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Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack

SCORE5.8FAIR

$49.99/yr. Retro classics + DLC packs

BEST FORNintendo fans who want access to the retro library and included DLC. At $4.17 per month annually, NSO + Expansion Pack includes Animal Crossing: New Horizons Happy Home Paradise, Mario Kart 8 Booster Course Pass, and 500+ classic games.
Reviewed by the Clientele Research Team · Last checked 1 month ago (2026-08-03)
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Scores. Click any row to see our rationale
Library Size▼7.5/10

500+ games across NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, GBA, Sega Genesis, and GameCube. The most retro platform variety of any subscription. GameCube titles, including Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, Soulcalibur II, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, and Pokémon XD, were added starting with Switch 2 launch and require a Switch 2 to access. No modern Switch titles are in the subscription library.

Value▼7.5/10

At $49.99 per year, it is the cheapest major console subscription annually. The included DLC packs (Mario Kart Booster Course Pass at $25 retail and Animal Crossing New Horizons DLC at $25) together cover most of the annual cost.

Day-One New Releases▼2/10

No modern Nintendo Switch games are included at any point. Switch titles are sold separately. The catalog is retro games and DLC packs for specific existing games only.

Platform Coverage▼5/10

Nintendo Switch only. Handheld, docked, and tabletop modes. No PC, no mobile gaming beyond the limited Nintendo Switch Online app for voice chat. Nintendo Switch 2 is backward compatible.

Extras & Perks▼7/10

Online multiplayer for Switch games, a mobile app for some game features, exclusive subscriber-only offers, and Nintendo 64 with original controller support.

PROS
✓Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass and Animal Crossing: New Horizons Happy Home Paradise DLC are both included. Their combined retail value of $50 exceeds the annual subscription cost.
✓Game Boy and Game Boy Color library was added in 2025, bringing the retro catalog to 500+ games across six Nintendo platforms.
✓GameCube games (including The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and Soulcalibur II) were added starting June 2025, exclusively for Switch 2 owners.
✓Family Membership covers up to 8 Nintendo Accounts for $79.99/year total, working out to about $10 per person per year according to Nintendo's own pricing.
✓The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom got free Switch 2 Edition upgrade packs (improved resolution, frame rate, HDR) for Expansion Pack members starting 2025.
CONS
✕No modern Switch games are included at any point. Every first-party Switch title requires a separate full-price purchase.
✕Online multiplayer in Switch games runs on peer-to-peer connections in many titles, not dedicated servers. Lag is noticeably worse than Xbox or PlayStation online.
✕GameCube games only work on a Nintendo Switch 2. Original Switch owners can't access that portion of the library at all.
✕At $49.99/year for an individual membership, it's roughly 3x the cost of the base Nintendo Switch Online tier ($19.99/year) just to unlock N64, GBA, Genesis, and GameCube libraries.
✕The retro library skews toward older, niche titles. There's no equivalent to day-one AAA access found on Xbox or PC Game Pass.
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