members also get special offers and deals. For example, when the service launched, people who bought a 12-month subscription or family plan received special in-game items for Splatoon 2. They also got exclusive access to wireless controllers based on the NES and SNES designs. Later, when the service added support for Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games, special controllers based on those systems were made available for subscribers. Similar controllers were released for Japan-based games like Famicom and Super Famicom. When GameCube games became available, a controller based on the GameCube design was also introduced.
When Super Mario Maker 2 was released, Nintendo offered a special promotion for Switch Online members. They could buy two qualifying games for $99.99 instead of paying $120 for both separately.
Nintendo has also given free games to Switch Online members. Tetris 99 was free for a time, though later versions cost money. Super Mario Bros. 35 was free for a limited time to celebrate the Super Mario franchise’s anniversary. Pac-Man 99 and F-Zero 99 were also released for free, though they later ended. These games were available to members only.
When the Expansion Pack was introduced in 2021, members could also get free downloadable content for retail games. For example, Animal Crossing: New Horizons had a free "Happy Home Paradise" DLC. Later, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s "Booster Course Pass" and Splatoon 2’s "Octo Expansion" DLC became available. Members of the Expansion Pack also got special versions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for the Nintendo Switch 2, which had better graphics and extra features.
In 2022, Nintendo launched a mission and reward system. Players could earn points by completing tasks with the Switch or in games. These points could be used to buy digital items.
Reception
Reviews for the service have been mostly mixed. Its affordable price compared to other online services has been generally praised. However, the smartphone app needed for voice chat on the Nintendo Switch, the content library, and the initially small selection of cloud save-supported games have been criticized. Some games, like Splatoon 2, 1-2-Switch, and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, are not supported by the service. Additionally, many Nintendo games released after the paid Nintendo Switch Online subscription service began have faced technical issues, such as a slower tick rate compared to older Nintendo Network and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection games, the use of delay-based netcode instead of rollback, and the use of peer-to-peer connections instead of dedicated servers.
During a Nintendo Direct on September 23, 2021, it was announced that Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games would be added to Nintendo Switch Online, but only for users with the Expansion Pack. During an Animal Crossing: New Horizons Direct on October 15, 2021, the price of the Expansion Pack was revealed, which caused widespread criticism. That same day, Nintendo released a YouTube trailer explaining the Expansion Pack, which received negative feedback. As of November 1, 2021, the video had about 120,000 dislikes, making it the most disliked video on the channel. The Nintendo 64 games in the Expansion Pack had performance issues, including input lag and frame rate problems. The controls for the six-button Nintendo 64 controller were remapped to the four-button Switch Joy-Con, which affected games like Sin & Punishment. Multiplayer games like Mario Kart 64 used older netcode that caused the game to pause until all players were synchronized. The games also did not support a virtual version of the Controller Pak memory expansion, which prevented players from using ghost data in Mario Kart 64 or saving in WinBack. Informal tests showed that the Nintendo Switch Online version of some Nintendo 64 games performed worse than the same games on the Wii U's Virtual Console. During a Nintendo Direct on February 8, 2023, Nintendo announced the addition of Game Boy Advance games to the Expansion Pack and Game Boy and Game Boy Color games to all users of the service. These additions were well received, but the lack of notable games in the service’s content library has been criticized.