Everything You Need to Know About Nintendo Switch Online
Nintendo Switch Online has been around since late 2018, but with the Nintendo Switch absolutely dominating console sales over the holiday shopping season, there are a lot of new Switch owners out there who are asking themselves, “Is Nintendo Switch Online worth it?”
To answer that question, we’re going over Nintendo Switch Online pricing and features to help you decide if Nintendo Switch Online is worth it.
Here’s everything you need to know about Nintendo Switch Online.
How Much Does Nintendo Switch Online Cost?
Nintendo offers several pricing options for Nintendo Switch Online. Pricing plans range from a 1-month individual membership for $3.99 to a 12-month family membership for $34.99.
Like most subscriptions, you get a discount for signing up for 12 months.
Individual Memberships:
- 1 Month for $3.99
- 3 Months for $7.99
- 12 Months for $19.99
Family Membership (Up to 8 Nintendo Accounts):
- 12 Months for $34.99
At $34.99 for 12 months, the Family Membership is cheaper than an individual subscription to Xbox and Playstation’s online memberships.
Can I Use My Nintendo Switch Online Subscription on Multiple Switches?
Let’s say you own multiple Switches — your main Switch is in the living room and your kid has a Switch Lite — can you use your Nintendo Switch subscription on both Switches?
Yes! All you have to do is sign in to your Nintendo Account on each Switch console to access Nintendo Switch Online.
What’s Included in Nintendo Switch Online?
For only $3.99 per month, you get a lot of bang for your buck with Nintendo Switch Online.
Here’s a quick rundown of Nintendo Switch Online features.
Online Multiplayer
It wasn’t too long ago that if we wanted to play a video game with our friends, we had to crowd around a TV, but with Nintendo Switch Online, you can play multiplayer games with your friends, no matter where they live!
While most of the best-selling Nintendo Switch games offer online multiplayer — more on that later — not all Switch games have an online multiplayer mode, though, so if you want to play a particular Switch game online with a friend, make sure the game supports online multiplayer through Nintendo Switch Online.
NES and SNES Virtual Console
For Switch owners of a certain age, the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System represent the gold standard for gaming consoles. With a Nintendo Switch Online membership, you get access to more than 70 free classic NES and SNES games!
All your favorite NES and SNES games are here: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Star Fox, Donkey Kong Country, Super Punch-Out!!, F-ZERO, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario Kart, and more.
Cloud Storage for Save Data
Backing up your game save data to the cloud might not be the most exciting Nintendo Switch Online feature, it’s probably the most useful feature. While your game data is saved on your Switch, Nintendo Switch Online also automatically keeps an online backup. So if you lose or break your Switch and have to buy a new one, as soon as you launch your game, all your save data is there.
For houses with multiple Switches, cloud storage also allows you to move from one system to another seamlessly.
Note: Unfortunately, some Switch games don’t support cloud saves, including Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield.
Nintendo Switch Online Smartphone App
Available on the App Store and Google Play, the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app lets you voice chat with your friends as you play online multiplayer games.
Download the Nintendo Switch Online app on the App Store here.
Download the Nintendo Switch Online app on Google Play here.
Special eShop Offers
Nintendo Switch Online members also get access to member-only deals and special offers, including discounts on games in the eShop, free in-game downloadable content, access to exclusive Nintendo products, and special free-to-download games like Super Mario Bros. 35 and Tetris 99.
Which Switch Games Offer Multiplayer on Nintendo Switch Online?
If it’s one thing Nintendo has been known for, it’s multiplayer. Thankfully, with a reliable internet connection, we don’t have to be in the same room anymore to play a Nintendo game with our friends!
Without a doubt, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate are two of the most popular online multiplayer games. But don’t forget the ink-based third-person shooter, Splatoon 2! Animal Crossing: New Horizons also has great online multiplayer features — you can invite your friends to your island, visit their islands, and share recipes! There are many other Nintendo Switch games that offer online multiplayer as well.
There are a lot of things you can do with $20. But other than giving it to charity, probably the best things Switch owners can do with $20 is sign up for Nintendo Switch Online.
