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 online services free of charge from the launch of the Nintendo Switch. The service later launched on April 23, 2019 in Hong Kong[5] and South Korea,[6] 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] The service in Russia was shut down on May 31, 2023 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[11] 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.[12] 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 launched alongside an application called Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online, which gives subscribers access to a selection of NES and Famicom games that can be played cooperatively or competitively with other players online. The Nintendo Switch Online service also includes a cloud backup feature that allows the player to save their data online for easy access. When playing NES/Famicom games online, other players can display a cursor onscreen to point out hints and secrets.[13]Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros., Dr. Mario, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Yoshi were among the 20 NES titles made available at the service's launch,[14] with new titles added in the following months.[13]
The Famicom controllers
The NES controller
The Super Famicom controller
The SNES controller (NTSC)
The SNES controller (PAL)
As part of the service's exclusive offers, subscribers can also purchase a pair of NES-styled wireless controllers, which feature extra and shoulder buttons similar to the Joy-Con's and buttons and can be connected to the console itself to recharge in a similar fashion. While both NES controllers are identical, as with the original Famicom controllers, the Famicom-styled wireless controllers exclusive to Japanese subscribers are slightly different from each other, with the left controller featuring the and buttons, and the right controller featuring the volume slider and microphone.[15]
In October 2024, the music streaming mobile application Nintendo Music was released, available exclusively to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, allowing users to play music from Nintendo games. Super Mario Bros., Dr. Mario, Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Super Mario Odyssey were among the games with their music included at launch, with more games added regularly over time.
In the April 2025 Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo announced Nintendo GameCube - Nintendo Classics, which was released for the Expansion Pack exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025, the same day as the console's release. It contains a selection of Nintendo GameCube games with enhanced graphics. A wireless GameCube Controller was released with it, and the controller features the newly added C Button to access GameChat. All of the Nintendo Switch Online classic games applications on the Nintendo Switch were also released for the Nintendo Switch 2, with "Nintendo Switch Online" in their titles renamed "Nintendo Classics".[29]Super Mario Strikers was the first Super Mario-related game added to Nintendo GameCube - Nintendo Classics, being added in July 2025.[30] Additional games have been added since.
In the September 2025 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced Virtual Boy - Nintendo Classics, which is set to release for both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 for Expansion Pack members on February 17, 2026.[31] A replica Virtual Boy system holder accessory, as well as a cardboard model similar to the Nintendo Labo Toy-Con VR Goggles, will be released alongside the application, with one or the other being required to use the application. 14 Virtual Boy titles are slated to be released via this application, including all three Super Mario franchise games originally released on the system (Mario's Tennis, Mario Clash, and Virtual Boy Wario Land); this marks the first time Virtual Boy games have been made available outside North America and Japan, as well as the first time Virtual Boy games have been re-released overall.
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.
and 
shoulder buttons similar to the Joy-Con's 
and 
buttons and can be connected to the console itself to recharge in a similar fashion. While both NES controllers are identical, as with the original Famicom controllers, the Famicom-styled wireless controllers exclusive to Japanese subscribers are slightly different from each other, with the left controller featuring the 
and 
buttons, and the right controller featuring the volume slider and microphone.[15]
![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)
![Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Classics[a]](/File:NES-NSO-EUR-USA-HOME-Menu-Icon.jpg){kind=icon}
![Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Classics[a]](/File:SNES_Nintendo_Classics_Icon.webp){kind=icon}
![Super Mario Bros. 35[a] (defunct)](/File:SMB35-GameIcon-NinSwitch-HOME-Menu.jpg)
![Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Classics[a][b]](/File:N64.Nintendo_Classics_Icon.webp){kind=icon}
![Game Boy - Nintendo Classics[a]](/File:GB.Nintendo_Classics.Icon.webp){kind=icon}
![Game Boy Advance - Nintendo Classics[a][b]](/File:GBA.Nintendo_Classics_Icon.webp){kind=icon}
![Virtual Boy - Nintendo Classics[a][b]](/File:VB_Nintendo_Classics_logo.png){kind=logo}
![Nintendo GameCube - Nintendo Classics[a][b]](/File:GCN_Nintendo_Classics_Icon.jpg){kind=icon}
![Nintendo Music[a]](/File:Nintendo_Music_App_Icon.png){kind=icon}
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