For the Nintendo Switch family of systems, Nintendo distributes emulated retro games to subscribers of their Nintendo Switch Online service. Subscribers have access to games for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Game Boy (GB) and Game Boy Color (GBC). At the more expensive subscription tier, titled "Expansion Pack", players can also access Nintendo 64 (N64), Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance (GBA) games.
During its first year, the Online service provided a new batch of NES games on a monthly basis. With the addition of SNES titles in September 2019, releases would no longer be regularly scheduled. [1] In October 2021, Nintendo added a subscription tier called "Expansion Pack" which includes access to Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games. In February 2023, Game Boy and Game Boy Color games were added to the base subscription tier, and Game Boy Advance (GBA) games were added to the Expansion Pack. Games are accessible as long as the user has an active subscription, and a user must connect to the internet at least once a week to continue to access services while offline.
For North America, PAL, and South Korea markets, Nintendo publishes the original NTSC-U versions, retaining their North American naming and 60 Hz support. The Japanese Family Computer variant is used in Japan and Hong Kong. [2] The emulator includes online multiplayer support, allowing players to play local multiplayer games remotely with friends. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Some NES and SNES games also have an alternative version labeled "SP" ("Extra" in some regions) which alters the game in some way, typically unlocking additional modes, starting the player with additional items or levels, or starting the player midway through the game.
The service features several titles that were not available on Nintendo's Virtual Console. Some games saw their first re-release in any form since their original debut including Pro Wrestling , [8] Vice: Project Doom [9] and Pilotwings 64 . [10] The Switch Online marks the first release in North America for games such as Pop'n TwinBee , Smash Tennis and Mario's Super Picross . [11] [12]
With the launch of the Nintendo Switch Online service on September 19, 2018, NES games were made available with 20 titles available at launch. Subscribers can access them through a dedicated app. As of July 4,2024 [update] , there are 89 [upper-alpha 1] games and 20 "SP" variations available, including:
Release date | Game | Publisher(s) | NA/PAL/KR | JP/HK |
---|---|---|---|---|
September 19, 2018 [13] | Balloon Fight | Nintendo | ||
Baseball | Nintendo | |||
Donkey Kong | Nintendo | |||
Double Dragon | Arc System Works | |||
Dr. Mario | Nintendo | |||
Excitebike | Nintendo | |||
Ghosts 'n Goblins | Capcom | |||
Gradius | Konami | |||
Ice Climber | Nintendo | |||
Ice Hockey [upper-alpha 2] | Nintendo | |||
The Legend of Zelda [upper-alpha 2] | Nintendo | |||
Mario Bros. | Nintendo | |||
Pro Wrestling [upper-alpha 2] | Nintendo | |||
River City Ransom | Arc System Works | |||
Soccer | Nintendo | |||
Super Mario Bros. | Nintendo | |||
Super Mario Bros. 3 | Nintendo | |||
Tecmo Bowl | Koei Tecmo | |||
Tennis | Nintendo | |||
Yoshi | Nintendo | |||
October 10, 2018 [14] [15] | The Legend of Zelda SP | Nintendo | ||
NES Open Tournament Golf | Nintendo | |||
Solomon's Key | Koei Tecmo | |||
Super Dodge Ball | Arc System Works | |||
November 14, 2018 [16] [17] | Gradius SP (Stage 5) | Konami | ||
Metroid [upper-alpha 2] | Nintendo | |||
Mighty Bomb Jack | Koei Tecmo | |||
NES Open Tournament Golf SP | Nintendo | |||
TwinBee | Konami | |||
December 12, 2018 [18] [19] | Adventures of Lolo (NA) | HAL Laboratory | ||
Adventures of Lolo (JP) | HAL Laboratory | |||
Dr. Mario SP | Nintendo | |||
Metroid SP (Ridley battle) | Nintendo | |||
Ninja Gaiden | Koei Tecmo | |||
Wario's Woods | Nintendo | |||
January 16, 2019 [20] [21] | Blaster Master | Sunsoft | ||
Ghosts'n Goblins SP | Capcom | |||
Joy Mech Fight | Nintendo | [upper-alpha 3] | ||
Ninja Gaiden SP | Koei Tecmo | |||
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link [upper-alpha 2] | Nintendo | |||
February 13, 2019 [22] [23] | Blaster Master SP | Sunsoft | ||
Kirby's Adventure | Nintendo | |||
Metroid SP (Mother Brain battle) | Nintendo | |||
Super Mario Bros. 2 | Nintendo | |||
Tsuppari Oozumou | Koei Tecmo | |||
March 13, 2019 [24] [25] | Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light | Nintendo | [upper-alpha 4] | |
Kid Icarus [upper-alpha 2] | Nintendo | |||
Kirby's Adventure SP | Nintendo | |||
StarTropics | Nintendo | |||
Yie Ar Kung-Fu | Konami | |||
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link SP | Nintendo | |||
April 10, 2019 [26] [27] | Kid Icarus SP | Nintendo | ||
Punch-Out!! | Nintendo | |||
Star Soldier | Konami | |||
