How much does a Nintendo Switch Online membership cost? (2024)

The internet has changed the way we play games. For a long time, if you wanted to play video games against friends, you'd all have to be in the same room, using the same console, with a screen split into tiny sections. The rise of the internet meant that a new method of playing games with other people became the norm: online gaming.

Online gaming has become hugely popular on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, but it never took off in quite the same way on Nintendo consoles. Nintendo took a while to catch up with Sony and Microsoft when it comes to online play, but it now has one big service to cover a bunch of different features: Nintendo Switch Online. Switch Online is a paid service you need if you want to play online, but it also brings a bunch of other benefits. These include the option to gain access to free games from previous Nintendo consoles to download and play whenever you like.

How much does Nintendo Switch Online cost? Well, that depends on exactly what features you want, and how frequently you want to pay. Here's what you need to know.

What is Nintendo Switch Online?

Nintendo's take on an online subscription service

Switch Online is Nintendo's equivalent to PlayStation 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.

You can still play games such as Splatoon 3 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in single-player or local multiplayer, but you won't be able to compete against your friends over the internet if you don't have an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

How much does Nintendo Switch Online cost?

There are several ways to pay for online access

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The price of Nintendo Switch Online varies depending on whether you would like to pay monthly, quarterly, or yearly. The more you pay for in one go, the cheaper it works out, so a monthly subscription will cost you more in the long run than paying for a year at a time.

There is also a family membership available which includes up to eight Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions. Each different family member can use the full Nintendo Switch Online privileges on different consoles or even the same Switch.

Nintendo Switch Online

Nintendo Switch Online gives access to classic games, online play and much more. Buying it for a yearly payment lessens the monthly cost.

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Switch Online subscription price

After a one-week free trial period, a standard Nintendo Switch Online subscription will cost the following:

Switch Online Expansion Pack price

As well as the standard Nintendo Switch Online membership, you can also opt for a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership. This gives you all the benefits of the standard Nintendo Switch Online service, plus access to classic N64 and Sega Mega Drive games. Other benefits include downloadable content such as the Animal Crossing: New Horizons DLC and extra courses for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

You can subscribe to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack as a single bundle, but there are no monthly or quarterly payment options; you'll have to pay for a full year in one go. The prices are as follows:

How does the Nintendo Switch Online price compare to other services?

It's not easy to compare apples with apples

Xbox

Comparing the price of Nintendo Switch Online to similar services from PlayStation and Xbox isn't that easy. All of the services offer different things, so making a like-for-like comparison is tough. However, we can at least compare the prices of a 12-month subscription for each tier offered by the major platforms.

*Xbox no longer offers 12-month subscriptions to Game Pass Core or Game Pass Ultimate. You can still buy vouchers for 12 months of Game Pass Core from other sites, at the price listed above. For Game Pass Ultimate, the longest period you can buy with a voucher is three months at $49.99, so the price above reflects the cost of buying four of these vouchers.

As you can see, Nintendo offers the most competitively-priced online membership. In fact, you can get a full year of Nintendo Switch Online for less than the price of a single month of PlayStation Premium Plus or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. However, Nintendo Switch Online doesn't offer access to any Nintendo Switch games, and even the Expansion Pass only offers access to games from older Nintendo consoles. Both PlayStation and Xbox subscriptions give access to games for the current console. However, if your only reason for signing up for a console subscription is to be able to play games online, then Nintendo currently offers the cheapest way to do so.

Nintendo Switch OLED

It's the best Switch for our money, offering the best of all worlds.

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FAQ

Q: Do you need Nintendo Switch Online to play with friends?

Yes and no. You'll need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription if you want to play most Switch games online with other people. However, there are a few games that you can play online without a subscription, such as Fortnite. It's also possible to play with friends in local multiplayer. For example, you and three friends can grab a Joy-Con each and play Mario Kart together on the same Switch console.

Q: Do you have to pay monthly for Nintendo Switch Online?

There are three main payment options for Nintendo Switch Online. You can pay month-by-month if you wish, and cancel at any time. You can opt to pay for three months at a time, or if you know that you're going to want to keep the service long-term, you can pay for a full year. A 12-month subscription is the most cost-effective option.

Q: Can I buy Nintendo Switch games online without a Nintendo Switch Online membership?

You don't need a Nintendo Switch Online membership to purchase Switch games online. However, you will still need a free Nintendo account in order to make digital purchases. You will also need to have accessed the Nintendo eShop on a Switch console at least once before you can purchase games through the Nintendo website.