Skip to main content

Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online

Nintendo is stepping up the features that users get with Nintendo Switch Online, as long as they’re willing to upgrade to a higher-tier service. Revealed during today’s Nintendo Direct, the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, will give players access to everything currently available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, as well as a suite of Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis titles.

Nintendo Direct - 9.23.2021

A price for the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack hasn’t been announced, but users can subscribe to it toward the end of October. The service’s exact release date and pricing information will be available at a later time.

Recommended Videos

The new service includes a suite of hit Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis titles, including Super Mario 64Mario Kart 64The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TimeEcco The DolphinSonic the Hedgehog 2Castlevania Bloodlines, and more. However, those are only some of the service’s launch titles. More games will be added for subscribers to play on their Switch as time goes on, essentially in the same fashion that the Nintendo Switch Online library updates now.

A Nintendo executive holds up the new Switch N64 and Sega Genesis controllers.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nintendo is also launching two new controllers that should put players back into their ’90s mindsets. The controllers, modeled after the Nintendo 64 controller and Sega Genesis controller, mean players can play games the same way they were played when they launched. While using a Nintendo 64 controller wirelessly on the Switch is an exciting premise, it may also just remind users of how bad these old gamepads are. Both controllers, which will set players back $50 each, don’t have a set launch date just yet. They will only be available to purchase for Switch Online members.

Otto Kratky
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…
Nintendo Switch’s successor must overcome one major challenge
Someone picks up a Nintendo Switch OLED Model.

The latest news on the Nintendo Switch’s successor, colloquially referred to as the Nintendo Switch 2, excites me. Unfortunately, it also demonstrates a major hurdle that Nintendo Switch 2 will have to overcome.

While Nintendo has yet to go all out in terms ofexplaining what the Switch 2 is yet (or if that’s even its name), we did learn in the company’s latest financial results that the console will be backward compatible with Nintendo Switch titles. That’s a win for not just Switch 2, but game preservation and the Nintendo Account system. Although backward compatibility is a net win for Nintendo’s next system, as it was for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, it reminds me that Nintendo must succeed where PlayStation and Xbox have struggled this generation.

Read more
Nintendo Switch 2: everything we know so far
Prime Day Nintendo Switch Deals

Rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 have been circulating for years. Whispers of the next-gen Nintendo console first started when The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was initially teased in 2019, then gained steam when the Switch OLED launched in 2021. Now that Nintendo has properly confirmed that it's working on a new console, rumors have only gotten more frequent. We've even hit the point where we're seeing more credible photos and spec leaks trickle out.

There's no doubt that the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic console -- it has a unique and impressive game library (with more upcoming games slated for this year), the number of features included with Nintendo Switch Online is constantly improving, and it's still our favorite portable console -- but it isn't without its flaws. There's enough room for improvement to warrant an entirely new console in the near future.

Read more
Nintendo’s next system is compatible with Nintendo Switch games
An image of the Nintendo Switch - OLED Model Mario Red Edition.

During its latest financial results, Nintendo revealed some more details about the successor to the Nintendo Switch. Specifically, Nintendo confirmed that people will be able to play their Nintendo Switch games on the new system.

"This is Furukawa. At today's Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch," Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday night. "Nintendo Switch Online will be available on the successor to Nintendo Switch as well. Further information about the successor to Nintendo Switch, including its compatibility with Nintendo Switch, will be announced at a later date."

Read more