

Nintendo Online is only needed for multiplayer over the internet, however. Other free-to-play games like Rocket League can be played without a paid Switch membership. The one major exception is Fortnite, which can be played online without a subscription. Now, you have to have a subscription to use the online features of first-party Nintendo games and most third-party games. Nintendo Switch Online is (mostly) required for online multiplayerīefore Switch Online launched, Nintendo offered free online multiplayer for games like Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Prepaid scratch-off cards can also be purchased at participating retailers for one-year Nintendo Switch Online memberships, as well. Keep in mind that subscriptions automatically renew unless you opt out in the eShop menu. Nintendo Switch Online is accessible via the orange navigational menu when you first open the storefront. Essentially, you and seven friends can get access to all Nintendo Switch Online features for less than $5 a piece.īoth subscription types are available for purchase on the Nintendo Switch eShop. You can create a family group on the Nintendo Account website. To take advantage of this bulk subscription, you need to be linked to a family group. When does Hogwarts Legacy come out on Nintendo Switch?įamily subscriptions, meanwhile, cost $35 per year. Pikmin 4: release date, trailers, news, gameplay, and more Ultimate, for example, you need to own two copies of the game.Nintendo Switch’s weirdest launch game is getting a surprise sequel So if you want to play some local multiplayer in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or Super Smash Bros. If you have no internet connection, or if someone is playing any downloaded game on the primary Switch, you can’t play on the non-primary console.Īnd although any account on the primary Switch can play any game downloaded by any other user account, downloaded games on non-primary consoles can be played only by the user account that originally purchased them. In short, non-primary consoles require an internet connection to play any downloaded game (or any game for which you’ve bought downloadable content, even if the game itself is on its own game card). Non-primary consoles are subject to a number of restrictions, which Nintendo fully outlines here (you see these kinds of restrictions when you own multiple Xbox or PlayStation consoles, as well). But when you sign in on more than one Switch with the same user account, Nintendo forces you to designate one Switch as the “primary” console and any others as “non-primary” consoles. If you have more than one Switch console-a full-size version connected to a TV and a Switch Lite for a kid, for example-you can download every game and piece of downloadable content you’ve bought on the Switch eShop onto both consoles. Phantasy Star 4: The End of the Millennium
