Skip to main content

No more regular schedule in release of Nintendo Switch Online NES, SNES games

More NES and SNES games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online, but subscribers will no longer know when the retro titles will arrive on the service.

Nintendo Switch Online launched last year with a library of 20 popular NES games that included Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda. Since then, more NES games have been added to the service at a rate of two to three games per month.

Right in time for its first birthday, Nintendo Switch Online expanded its retro offerings with the addition of 20 SNES games that include Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. A $30 wireless SNES controller was also unveiled, in a similar fashion to last year’s wireless NES controller.

A collection of 20 titles is not enough to include all the popular games of the console, and notable omissions include RPG classics such as Final Fantasy VI, Secret of Mana, and Chrono Trigger. Subscribers hoped that their favorite SNES games would arrive in future monthly updates, but it now appears that there will be a different release schedule from now on.

“More NES games will be added in the future, but those releases will not adhere to a regular schedule,” a Nintendo representative told Business Insider. “More Super NES games will be added after launch, but those releases will not adhere to a regular schedule,” the representative echoed for the service’s SNES library.

The good news is that more NES and SNES games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online. However, in comparison, there were regular monthly releases for the Virtual Console emulators of the Wii and Wii U for years before the updates slowed down. Virtual Console games may be purchased individually though, instead of all being made available through a subscription.

Wishful thinking is that more NES and SNES games will be added to the service at a faster rate, though logic dictates that the statement was made because the arrival of more titles will slow down. Hopefully, this means that the addition of more retro consoles to Nintendo Switch Online is in the works, with the Nintendo 64 next up.

It currently remains unclear how irregular the release of more Nintendo Switch retro games will be. In the meantime, subscribers may play the newly added SNES games for a kick of nostalgia.

Editors' Recommendations

The best Xbox Series X games for 2023
Two Spartans side by side in Halo Infinite.

After an uneven console cycle with the Xbox One, Microsoft's latest consoles are aimed at getting the ship back on course. The Xbox Series X is a next-generation powerhouse that rivals gaming PCs, while the Xbox Series S is an affordable stopgap for those who are curious about trying new games.

There's no shortage of games to play on either console thanks to Xbox Game Pass, which gives players immediate access to a library of titles old and new. That built-in catalog is an extra value on top of all the new games available on the system that take advantage of its impressive technical specs. When it comes to first-party exclusives, the Series X is still growing. Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 gave a good boost to the console's library following a somewhat sparse first year. More games are also on the way. Microsoft's Bethesda acquisition will bring exclusives like Starfield and Redfall, and the potential addition of all Activision Blizzard games would further bolster that list, but the console's real strength lies in third-party support.

Read more
You need to get this oddball Zelda game for free before the 3DS eShop closes
legend of zelda twilight princess nintendo wii grandma grandmother reddit 755 hours

The day of reckoning is fast approaching: The Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShop isclosing down on March 27. When that happens, you’ll no longer be able to make any digital purchases on those systems. Considering that several games on each platform only ever got digital releases, it’s creating a bit of a preservation nightmare. Hidden gems that never came to another platform, like Affordable Space Adventures, will be totally lost to time.

But it isn’t just obscure indies that are impacted by that change: One of Nintendo’s biggest franchises is about to lose a piece of its storied history. You’ve only got just over a week to grab a certain Legend of Zelda game before it disappears forever -- though it’s probably not one you’re expecting.

Read more
Skull and Bones: release date speculation, trailers, gameplay, and more
Two ships fire cannons at each other other a small island in Skull & Bones.

Ubisoft has a few notoriously troubled games in development that have left fans scratching their heads for years now. Aside from Beyond Good and Evil 2, the most curious game that has managed to avoid cancellation despite years of delays, restarts, and who knows what else behind the scenes is the pirate game Skull and Bones. It was first announced in 2017, and we've gotten almost nothing but bad news regarding this title in the years since. Despite having a playable build in 2018, for press only, the game has undergone major, if not complete overhauls.

Promised as a fully fleshed-out game built around the incredibly popular ship combat featured in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Skull and Bones was poised to make a big splash following that game's success. Gamers loved all the pirate activities seen in that game, so expanding on that should've been an easy move. However, public statements about the game have almost completely vanished, leaving many gamers high and dry regarding the status of this pirate epic. We pulled out our compass, plotted our course, and dug up all the details on Skull and Bones that you need to know.
Release date

Read more