Nintendo Switch Online Is a Great Deal, Even If You Don’t Play Online

Nintendo Switch Online has been a hard sell to Switch owners who don’t play online games. This is doubly true for the relatively pricey Expansion Pack, which had paltry offerings at launch. However, over time, these services have become juggernauts worth considering even if you aren’t into multiplayer.

What Is Nintendo Switch Online and the Expansion Pack?

Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) is the Nintendo Switch’s paid service which is required to play most games online (free-to-play titles being the typical exception). Yet this only scratches the surface of what you get for $19.99 per year. There are also classic Nintendo console emulators chock-full of iconic games, cloud saves, avatar customization, and most recently, the Nintendo Music app.

The Expansion Pack is a premium version of this service for $49.99 per year (NSO included). This is home to even more emulators plus access to downloadable content for some of the biggest Switch games. The price was questionable at launch given how little it initially had to offer, but Nintendo has diligently worked to increase its value proposition with time.

Cloud Saves Are Important for Switch 2

With the Switch 2’s imminent arrival, cloud saving is likely to be a godsend for people transferring between devices.

Nintendo will likely offer multiple data transfer options, but being able to forgo them and have your save files already awaiting you on your new device will probably lead to a better day-one experience with the Switch successor. I could imagine the base service being worth buying into for a year just to make this transition easier.

There’s no word yet that cloud saves will definitely transfer, but the likelihood is high given it’s been confirmed that the next console will be backwards compatible and cloud saves already transfer between Switch units.

There is a small circumstantial catch, though. Some of the most popular titles on the platform don’t support cloud saves, like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Splatoon 2, and all the Pokémon games. I’d love to see Nintendo figure this kink out, as most of these are hyper-personalized experiences with saves that can’t simply be replicated by starting a new file.

The Emulators Now Have Massive Catalogs

Nintendo’s strategy of drip-feeding decades-old games is often frustrating but at this point the tap’s been running long enough that the emulator apps are filled with just about every first-party Nintendo game you could want.

The base package has stellar collections for the NES, SNES, and Game Boy. To put it in perspective, they’ve become such robust collections that Nintendo has turned to including untranslated Japanese ROMs. The Expansion pack is no slouch either, with the Nintendo 64 app now including Zelda entries and a bunch of classic Rare games, an RPG-heavy Game Boy Advance lineup, and a swelling Sega Genesis collection.

These emulators are packed with features, too. In addition to intuitive save states and rewinding, online multiplayer is natively built into games that never had it before. You can download the Japanese versions of these apps to play the games we haven’t received, though you’ll need to make a Japanese account to do this (and be able to read Japanese).

Thankfully, it’s been confirmed that the Switch 2 will retain these libraries, meaning this retro delivery process won’t reset as it has with past generations.

Exclusive Games Are Great (Though Some Are Gone)

Want a more original spin on the classics? NSO also offers subscriber-exclusive battle royale versions of them to play online. This includes Tetris 99, the game that started this trend and continues to see themed events held, and F-Zero 99, which pits you against 98 other racers in a recreation of the SNES game.

Unfortunately, just as many games have gone as have stuck around. Pac-Man 99 saw roughly two years of service before Nintendo pulled the plug, which is unfortunate as it was my personal favorite of this series. Super Mario Bros. 35 saw an even shorter lifespan, existing for a handful of months during the Mario franchise’s 35th anniversary.

Hopefully, Nintendo will see fit to re-release these eventually, though in equal measure they could also take the current games offline, so if Tetris 99 or F-Zero 99 sounds like your thing, get in while the gettin’s good.

You Can Play DLC Expansions for the Biggest Games

The final pillar of NSO’s game offerings is downloadable content for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Splatoon 2. You’ll need to subscribe and stay subscribed to the Expansion Pass to access these, plus you’ll need to own the base games.

This is the same DLC you can buy separately if you want to own it forever. Its serves as a good way to try it out limit-free before you buy or get your fill without the hefty price tags these DLC otherwise carry.

You Can Customize Your Profile

On a system lacking customization features, the icon maker available through the console’s NSO tab is a precious gem.

The premise of this feature is to earn Platinum Points by completing weekly missions to spend on characters, backgrounds, and frames from the latest games. You can then mix and match any combination of these from the same game to create your ideal avatar.

While avatar parts are only available for short periods, Nintendo often does reruns for popular games. Platinum Points can be obtained by passively using the system or opening up whichever emulator game is featured that week.

I hope that this customization effort is just a sampling of what’s to come with the Switch 2. This distribution method has worked well so far and would be the perfect way to distribute themes and other goodies.

The NSO Mobile App Has Game-Changing Perks

Believe it or not, the Nintendo Switch Online app for iPhone and Android can make your games even better.

The main function of the app is to offer voice chat for online play, but the real reason to download it is for its feature-rich integration with a few Switch games (Animal Crossing: New Horizons, both Splatoon offerings, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate).

The functionality ranges from fun statistics to major quality of life improvements, such as being able to type in Animal Crossing text chat on your phone rather than using the Switch’s system keyboard. There is even unique clothing for reaching milestones in Splatoon 3 that you can’t get anywhere else. Widgets also let you check Splatoon map rotations without logging in, among other things.

Nintendo has done a poor job of marketing these features even to the most avid players of the supported games. It’s a shame as it’s an impressive hub that expands Nintendo games beyond the confines of the console they’re played on.

You Can Buy Exclusive Controllers and Devices

If any of this has convinced you that NSO is worth picking up, consider this: you’re granted the extra-special opportunity to hand more money over after doing it!

These are mostly physical products that NSO members get the exclusive right to buy. Up until recently, these were limited to authentic wireless recreations of classic controllers for use with NSO emulators. They’re a bit pricey but make up for it in quality and novelty. Nintendo also offers a pair of vouchers for $100 that can each be redeemed for just about any Nintendo-made game.

In October 2024, NSO subscribers also got first dibs on ordering the Nintendo Alarmo alarm clock. A $100 alarm clock that makes Nintendo sounds as you roll around in bed is a novel concept even for the most hardcore fans—one I felt faded quickly despite the clock’s charm—but it also set a precedent that Nintendo could introduce unexpected NSO perks at any time.

There’s a Whole Music Streaming Service

Speaking of unexpected perks, it was only a few weeks after the Alarmo’s release that NSO-exclusive Nintendo Music was launched. This streaming service is accessible via a mobile app for iOS & Android and is packed with soundtracks from Nintendo games. It features curated playlists, looping, and a spoiler mode.

It’s still early days for Nintendo Music, with Nintendo employing a drip-feed strategy that leaves many of its most iconic soundtracks off the table. I feel like Nintendo should have used traditional streaming services rather than making it an exclusive perk. That said, the value-add to NSO members stretches far beyond the realm of online play. With time, it’ll likely become a veritable treasure trove of audible Nintendo history.

The Family Plan Makes NSO Even Cheaper

Nintendo Switch Online already comes in cheaper than competitor plans from Sony and Microsoft. It’s easy to argue that it offers less value than those, but the family plan can reduce the cost significantly.

Family plans for up to eight users are $34.99 annually for the base subscription and $79.99 for the Expansion Pass. This comes out to $4.37 and $10 per year when split eight ways, respectively. Even if you only take advantage of one or two perks discussed here, you’re bound to get your money’s worth.

It looks like Nintendo is carrying over most (if not all) NSO features in the Switch 2. In fact, that’s just about the most concrete information we have about the mysterious forthcoming hybrid console! It may make the transition between Switch eras all the more convenient, and continue to offer value for years to come.