The subscription upgrades your experience with online play and a lot of other perks.

Prior to the Nintendo Switch, the company's systems offered free online play. But nowadays, a Nintendo Switch Online subscription is required to take advantage of most online modes. To sweeten the deal, you get other goodies in the package. And if you want the best out of the service, Nintendo also offers a second tier called the Expansion Pack.

If you're just getting into the Switch or Switch 2 ecosystem, you might wonder if this subscription is worth its cost. Or maybe you've been subscribed for years and have forgotten what you're getting for your money. Reviewing what's on offer helps you evaluate how much you're actually using a subscription so you can spend your cash wisely.

I've been a subscriber since the service arrived in September 2018; I've used the service on both Switch and Switch 2, including the Expansion Pack.

What do you get with Switch Online?

The base Nintendo Switch Online plan, available for $20/year, includes all the essentials. Its main appeal is allowing you to play games online, either with friends or random people via matchmaking. You don't need Switch Online to play free-to-download games like Rocket League or Fortnite, but it's required for paid games (like Splatoon 3 or Mario Kart World). Thus, the value here depends on what you play.

Another core feature is the Nintendo Classics library, which includes around 200 NES, SNES, and Game Boy games. You'll find everything from masterpieces like Super Metroid and Super Mario Bros. 3 to more obscure titles like Game & Watch Gallery 3 and Crystalis. There's likely a lot in the library you've never tried before or would enjoy replaying, making this a great way to experience Nintendo's history. Some offer online multiplayer, but only with your friends.

Importantly, the subscription also provides cloud storage for your save data. That way, if your system ever stops working, all your progress is easy to move to a replacement. Given how long some games are, this is worth the price of admission alone.

Your subscription also grants access to Nintendo Music, a separate streaming app (and web tool) with various Nintendo soundtracks. This is neat, but not essential unless you're a huge fan of video game music. Finally, "special offers" include trials of certain games, missions that let you earn Nintendo Platinum Points and customize your profile's avatar, access to Tetris 99 and F-Zero 99, and the option to purchase retro replica controllers.

Upgrading to the Expansion Pack

For $50/year, you can step up to the clumsily named Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. This unlocks access to additional systems in the Nintendo Classics collection: N64, Game Boy Advance, Sega Genesis, and Virtual Boy. Many of the N64 and GBA games offer far longer runtimes than games on earlier systems, so there's a lot to dig into here. If you're interested in trying Virtual Boy titles, you'll need to purchase either the replica Virtual Boy model or cardboard viewfinder from Nintendo.

Another perk of the Expansion Pack is included DLC for three major Switch games. You can download Happy Home Paradise for Animal Crossing: New Horizons (normally $25), the Octo Expansion for Splatoon 2 ($20), and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass ($25). If you don't already have these and would play them all, there's a lot of value here, though buying them outright saves you in the long run. Octo Expansion is easily beatable within a year, but the other two packs are theoretically playable forever.

Switch 2 exclusive features

Everything above is available on both Switch and Switch 2. If you have Nintendo's new and improved console, being a Switch Online member brings extra benefits. Either tier allows you to use GameChat, which is the Switch 2's built-in communication feature accessible with the controller's C button.

You can voice chat with friends, as well as share your screen (and video if you have a camera connected to your console). GameShare functionality also works over GameChat with friends to play a select handful of games with Switch 2 owners who don't have them. If you don't already use Discord, you might find this worthwhile. I haven't touched it since owning a Switch 2 on day one because I rarely play Switch games with friends.

Expansion Pack subscribers with a Switch 2 get access to the GameCube Nintendo Classics library. It only has a handful of games currently, such as Wario World and Luigi's Mansion. Nintendo updates these classic collections with new titles regularly, though it's been slow going for the GameCube in particular.

Finally, the higher tier grants free access to the Switch 2 upgrade packs for both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. These upgrades, normally $10 each, improve the original games with a higher resolution, 60 fps gameplay, and other additions like a companion tool in the Nintendo Switch app.

Is Switch Online worth the price?

Overall, Switch Online's base plan is a good value for nearly everyone. $20 a year is less than $2 a month, and you get plenty of value for the low cost. The Nintendo Classics library is worth poking around, plenty of Switch games offer enjoyable online play, and the Nintendo Music app is fun if you want something different — it even works with Android Auto and CarPlay. The save data backup alone pays for itself by protecting your time investments.

The Expansion Pack is more dependent on what kind of player you are. Treating it as a one-year "sampler platter" is a good way to start. If you have any interest in the expanded Nintendo Classics libraries, you can dig through those catalogs. The same goes for the three DLC packs and two Zelda upgrade packs. A year's subscription is enough time to complete at least one of the Zelda games and the Octo Expansion, plus try out the other DLCs. At the end of the year, if you've lost interest in the classic games and are done with the DLCs, you can revert to the lower tier.

Switch Online becomes an even better value with the family plans. For $35/year (base plan) or $80/year (Expansion Pack), up to 8 people can each enjoy the benefits. Plus, unlike many group plans, Nintendo doesn't care if you live in different locations. You also have the option to let family group members borrow your Switch games, which is another way to save.

With even three or four people, the price drops to an affordable amount per member. The core plan offers a seven-day free trial, as well as a $4/month offering, so you can give it a shot before you commit to a year.