Nintendo Switch Online membership costs $20 per year for the basic plan or $50 per year for the Expansion Pack

Nintendo Switch Online is a subscription service that lets you play games online with other people, back up your save files to the cloud, and access a library of older Nintendo games. The basic plan costs $20 per year. The Expansion Pack costs $50 per year and adds access to Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games, plus the ability to play DLC (extra content) for certain games without buying it separately.

You can also buy a three-month membership for $8 or a one-month membership for $4 if you want to try it before committing to a year. Nintendo occasionally runs sales on the annual plan, usually around major holidays, so the price may drop temporarily.

The membership covers one Nintendo account on your Switch. If other people in your household want to use online features on their own accounts, each person needs their own membership — unless you set up a family group, which is explained below.

Key Takeaways

  • The basic Nintendo Switch Online plan is $20 per year and includes online multiplayer, cloud saves, and access to NES and SNES games.
  • The Expansion Pack is $50 per year and adds Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games, plus free DLC for certain titles.
  • A family membership for up to eight accounts costs $50 per year for the basic plan or $80 per year for the Expansion Pack.
  • You can buy one-month ($4) or three-month ($8) memberships to test the service before buying a full year.
  • The membership is tied to your Nintendo account, not your Switch console, so you can use it on any Switch where you sign in.

What the basic plan includes

The basic Nintendo Switch Online membership gives you online multiplayer for games that support it. This is the main reason most people buy it — without it, you cannot play games like Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 3, or Animal Crossing: New Horizons online with friends or strangers.

You also get cloud save backup, which means your game progress is stored on Nintendo's servers. If your Switch breaks or you get a new one, you can read your saves to the new console. This does not work for every game — some titles like Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Animal Crossing: New Horizons do not allow cloud saves — but it covers most games.

The basic plan includes access to a library of NES and SNES games. These are older Nintendo games from the 1980s and 1990s, like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong Country. The library changes occasionally as Nintendo adds and removes titles, so the games available today may not be the same next year.

What the Expansion Pack adds

The Expansion Pack includes everything in the basic plan, plus Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games. The N64 library includes Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Mario Kart 64. The Sega Genesis library includes Sonic the Hedgehog, Altered Beast, and Phantasy Star II. Like the NES and SNES libraries, these rotate occasionally.

The Expansion Pack also gives you free DLC (downloadable content) for certain games. This means you do not have to pay extra for cosmetics, characters, or courses in games like Mario Kart 8 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The DLC is usually cosmetic — skins and outfits rather than gameplay advantages — but it saves money if you play these games regularly.

The Expansion Pack also includes access to Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, a smaller library that includes titles like The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and Metroid II.

Family memberships and how they work

A family membership lets up to eight Nintendo accounts on the same Switch or different Switches share one subscription. The family basic plan costs $50 per year, and the family Expansion Pack costs $80 per year. This is cheaper per person than buying individual memberships if you have multiple people in your household who want to play online.

To set up a family group, you create a family account through your Nintendo Account settings on the Switch or on Nintendo's website. You then invite other people by their email address or Nintendo account ID. Each person you invite can accept or decline the invitation. Once they join, they can use online multiplayer and cloud saves on their own account.

The person who creates the family group is the family manager and can remove members, change settings, and manage parental controls. If you are setting this up for children, you can restrict what games they can play and how long they can play each day.

Where to buy and how to redeem a code

You can buy Nintendo Switch Online directly through your Switch console by going to the eShop, selecting your profile, and choosing "Nintendo Switch Online." You can also buy it on Nintendo's website at accounts.nintendo.com. Both routes let you pay with a credit card or debit card.

You can also buy physical or digital gift codes from retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. These codes come as a card or email with a 16-character code. To redeem a code on your Switch, go to the eShop, select your profile, choose "Enter Code," and type in the code. The membership will set up when ready on that account.

If you buy a code from a third-party seller, make sure it is for your region — a code sold in Japan will not work on a North American Switch account, for example. The packaging or listing should say "Nintendo Switch Online" and your region (North America, Europe, etc.).

When your membership expires and what happens

Your membership expires on the date you purchased it one year later (or three months or one month later, depending on what you bought). Nintendo sends you an email reminder about a week before it expires. If you do not renew, your online multiplayer stops working when ready, but your cloud saves stay on Nintendo's servers for six months. You can reactivate your membership within that six-month window and read your saves again.

If you do not renew within six months, your cloud saves are deleted. Your local saves on your Switch console stay there — you just cannot access the cloud backup. You can still play games offline and access the NES and SNES library if you renew your membership later.

Comparing Nintendo Switch Online to PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass

Nintendo Switch Online is cheaper than PlayStation Plus Essential ($60 per year) and Xbox Game Pass Core ($60 per year), but it includes fewer games. The basic plan gives you access to NES and SNES titles, while PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass include hundreds of modern games. If you want to play current games without buying them individually, those services offer more value.

However, if you mainly want online multiplayer for Nintendo games and do not care about a large game library, Switch Online is the most affordable option. The Expansion Pack ($50 per year) is still cheaper than PlayStation Plus Essential, though it includes fewer modern games.

Nintendo does not offer a subscription service like Game Pass that includes new Nintendo games on day one. You still have to buy most new Nintendo games separately, even with Switch Online.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Nintendo Switch Online to play single-player games?

No. You only need the membership to play online multiplayer, use cloud saves, and access the NES and SNES library. Single-player games work without any subscription.

Can I share my membership with someone who lives in a different house?

A family membership is designed for people in the same household, but Nintendo does not actively enforce this. Technically, you can invite someone who lives elsewhere to your family group, and they can use the membership on their own Switch. However, this violates Nintendo's terms of service, and Nintendo could revoke the membership if they detect it.

What happens to my saves if I cancel my membership?

Your cloud saves stay on Nintendo's servers for six months after your membership expires. You can renew your membership within that window and read them again. After six months, they are deleted. Your local saves on your Switch console are not affected and stay there permanently.

Is Nintendo Switch Online worth it?

That depends on whether you play online multiplayer games. If you play Mario Kart, Splatoon, or other online games regularly, it is worth the $20 per year. If you only play single-player games, you do not need it. The Expansion Pack is worth it only if you want to play the N64 and Genesis games — the DLC benefit is minor for most people.

Can I use the same membership code on multiple accounts?

No. A membership code can only be redeemed once. If you want multiple accounts to have membership, you need to buy separate codes or set up a family membership.