Also like PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold, aNintendo Switch Onlinesubscription includes access to “free” games. Instead of releasing new games on a monthly basis, however, Nintendo Switch Online adds retro titles from legacy Nintendo consoles in batches, in addition to the occasional original game.
RELATED:Appearance of Ocarina of Time’s Water Improved by Nintendo Switch Online Emulation Update
Nintendo has also expanded the free DLC offerings available through the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Joining the Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC is the Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion, a single-player expansion to the base Splatoon 2 game that should keep fans busy while they wait to get their hands on Splatoon 3.
99 Games
Battle royale games have been all the rage since the meteoric rise of games likePUBGandFortnite. Numerous companies have thrown their hats in the ring, developing their own takes on the battle royale genre. As far as battle royales go, Nintendo Switch Online can lay claim to two exclusives, which are battle royale versions of the popular retro video gamesPac-ManandTetris.
Tetris 99in particularis often named as one of the most entertaining and unique battle royale games on the market. The basic concept is that 99 players are all playing against each other inTetrisand are able to sabotage those on neighboring screens. The game keeps going until everyone is eliminated and only one player remains. The concept behindPac-Man 99is similar, but it replacesTetrisgameplay with classicPac-Mangameplay.
BesidesPac-Man 99andTetris 99, the Switch Online service also once had a game calledSuper Mario Bros. 35. It used the same concept as these other games, essentially serving as aSuper Mario-themed battle royale, but with a much smaller player count reflecting the 35th anniversary of theSuper Mariofranchise. Just like with the otherSuper Marioanniversary content, Nintendo removed access toSuper Mario Bros. 35in early 2021, and it has made no indication as to if it will ever return.
NES Games You Can Play With Switch Online
The Nintendo Switch Online NES lineup has also addedEarthBound Beginnings, a Wii U re-release of the originalEarthBoundNES game. The originalEarthBoundwas exclusive to Japan, butEarthBound Beginningsprovides an official English translation, so fans of the franchise can enjoy it the world over. And with theWii U online store being shut downnext year, it’s a great thing that the English-language version of the game is getting a second lease on life.
RELATED:Nintendo Fan Creates Nintendo DS Switch Online App Mock-Up
Nintendo has regularly addednew NES games to the Switch Online service, and so the lineup will grow in the future, but this is all that’s been added so far. Fans should note that there’s also SP versions of some NES games, which offer new gameplay features and other surprises.
SNES Games You Can Play With Switch Online
One of the most notable games that’s part of the Switch Online service isStar Fox 2.Star Fox 2was originally only available through the SNES Classic mini console, but with those discontinued,Star Foxfans can now check it out through Switch Online.
There are also SP versions of the SNES games available for Switch Online Expansion Pack players to check out, offering new ways to play some of the classic games available on the service. Most recently,Kirby Dream Course,Kirby Dream Land 3, andKirby Super Starreceived SP variants.
Nintendo 64 Games You Can Play With Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack
Sega Genesis Games You Can Play With Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack
Those with the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack can also play some of the best games ever released for the Sega Genesis, including landmark releases likeSonic the Hedgehog 2andStreets of Rage 2. The latest update to the Sega Genesis Switch Online Expansion Pack games came on June 07, 2025 with the addition ofAlien Soldier,Light Crusader, andSuper Fantasy Zone. It’s quite possible that even more Sega Genesis games will be added to the lineup in the future, though specific games have not been confirmed just yet.
Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack Free DLC
The first free DLC released through the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack was theAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsHappy Home Paradise expansion. This sizable expansion letsAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsplayers design special vacation homes for variousAnimal Crossingcharacters, giving them unprecedented creative freedom in the process. It also adds a lot of new decorations and items that players can then apply to their home island.
The second free DLC released through the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack isMario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Booster Course Pass. This Booster Course Pass is adding content toMario Kart 8 Deluxein six waves, with the first wave released on July 27, 2025.Mario Kart 8 DeluxeBooster Course Pass Wave 1 includes the Golden Dash Cup and Lucky Cat Cup, both of which add eight courses to the game each, reworked from previous games in theMario Kartseries.
Golden Dash Cup Courses:
Lucky Cat Cup Courses:
When it’s all said and done, theMario Kart 8 DeluxeBooster Course Pass will add a whopping 48 new tracks to the game, bringing the total number of tracks to nearly 100.
The third free DLC made available with a Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription isSplatoon 2’s Octo Expansion. WhileSplatoon 2is primarily a multiplayer game,Splatoon 2’s Octo Expansion features a new single-player story all about an Octoling named Agent 8. TheSplatoon 2: Octo Expansionwas considered a solid expansion to the base game when it was first released, so it should make a solid new addition to the Switch Online Expansion Pack for those that have never played it before.
MORE:Why Switch Online Doesn’t Have to Compete With PS Plus or Game Pass
