Nintendo Switch Online is an online gaming network and subscription service that grants players online play for compatible Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 games, acting similarly to Sony's PlayStation Network and PlayStation Plus and Microsoft's Xbox network and Xbox Game Pass. It launched on September 18, 2018, in North America[1] and on the following day in Japan, Europe, and Oceania,[2][3][4] following a "free trial" period where Nintendo offered basic online multiplayer service free of charge after the launch of the Nintendo Switch. The service later launched on April 23, 2019, in Hong Kong[5] and South Korea;[6] in Israel circa Q3 2019; on September 9, 2025, in Taiwan;[7] then on November 18 in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore.[8] Expansion of the service's availability to the Philippines is also planned, initially set for the third quarter of 2025,[9] but remains in planning stage by the end of that quarter.[10] Nintendo also plans to launch the service in Saudi Arabia.[11] The service in Russia was shut down on May 31, 2023, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[12] It is the third online network service created by Nintendo, after Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (which launched during the release of Mario Kart DS on November 14, 2005) and the Nintendo Network (which launched on January 26, 2012).
To use the service, players must pay a subscription fee for a plan lasting in increments of one month, three months, or one year. A week-long trial period is available to use, after which payment will automatically begin renewing for the specified plan unless auto-renewal is turned off. The Nintendo Switch is also able to synchronize with smartphones via an application of the same name; this allows for online capability to invite friends to play online, set play appointments, voice chat with friends on online matches, and other game-specific features.[13] Subscribers can also find Nintendo Switch Online–specific news and information in an application of the same name on the Switch's home menu.
The service uses Nintendo Accounts for account management, which can be used on both Nintendo consoles and Nintendo apps and websites. Unlike the prior generation Nintendo Network IDs which could only be created on a Nintendo console, Nintendo Accounts can be created on any device with an internet browser, and also unlike them, an account's region can be freely changed on the settings page anytime instead of being locked to the region of the console used to create the account.
Basic online features such as the Nintendo eShop and system updates do not require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to access.
The Nintendo Switch Online service includes access to Nintendo Classics, a series of downloadable applications featuring legacy Nintendo games. Certain applications in the series are exclusive to the Expansion Pack subscription tier. The series began with Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Classics (formerly "Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online"), which was launched alongside the Nintendo Switch Online service. The "Nintendo Classics" branding was introduced on June 5, 2025 with the release of Nintendo GameCube - Nintendo Classics, replacing the previously used "Nintendo Switch Online" subtitle in the applications' names.
Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack is the premium tier of the Nintendo Switch Online service. It was announced in the September 2021 Nintendo Direct and launched on October 25, 2021 in North America[16] and the following day in Japan, Europe and Oceania,[17][18][19] alongside Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Classics and SEGA Genesis - Nintendo Switch Online. In addition to its exclusive Nintendo Classics applications, the Expansion Pack subscription tier includes access to the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass DLC at no additional charge.
Super Mario–related software that use Nintendo Switch Online to play online[edit]
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From March 2022, Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can access a "Missions & Rewards" section in the Switch's Nintendo Switch Online app where they can complete Nintendo Switch Online–specific tasks, such as opening the app, using the cloud backup feature, and playing online or a specific game on Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Classics, to earn My Nintendo Platinum Points, which can then be exchanged for "icon parts" (characters, backgrounds, and frames) for use in their Switch profile pictures. Icon parts can be redeemed only via a paid Nintendo Switch Online subscription—i.e., they are not redeemable for subscribers who have only an active free trial. The redeemable icon parts are categorized by game: a monthly "spotlight software" category that features a weekly selection of icon parts from a specific game, and an Animal Crossing: New Horizons category that features icon parts for residents who have birthdays in the current month. On occasions, another game can be added as a "special reward," including the Super Mario–franchise title Mario Strikers: Battle League.
Characters cost 10 Platinum Points each, while backgrounds and frames cost five. After redeeming icon parts, the player can then assemble them in the icon collection sub-screen, after which they can then be applied to their profile picture. Some of the character icons are indicated with "Character with background," meaning that some icons of the character have the background baked in for them, and thus a different background cannot be selected for them. A background or frame cannot be redeemed without redeeming a character from the same game first.
The following is a list of Super Mario–related characters featured in the spotlight software category (any character marked with "Character with Background" is marked with an asterisk). While not exclusively related to Super Mario, the September 2022 rewards featured icons from Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online, with Super Mario Bros. and Tennis being featured in wave 1, Dr. Mario in wave 2, and Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Punch-Out!! in wave 3. In addition, Super Mario 64 was used as one of three games for spotlight software on Nintendo 64 Online games in November 2022 (the others being Majora's Mask and Kirby 64 of the franchises The Legend of Zelda and Kirby, respectively). The spotlight software for Nintendo 64 Online games in December 2022 also included Yoshi's Story among the games for that month (alongside Ocarina of Time and F-Zero X of the series The Legend of Zelda and F-Zero, respectively). The January 2023 lineup for Nintendo 64 Online icons utilized Paper Mario and Mario Kart 64 among the three games for that month (with the only other game given focus during the month being Star Fox 64 of the Star Fox series). The icons for Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Mario Strikers: Battle League as well as the NES Online lineup were reissued on specific days between December 22 and January 6.
^"The new game system, Nintendo Switch 2, will be released in July-September 2025 in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. We are working to launch online services, including Nintendo Switch Online and the Nintendo eShop in these four countries." – Nintendo (Singapore). Nintendo Switch 2｜Nintendo Official Website. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
^ abNintendo Switch Online official website. Nintendo Australia (Australian English). Archived September 7, 2018, 03:29:07 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
![Super Mario Bros. 35[a] (defunct)](https://mario.wiki.gallery/images/thumb/5/54/SMB35-GameIcon-NinSwitch-HOME-Menu.jpg/120px-SMB35-GameIcon-NinSwitch-HOME-Menu.jpg)
![Super Mario Bros. 35[a] (defunct)](/File:SMB35-GameIcon-NinSwitch-HOME-Menu.jpg)
![Nintendo Music[a]](/File:Nintendo_Music_App_Icon.png){kind=icon}
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