Nintendo Switch Online is Nintendo’s equivalent toPlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass. It’s a paid subscription service that gives you access to online multiplayer play for many games, plus other benefits and features. You’ll need to be a Nintendo Switch Online member to play the vast majority of games online on yourNintendo Switch, (with the notable exception of Fortnite, and a few other titles which offer online multiplayer even if you don’t have a subscription).
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There areplenty of additional benefitsthat come with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. One of the best perks is that you get free access to a back catalog of classic games from previous Nintendo consoles, from the N64 all the way back to the original Nintendo Entertainment System.
As long as you have your subscription, you may play any of the games in the catalog whenever you wish, although you’ll need the more expensive Expansion Pack subscription to access the N64, Game Boy Advance, and Sega Mega Drive games. Here’s how to play free games with Nintendo Switch Online.
Nintendo Switch Online
How to access free games through Nintendo Switch Online
If you want to play any of the games from the Nintendo Switch Online catalog, you’ll first need a subscription. For NES, SNES, and Game Boy games, astandard Nintendo Switch Online subscriptionwill do. For N64, GBA, and Sega games, you’ll need to get the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription. Once your subscription is up and running, you can find all the available games on your Switch console.
For some reason, Perfect Dark and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter are part of their own separate app called Nintendo Switch Online: MATURE. You’ll need to download this free app from the Nintendo eShop to play these two games.
Which free games do you get with the standard Nintendo Switch Online subscription?
There are some classic Nintendo games from consoles of yesteryear
There is a growing library of Nintendo Entertainment System games available to play at no extra cost. Classics on offer include Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda.
Switch Online members also get the chance to play a wide selection of SNES games, such as Super Mario World and Mario Kart, and Game Boy / Game Boy Color titles, like The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX and Tetris. There are more than 100 games available across the collection. It effectively turns your Nintendo Switch into anNES Classic Mini, aSNES Classic Mini, or a classic Game Boy.
NES games included in the Nintendo Switch Online subscription (as of June 15, 2025)
These are all the NES games currently available. Expand the list to see the full range of games.
SNES games included in the Nintendo Switch Online subscription (as of July 25, 2025)
These are all the SNES games currently available. Expand the list to see the full range of games.
Game Boy games included in the Nintendo Switch Online subscription (as of July 30, 2025)
These are all the Game Boy games currently available. Expand the list to see the full range of games.
Which free games do you get with the standard Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription?
N64, GBA, and Sega Mega Drive games are added to the mix
Those who pay extra for the Expansion Pack also gain access to classic N64, Sega Mega Drive, and Game Boy Advance games. This includes all-time classics such asGoldeneye 007, Banjo Kazooie, and Super Mario 64.
New games are added every few months, and in June 2024, Nintendo added one of the best games from the N64: Perfect Dark. This is a classicfirst-person shooterfrom Rare and is the spiritual successor to the game developer’s hugely popular GoldenEye 007, which is also available if you pay for the Expansion Pack subscription. It runs on an upgraded version of the same game engine as GoldenEye, and really pushed the N64 to its limits. If you’ve never played it, it’s definitely worth checking out.
N64 games included in the Expansion Pack
These are all the N64 games currently available. Expand the list to see the full range of games.
Sega Mega Drive / Genesis games included in the Expansion Pack
These are all the Sega Mega Drive and Genesis games currently available. Expand the list to see the full range of games.
Game Boy Advance games included in the Expansion Pack
These are all the Game Boy Advance games currently available. Expand the list to see the full range of games.
Q: Can you get free Switch games with Nintendo Switch Online?
Q: Do you get free GameCube, Wii, or Wii U games with Nintendo Switch Online?
Currently, no. Nintendo Switch Online only offers games for the NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Sega Mega Drive. However, the service originally launched in 2018 with just NES games. SNES games arrived a year later, with N64 games not appearing until 2021 with the new Expansion Pack. It’s still possible that games from newer consoles may make an appearance at some point.