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels [upper-alpha 5] | Nintendo | |||
May 15, 2019 [28] | Clu Clu Land | Nintendo | ||
Clu Clu Land: Welcome to New Cluclu Land [upper-alpha 6] | Nintendo | |||
Donkey Kong Jr. | Nintendo | |||
Star Soldier SP | Konami | |||
Vs. Excitebike [upper-alpha 5] | Nintendo | |||
June 12, 2019 [29] | City Connection | City Connection | ||
Double Dragon II: The Revenge | Arc System Works | |||
TwinBee SP | Konami | |||
Volleyball [upper-alpha 2] | Nintendo | |||
July 17, 2019 [30] | Donkey Kong 3 | Nintendo | ||
Mighty Bomb Jack SP | Koei Tecmo | |||
Wrecking Crew | Nintendo | |||
August 21, 2019 [31] | Downtown Nekketsu March: Super-Awesome Field Day! | Arc System Works | [upper-alpha 3] | |
Gradius SP (Second loop) | Konami | |||
Kung Fu Heroes | Culture Brain | |||
Vice: Project Doom | Sega | [upper-alpha 7] | ||
December 12, 2019 [32] | Crystalis | SNK | [upper-alpha 8] | |
Famicom Wars | Nintendo | |||
Journey to Silius | Sunsoft | [upper-alpha 9] | ||
Route-16 Turbo | Sunsoft | |||
February 19, 2020 [33] | Eliminator Boat Duel | Piko Interactive | ||
The Mystery of Atlantis | Sunsoft | [upper-alpha 10] | ||
Shadow of the Ninja | Natsume Inc. | |||
April 20, 2020 [34] | Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light SP (Medeus Battle) | Nintendo | ||
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light SP (Triangle Attack) | Nintendo | |||
May 20, 2020 [35] | Rygar | Koei Tecmo | ||
July 15, 2020 [36] | The Immortal | Piko Interactive | ||
September 23, 2020 [37] | S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team | Natsume Inc. | ||
December 18, 2020 [38] | Nightshade | Piko Interactive | ||
Smash Ping Pong [upper-alpha 5] | Nintendo | |||
February 17, 2021 [39] | Fire 'n Ice | Koei Tecmo | ||
May 26, 2021 [40] | Ninja JaJaMaru-kun | City Connection | ||
July 28, 2021 [41] | Super Mario Bros. 3 SP | Nintendo | ||
February 9, 2022 [42] | EarthBound Beginnings | Nintendo | ||
March 30, 2022 [43] [44] | Dig Dug II | Bandai Namco | ||
Mappy-Land | Bandai Namco | |||
May 26, 2022 [45] | Pinball | Nintendo | ||
July 21, 2022 [46] | Daiva Story 6: Imperial of Nirsartia | D4 Enterprise | ||
March 15, 2023 [47] | Xevious | Bandai Namco | ||
June 5, 2023 [48] | Mystery Tower | Bandai Namco | ||
October 31, 2023 [49] | Devil World | Nintendo | ||
The Mysterious Murasame Castle [upper-alpha 5] | Nintendo | |||
Ninja JaJaMaru-kun SP | City Connection | |||
February 21, 2024 [50] | R.C. Pro-Am | Xbox Game Studios | ||
Snake Rattle 'n' Roll | Xbox Game Studios | |||
July 4, 2024 [51] | Cobra Triangle | Xbox Game Studios | ||
Donkey Kong Jr. Math | Nintendo | |||
Famicom Mukashibanashi: Shin Onigashima [upper-alpha 5] | Nintendo | |||
Golf | Nintendo | |||
Gomoku Narabe Renju | Nintendo | |||
Mach Rider | Nintendo | |||
Mahjong | Nintendo | |||
Solar Jetman | Xbox Game Studios | |||
Urban Champion | Nintendo | |||
2024 [52] | Tetris | Nintendo |
Announced in a Nintendo Direct on September 4, 2019, SNES games were added to the service worldwide with 20 titles on September 5, 2019. [53] They are available in a separate app from NES games. As of September 18,2024 [update] , there are 75 [lower-alpha 1] games and seven "SP" variations available, including:
Announced in a Nintendo Direct on February 8, 2023, Game Boy and Game Boy Color games were added to the service worldwide with 10 games the same day. [61] The Game Boy emulator includes multiple display settings that recreate the visual appearance and color palettes of the original Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, or Game Boy Color. [62] Super Game Boy features are not emulated. As of June 7,2024 [update] , there are 31 [lower-alpha 1] games available, including:
Announced in a Nintendo Direct on September 23, 2021, [3] Nintendo 64 games were added to the service worldwide with nine titles on October 25, 2021. [69] Games are based on the NTSC releases using 60 Hz timing; select games also have the option to play the European versions which run at their original PAL 50 Hz speed, including those that support multiple languages. [70] Games that received a Z rating from the Japanese CERO rating board or an M rating from the ESRB are available as part of a separate "18+" application in Japan or "Mature 17+" application in western regions. [71] As of June 18,2024 [update] , there are 36 [upper-roman 1] games available, including:
Announced in a Nintendo Direct on September 23, 2021, Sega Genesis games were added to the service worldwide with 15 titles on October 25, 2021. [69] As of June 27,2023 [update] , there are 45 [lower-roman 1] games available, including:
Announced in a Nintendo Direct on February 8, 2023, Game Boy Advance games were added to the service worldwide with six titles the same day. [61] As of August 9,2024 [update] , there are 23 [lower-alpha 1] games available, including:
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