Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) is the Mario maker's answer to PS Plus. Like that equivalent service from Sony, if you want to play multiplayer games online on your Switch you'll need to grab an NSO membership first. Switch Online launched back in 2018, and marks the first-time Nintendo has locked the ability to play multiplayer games online behind a paid service. To sweeten the deal, Nintendo has thrown in a wealth of additional perks like cloud saves, game trials, and exclusive money-saving offers.
But the jewel in the crown is the ever-growing library of retro games subscribers can access. When Switch Online debuted, a selection of games from Nintendo's first console were also available to play. After starting off with the NES - or Famicom as it's known in Japan - Nintendo has bit-by-bit been adding new games and systems to Switch Online, working through its home consoles and handhelds.
With Switch Online you can now play NES, SNES, and Game Boy games. Plus, you'll get access to the Nintendo Music streaming app, which lets you listen to thousands of songs from the gaming giant's history on your smartphone. If you fork out extra for the more premium Expansion Pack membership, you'll also get to play N64 and Game Boy Advance games, as well as Sega Mega Drive games. To help you sort through the service's impressive retro gaming library, we've rounded up every game available with Nintendo Switch Online. We've also got details on the additional DLCs thrown in with the Expansion Pack, which could entice you to opt for this pricier plan instead of the vanilla membership.
The NES has the largest selection of retro games in the Switch Online library. There are over 70 games from the 8-bit era included with the base NSO membership, from classics like the original Super Mario Bros and the first Legend of Zelda, to lesser-known titles that previously were only released in Japan.
You can find the NES games available with Switch Online below:
The SNES was the second system added to the Switch Online's retro catalogue, with games from the iconic 16-bit console making their NSO debut in September 2019. The SNES has the second largest selection of games on Switch Online, with over 60 Super Nintendo and Super Famicom games available with the service.
Here are the SNES games available with Switch Online:
The Game Boy is one of the most recently added systems to Switch Online. During the February 2023 Direct, Nintendo announced games for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color were getting added to NSO. The standard Switch Online membership plan includes Game Boy games, as well as SNES and NES titles. Expansion Pack subscribers can also access them.
Here is a list of the Game Boy and Game Boy Color games available with Switch Online:
The Game Boy Advance is the other system that was most recently added to the Switch Online's retro gaming catalogue. Nintendo revealed GBA games were heading to NSO alongside the Game Boy announcement in the February 2023 Direct. Unlike its predecessor, Game Boy Advance games are only available with Switch Online if you have the Expansion Pack membership.
Here are the Game Boy Advance games included with Switch Online:
During the September 2021 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced the N64 as the first system for the Switch Online Expansion Pack. Currently, there are over 30 N64 games available with Switch Online, including the console's influential launch title Super Mario 64, and some of the games made by Rare that are forever associated with the system like Banjo-Kazooie and GoldenEye. In the latest NSO update, two new N64 games were added to the service, with Shadow Man and Turok 2: Seeds of Evil getting added to Switch Online's Mature library. These games are available in a standalone app, which is named after the US rating for games meant for players aged 17 and above, and locks these titles away from younger audiences.
Here's a list of all Nintendo 64 games included with the NSO Expansion Pack:
During the 16-bit era, when Nintendo and SEGA were battling for supremacy, who could have imagined that a first-party Nintendo service would include games from the Mega Drive? But that's what has happened, with Mega Drive games getting added to the NSO Expansion Pack at launch. Nintendo revealed games from the Mega Drive, or Genesis as it's known in the States, would be coming to Switch Online's more premium membership tier during the September 2021 Nintendo Direct.
You can find a list of all Mega Drive / Genesis games included with the Expansion Pack below:
As an added benefit, the Expansion Pack membership includes free DLC for a trio of exclusive Nintendo Switch games.
Here are the DLC packs included with the NSO Expansion Pack:
Switch Online also includes special SP versions of certain games. SP games are essentially save states that drop you in at particular points in a game. This can offer a more challenging experience, while other SP games dish out extra items at the beginning to make it more forgiving.
You can find a list of all SP games available with Switch Online below:
Switch Online also has a few exclusive battle royale games in its library. These games come with the '99' subtitle and take existing, beloved experiences and give them a battle royale twist - where you have to be the last player standing.
Here are all the 99 games available with Switch Online:
Nintendo regularly announces new games heading to Switch Online. Subscribers usually have to wait for these announcements, which don't have a particular schedule, to find out what retro games will be dropping next, with the titles available soon afterward. But sometimes fans find out about upcoming NSO games way in advance.
At the moment though, there's only one game that we know for certain will be heading to Switch Online in the near future:
Stay tuned though as plenty more titles are likely to be announced, and we'll update this page once revealed.
As an added bonus, Switch Online subscribers can also access the Nintendo Music app. The app was released in October 2024, and lets users listen to thousands of songs from throughout Nintendo's history on their Android or iOS device. The huge library of songs can be filtered by game and character, among other things, or you can search directly for the song you're after. Dedicated playlists are also available, and like other music streaming service you can stream or download songs for offline listening.
Each song comes with an accompanying artwork, and the app also boasts other features - like the ability to extend the length of your favourite songs, so you can loop the music and spend more time with a track you love. As with other parts of the Switch Online service, the Nintendo Music library will be expanded over time, with more songs set to drop in the future.
All of the classic games available with Nintendo Switch Online can be played offline. However, an active NSO membership is required, and you must connect to the internet every seven days to verify your membership. .
The Expansion Pack is an extra membership tier that offers access to more retro games and DLC that you'd usually have to pay for. If you just want to play classic NES, SNES, and Game Boy games then the base membership will suit you fine. This tier also lets you play multiplayer games online, store your saved data in the cloud, take advantage of game trials, and play Tetris 99 and F-Zero 99. However, if you mainly want to play Mega Drive, N64, and Game Boy Advance games then you'll have to fork out extra for the Expansion Pack. This membership tier offers everything available with the base NSO plan, along with the libraries for this trio of systems.
Nintendo offers many different options for people thinking of signing up to Switch Online. You can get an NSO membership for a single account for one month (£3.49), three months (£6.99) or 12 months (£17.99). If you want access to the Expansion Pack, then that costs £34.99 for 12 months access for a single account. Nintendo also offers family plans which cover up to eight accounts. If you go down this route, 12 months access for the base NSO membership costs £31.49, while NSO and the Expansion Pack costs £59.99. Nintendo doesn't offer one or three month options for the family plan.
That's it for our guide on every game included with Nintendo Switch Online. If you're wondering what Nintendo has planned next after the huge success of the Switch, then head on over to our page on everything we know about the Switch 2.
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