Skip to main content

You can try Nintendo Switch Online for free this July Fourth weekend

Cloud saves, which are supported through Nintendo Switch Online
Nintendo

Ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Nintendo will hold a free seven-day Nintendo Switch Online trial for all Switch owners, even if you’ve had a Nintendo Switch Online subscription before or participated in a previous free trial.

Nintendo Switch Online is Nintendo’s version of PS Plus or Xbox Game Pass Core. It gives members access to online play in games like Splatoon 3 or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, cloud backups for game saves, some exclusive discounts and game trials, and some retro game libraries. You can even buy Game Vouchers to get two first-party Nintendo games for $100 during this trial period, although you will have to spend them before the trial ends.

Recommended Videos

While the ones for Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, and Sega Genesis are locked to the more expensive Expansion Pass that you’ll still have to pay for, this seven-day trial will still give you full access to the NES, Super NES, and Game Boy libraries in Nintendo Switch Online. If you’re looking for some recommendations on what to play from those game catalogs, you should check out The Legend of Zelda and StarTropics on NES, Donkey Kong Country and Earthbound on SNES, and Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins and Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble on Game Boy.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

It’s nice that this Nintendo Switch Online free trial offer is being refreshed ahead of a holiday weekend when many people will be off work. Nintendo Switch players can start the free trial today as long as they don’t have an active individual or family membership.

Tomas Franzese
A former Gaming Staff Writer at Digital Trends, Tomas Franzese now reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
The best puzzle games on Switch
best-single-player-nintendo-switch-games

It's no secret that the Nintendo Switch isn't the most powerful console on the market. There are still plenty of Switch games with great graphics, but the best Switch games tend to focus more on style and gameplay than anything else. Puzzle games already have a massive appeal, but the Switch might be the most popular place to play them. Since you can play the system on the TV or in handheld mode, you can take your puzzles on the go to challenge your brain whenever and wherever you are. Puzzle games come in a ton of different forms that test your mental skills in different ways. If you are looking to keep your mind sharp with the best puzzle games on the Switch, these are the ones to play.

If you are looking for the best puzzle games on PS5, we have a list for that, too!

Read more
The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct is coming in early April
The Switch 2 next to a TV with Mario Kart.

Nintendo Switch 2 – First-look trailer

Nintendo has given us an official time for its Nintendo Switch 2 Direct: April 2 at 9 AM ET, 6 AM PT. A Direct had been promised when Nintendo first revealed the Nintendo Switch 2, but in its usual fashion, the company provided only the bare minimum details. And even though we now know the exact time of the stream, Nintendo hasn't given any more information on the console itself.

Read more
The Switch’s newest game is the next best thing to Animal Crossing
My Melody swims in Hello Kitty: Island Adventure.

When it comes to Nintendo Switch games, we’re in a bit of a holding pattern. Nintendo’s next console is right around the corner and new releases for its old one have stalled as a result. We expect Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends: Z-A to be the system’s last games, but we’re only getting ports of a few older games until then. If you’re used to getting a big new Switch game every month, you might find yourself a little restless for the next few months.

Thankfully, third-party publishers are doing their part to fill that gap. This week, Switch owners just got what might be one of its last must-own games thanks to Hello Kitty: Island Adventure. The life sim is the closest thing you’ll get to a new Animal Crossing game on the Switch. Considering that Nintendo has no games of its own scheduled to launch until March, this is the next best thing.

Read more