Here’s what you get with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack is the higher-tier online subscription service available for the Nintendo Switch. Its $49.99 annual price tag is more than double the base level of Nintendo Switch Online, but it brings the service’s offerings more in line with its PlayStation and Xbox cousins. It’s all about giving players access to more games, including beloved classics from older consoles like the N64, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance.

Below you’ll find an introduction to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, the fine print of signing up, and everything you’ll get when you sign up.

Nintendo Switch Online launched in 2018, giving subscribers the ability to play games online. Some argue that the service’s biggest advantage is large (and growing) library of NES, SNES, and Game Boy games for members to play. You’ll also get cloud saves, voice chat, and a smartphone companion app. Additionally, Switch Online members are eligible for a two-pack of Game Vouchers for $99.98, which can be used on new and upcoming first-party titles.

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack offers all that, plus a collection of titles for Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance (some of which feature new online multiplayer). It also gives subscribers access to DLC that would otherwise cost money, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons premium expansion, Happy Home Paradise, and the whole of Mario Kart 8 DeluxeBooster Course Pass from, which adds 48 levels and new characters to the base game (worth $25).

There’s a catch: Like PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass, you only get access to DLC and classic games while your subscription is active. If you cancel your subscription, you will lose access once your membership ends.

The Nintendo 64 games currently available Are:

There is also a series of N64 games with a mature rating which you can play via a separate, age-restricted app that is included with the subscription. Here are the games that are included so far:

The Sega Genesis games currently on offer Are:

The Game Boy Advance games currently offered Are:

If you choose to sign up for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, Nintendo will let you redeem your remaining days as a discount (five cents per day) toward the upgraded service tier. So if you have 300 days left on your annual subscription, you’ll get $15 back to put toward the cost of the Expansion Pack tier. At that point, your previous membership will end and your new one will begin.

Those who purchased a Nintendo Switch Online family plan can upgrade to a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack family plan, which costs $79.99 instead of the $49.99 an individual account costs. You’ll get a discount based on how much you have left on your subscription, at a rate of nine cents per day of service remaining. So if you have 300 days left, $27 will be deducted from your total for the upgraded service.

This also means that if you are on a family plan, you cannot simply purchase the Expansion Pack upgrade for yourself. You would have to cancel your family plan and purchase a new one for $49.99.

This FAQ has more, but the basic rules are:

The short answer is no. You need to let the subscription run. Then turn off auto-renewal to make sure you don’t get billed again. Once it expires, you can subscribe to the service level you want.

The value you get from Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack will largely depend on your enjoyment of Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, and Sega Genesis games. If you’re in it just for the Animal Crossing: New Horizons If you’re planning on downgrading after you’ve had enough of it, remember that this content will disappear from your game. You’re better off buying the DLC once for $24.99.

The Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance and Sega Genesis games are among the biggest hits with a huge fandom, that’s for sure — Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64, Super Mario 64, And The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time emphasize the N64 side of things; Sega Genesis gets you Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Streets of Rage 2, Ecco the Dolphin, Strider and others. For the Game Boy Advance portion of the service, it’s great to be able to play both Golden Sun games, and also some classic Metroid adventures. And, as mentioned above, some games have multiplayer functionality.

And there’s the option to play these games with wireless replicas of their consoles’ original controllers. Those controllers (N64, Genesis) cost $49.99 each.