Nintendo Switch Online – Guide to multiplayer, retro library and other features

Nintendo Switch Online Guide

So you got your Nintendo Switch and an online subscription as a gift and have no idea how to use it? This guide will help you explain some of the features of the Nintendo Switch Online Subscription. If you did not get the online subscription then you should. It offers a lot of great features and will get you the most out of your Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo Switch Online subscription service offers online gaming, a vast library of SNES and NES games, and the occasional free Switch game. The subscription is not that pricey compared to Xbox and Playstation. It costs $3.99 for a month, $8 for three months, and $20 for a full year. You can find everything at this link.

Classic Nintendo, NES, and SNES Games

Subscribing to Nintendo’s Online service will give you access to a library full of old games that you will enjoy playing. These are all found within the “Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Switch Online” and “Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Switch Online” apps, which you can download from the store. Much like the NES Classic and SNES Classic retro consoles, you can switch between visual filters in the apps’ menus — a 4:3 mode, pixel perfect, and a fuzzy scan-line-filled CRT mode for the true retro experience.

The initial September 2018 selection included 20 NES games, and it ballooned as Nintendo added two or three a month after that. A set of 24 SNES games brought it into the big time in August 2019, and it’s been adding to both consoles’ libraries periodically since then. You’ll also lose access to your NES and SNES libraries if your console is disconnected from the internet for more than a week — the console needs to check in with the service every seven days to make sure you’re still subscribed. All of these games are really fun and amazing, they are also a good time killer during the current quarantine times.

You can access more classic games via the Japanese Store, at no extra cost. This is how you do it:

1. Create a second Nintendo Account and set Japan as the region. You must use a different e-mail account.
2. Create a new profile on your Switch and link it to your Japanese account.
3. Download “Family Computer, Nintendo Switch Online” and “Super Famicom, Nintendo Switch Online” apps from the Japanese store. Don’t worry about the language barrier; you’ll spot the English “Nintendo Switch Online” option.

Classic NES Games are:

• Adventures of Lolo
• Balloon Fight
• Baseball
• Blaster Master (SP)
• City Connection
• Clu Clu Land
• Crystalis
• Donkey Kong
• Donkey Kong Jr.
• Donkey Kong 3
• Double Dragon
• Double Dragon 2: The Revenge
• Dr. Mario (SP)
• Eliminator Boat Duel
• Excitebike
• Ghosts’n Goblins (SP)
• Gradius (SP)
• Ice Climber
• Ice Hockey
• Journey to Silius
• Kid Icarus (SP)
• Kirby’s Adventure (SP)
• Kung-Fu Heroes
• Mario Bros.
• Metroid (SP)
• Mighty Bomb Jack (SP)
• NES Open Tournament Golf
• Nightshade
• Ninja Gaiden (SP)
• Pro Wrestling
• Punch-Out!!
• River City Ransom
• Rygar
• S.C.A.T: Special Cybernetic Attack Team
• Shadow of the Ninja
• Soccer
• Solomon’s Key
• Star Soldier (SP)
• StarTropics
• Super Dodge Ball
• Super Mario Bros.
• Super Mario Bros. 2
• Super Mario Bros. 3
• Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
• The Immortal
• The Legend of Zelda (SP)
• Tecmo Bowl
• Tennis
• TwinBee (SP)
• Vice: Project Doom
• Volleyball
• Vs. Excitebike
• Wario’s Woods
• Wrecking Crew
• Yoshi
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (SP)

SNES Games are:

• Breath of Fire
• Breath of Fire 2
• Brawl Brothers
• Demon’s Crest
• Donkey Kong Country
• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest
• Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble
• F-Zero
• Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics
• Kirby’s Dream Course
• Kirby’s Dream Land 3
• Kirby Super Star
• Mario’s Super Picross
• Natsume Championship Wrestling
• Operation Logic Bomb
• Panel de Pon
• Pilotwings
• Pop’n TwinBee
• Star Fox
• Star Fox 2
• Stunt Race FX
• Super E.D.F. Earth Defense Force
• Super Ghouls N Ghosts
• Super Mario All-Stars
• Super Mario World
• Super Mario Kart
• Super Metroid
• Super Punch-Out
• Super Puyo Puyo 2
• Super Soccer
• Super Tennis
• Super Valis IV
• The Ignition Factor
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past
• The Peace Keepers
• Tuff E Nuff
• Wild Guns
• Yoshi’s Island

Playing Online

The subscription also allows you to play with your friends online. Although you can still play Fortnite without the subscription. If you are stuck in the current week’s quests, make sure to check this guide that will help you out.

Voice Chat

Having the subscription means you can use voice chat to talk to your friends while playing your favorite games. Most game consoles allow you to plug a headset into the console’s USB port or audio input jack and talk to players directly through the game. But most Nintendo Switch games that support voice chat require the user to download the Nintendo Switch app, available on Android and iOS. It isn’t a user-friendly experience, which is why some games sidestepped it, you can chat in Fortnite by plugging a headset into the console and playing.

Nintendo Switch Online Special Offers

Nintendo Switch Online members will get access to a special offer, like discounts, in-game items, or the ability to play a Switch game for free during a set period. If you subscribe for a year, you’ll get in-game items for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Super Kirby Clash. If you want to feel extra retro when playing the console’s retro library, Switch-compatible NES and SNES Controllers for Nintendo Switch are available only to subscribers.

If you want to sample the goods before shelling out any money, Nintendo is offering a one-week free trial. The seven-day trial offers almost all the benefits of the core service, but it won’t let you access special offers, like those retro NES and SNES controllers.