Switch Online Is $19.99 a Year; Expansion Pack Adds $30

You do not need the Expansion Pack to play online: the standard Nintendo Switch Online membership, $19.99 a year in the US, includes online play, cloud saves and the NES, Super NES and Game Boy libraries. The Expansion Pack, at $49.99, adds older consoles’ games and three DLC packs, and on a Switch 2 it is the way Nintendo sells GameCube games and the two Zelda upgrade packs.

What each tier includes

From Nintendo’s US overview, Compare plans and Expansion Pack pages and its support price table, read 13 October 2026:

	Nintendo Switch Online	+ Expansion Pack
Individual, per year	$19.99	$49.99
Family, up to 8 accounts, per year	$34.99	$79.99
Shorter terms	1 month $3.99, 3 months $7.99	Not listed
Online play, Save Data Cloud	Yes	Yes
GameChat on Switch 2	Yes	Yes
NES, Super NES, Game Boy	Yes	Yes
Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, SEGA Genesis	No	Yes
Virtual Boy	No	Yes, with an accessory sold separately
GameCube	No	Yes, on Switch 2 only
Zelda BotW and TotK Switch 2 Edition upgrade packs	No	Yes, if you own the game
Included DLC	No	Three packs, if you own the game
Nintendo Music app, member offers	Yes	Yes

Nintendo says the classic libraries together hold over 150 games, and that availability may change over time.

Online play: the $19.99 tier covers it

Online multiplayer, Save Data Cloud backups for supported games, the Nintendo Music app and member offers are in both tiers, Nintendo’s compare page says. On Switch 2, GameChat comes with either membership; Nintendo’s Expansion Pack FAQ states it “is available on Nintendo Switch 2 for both Nintendo Switch Online members and Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members.”

If a cheap online pass is the whole reason you are subscribing, the extra $30 a year goes to games and DLC, not to online access. How $19.99 compares with Xbox and PlayStation online play is in what a console costs after you buy it.

What the extra $30 buys

More consoles. Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance and SEGA Genesis games, playable on both the original Switch and Switch 2. Virtual Boy games are in the Expansion Pack too, but Nintendo says they “require an additional accessory to play”: Virtual Boy for Nintendo Switch 2/Nintendo Switch at $99.99, or a cardboard model at $24.99, sold only to paid members.

DLC you would otherwise buy. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass, Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise and Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion, at no extra charge. You need the base game, and Nintendo says access “is paused if the membership lapses”. This is a rental, not a purchase.

Switch 2 extras. Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics is “Only on Nintendo Switch 2” and needs the Expansion Pack. Nintendo names The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX and SOULCALIBUR II among the games. The membership also unlocks the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade packs for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, if you own the original game.

What a Switch 2 owner gets, and an original Switch owner does not

Nintendo sells one membership for both consoles but says “some benefits are available only on Nintendo Switch 2.” On the newer console the Expansion Pack adds two things the original cannot use: GameCube games and the two Zelda upgrade packs. GameChat is Switch 2 only as well, but it comes with either tier.

So the $30 step buys more on a Switch 2 than on an original Switch, Lite or OLED. On an original Switch, the Expansion Pack’s case rests on N64, Game Boy Advance, Genesis and the three DLC packs. Which older models Nintendo still sells, and at what price, is in our look at the original Switch.

Family plans and monthly terms

A family membership covers up to eight Nintendo Accounts, each getting the full benefits of its tier. Nintendo’s own arithmetic is “less than $5 per person a year” for the standard family plan and “about $10” for the Expansion Pack family plan if eight people share it.

Three pricing details matter if you are deciding now:

• The Expansion Pack is sold by the year. Nintendo’s support price table lists 1-month ($3.99) and 3-month ($7.99) terms for the standard individual plan, and a single 12-month price for the Expansion Pack.
• Upgrading costs less than starting over. A standard member can switch to the Expansion Pack at any time “and receive a prorated discount based on the remaining time on your current membership.”
• The free trial excludes it. Nintendo’s 7-day trial “cannot be redeemed for a Nintendo Switch Online – Expansion Pack membership.”

Classic games play offline, Nintendo says, but the console must connect periodically to confirm the membership, and Save Data Cloud backups are kept only “for a limited time” after a membership ends.

Which tier for which player

• Online play with friends, nothing else: Nintendo Switch Online, $19.99.
• Switch 2 owner who wants GameCube or the Zelda upgrades: the Expansion Pack, $49.99.
• You own Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or Animal Crossing and want the DLC: the Expansion Pack covers it while you stay subscribed.
• A household of several players: the family plans, $34.99 or $79.99 for up to eight accounts.

Nintendo’s two tiers follow the same shape as Microsoft’s: a cheap online pass, and a dearer plan that adds a library. The Xbox version, with four plans and cloud hours, is set out plan by plan, and both appear in our tally of household subscriptions.

Questions people ask

Do I need the Expansion Pack to play online on Switch 2?

No. Nintendo lists online play in compatible games, Save Data Cloud and GameChat on Switch 2 under the standard $19.99 Nintendo Switch Online membership. The Expansion Pack adds games and DLC, not online access.

Is the GameCube library on the original Switch?

No. Nintendo describes Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics as exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2, and it needs the Expansion Pack. On an original Switch the Expansion Pack still adds the N64, Game Boy Advance, Virtual Boy and Genesis games.

How much is the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack?

In the US, $49.99 a year for one Nintendo Account or $79.99 a year for a family membership of up to eight accounts, per Nintendo’s own pages on 13 October 2026. Nintendo lists no monthly price for it.

Can I pay for Nintendo Switch Online monthly?

The standard individual plan, yes: $3.99 for one month or $7.99 for three. Nintendo’s support price table gives the Expansion Pack and both family plans as 12-month prices only.

What DLC comes with the Expansion Pack?

Nintendo lists Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass, Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise and Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion. You need the base game, and access is paused if the membership lapses.

Can I upgrade from Nintendo Switch Online to the Expansion Pack?

Yes. Nintendo says you can change at any time through Nintendo eShop or your Nintendo Account settings, with a prorated discount for the time left on your current membership.

Is there a free trial of the Expansion Pack?

No. Nintendo offers a 7-day free trial of Nintendo Switch Online, and states it cannot be redeemed for an Expansion Pack membership.