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Have you been thinking about purchasing a Nintendo Switch Lite but you were not sure if the device will work when you’re not on WiFi? Maybe you have seen some of your friends playing the game and they said that you had to have WiFi in order to play.
Well in this article we will go over everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch Lite and if it requires WiFi.
Everyone loves the Switch Lite, but people are worried that they will want to play on the device and the last thing they want to worry about is asking someone for a WiFi password. Not only is it embarrassing, but it is also just annoying to pull out your device to play a game, only to find out the place you are at does not have WiFi, or it is extremely slow.
This leads many people to wonder if the Nintendo Switch Lite requires WiFi.
You DO NOT have to have the internet to use a Nintendo Switch Lite. You can play the physical Switch cartridges without ever needing internet access.
Of course, there are many online games that you can play on your Switch Lite so having the internet will improve your gaming experience but it is not required to play games or enjoy your Nintendo Switch.
Although the Nintendo Switch Lite console does require a cellular data connection or WiFi to download and even play certain games, there are many games that you can play once they are downloaded when you are not on WiFi. Most games you will simply download on the device and then you can play them anytime no matter if you are on WiFi or not.
There are some Nintendo Switch games that will not function without an internet connection such as Among Us, Fortnite, Fall Guys, etc. However, these are online multiplayer games so it makes sense that they wouldn’t work without Wi-Fi.
Most single-player games will work on the Switch Lite without needing the internet when played from the game cartridges. If you don’t like holding onto physical Switch cartridges you can also download digital games to your Switch Lite and then play them without the internet as well.
Of course, if your Switch Lite is not connected to the internet you will not be able to access features of your Nintendo account such as online gaming or other aspects of Nintendo’s online service. Without a WiFI connection, you will not be able to access the Nintendo eShop but the Nintendo Switch consoles will still work just fine.
Without the internet, your Switch Lite’s gameplay will work exactly the same whether you are in handheld mode or tabletop mode. You can also play local multiplayer even if you aren’t connected to the internet.
One thing to note though is that you won’t be able to get the most out of a Nintendo Switch Online subscription without having internet access. You can download and play the NES and SNES games from the subscription however you are required to go online every 7 days with your Switch Lite to be able to continue to play these games (since Nintendo has to check that you have a valid Nintendo Online subscription.
All of the single-player experiences will be exactly the same on your Switch Lite whether you have internet or WiFi but there are some things that will change as mentioned above.
If you want to know more about the Nintendo Switch Lite and if it requires WiFi, you will want to keep reading this article.
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What Games Can You Play On The Nintendo Switch Without Internet?
If you are not going to have internet access with your Switch Lite then you might be wondering which games will and will not work properly. After all, you don’t want to buy some Switch games for your Switch Lite only to determine that they won’t work without internet access.
So which of the Nintendo Switch’s games will work if you don’t have WiFi?
The Nintendo Switch Lite does not need Wi-Fi to play games however, if you want to play those games online against people all over the world then the Nintendo Switch does need to be online.
Although many people think most games need an internet connection that just isn’t true. You can play virtually all Switch games just fine without the internet including:
- Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Pokémon Sword & Shield
- Luigi’s Mansion
- Paper Mario
- Mario Kart
- etc.
However, just because these games (and virtually all others) will work without the internet does not mean they do not lose some functionality when you don’t have the internet. For example, many people enjoy playing Mario Kart against people all over the world.
But without internet access, you cannot do that.
The only games that won’t work on your Switch Lite when you don’t have the internet are those that are online multiplayer games. Games like Among Us, Fortnite, Fall Guys, etc. all require the internet to play them on your Switch Lite since they are online games.
If the Switch game that you are wanting to play has a single-player game mode then it likely won’t require the internet to play it.
How To Play Switch Games When Not On WiFi On The Nintendo Switch
Although you will need WiFi or a cellular data connection in order to download the games on the Nintendo Switch Lite, depending upon the game you were playing you may not need WiFi in order to play the game.
There are many games that are available for the Nintendo Switch Lite that do not require you to have a cellular connection or be on WiFi in order to play.
There are only specific games that require you to have WiFi in order to play the game, as well as some games that require WiFi if you are playing head-to-head against another player online. Most of the popular games made by Nintendo have offline versions that you can play when you are not on WiFi, and when you are on WiFi, they will automatically give you access to the online store or multiplayer options.
How Many Switch Games Can The Nintendo Switch Hold For Playing Off The Internet?
Since you will not be playing games online all the time, and you will likely not be carrying games with you, many people want to know how many games the Switch Lite can actually hold. Well, the device itself has 32GB of built-in storage that holds games.
Although this was a bunch of storage in the early 2000s today, games can take up as much room as 16GB of space! Wait, that means the Switch Lite can only hold 2 games? That doesn’t make sense!
Nintendo knew that this would be a problem as games became bigger and better, and they actually created the Switch Lite to have removable storage. This storage is in the form of a micro SD card. You can purchase a micro SD card with more storage by clicking here.
These SD cards can add anywhere from 4GB of memory all the way up to 1TB! This means even if you have the top-of-line games that take up 16GB per game, you can have 62 games on your device at one time.
Since most games for the Nintendo Switch are only 5-10 GB though, you will probably never need more storage on your device than 256 or 512GB as that could be almost 50-100 different games on your Switch Lite at once.
This is far more than anyone would ever need or want to play at one time.
What Is The Most Popular Game For The Nintendo Switch Lite?
Because there are so many popular games that everyone loves for the Switch Lite, it is hard to bring it down to simply one game. The Switch Lite is so popular though that many games for the system sell great and are loved by so many people.
The top played game on the Nintendo Switch Lite though at this time is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. There are other popular games such as Fortnite, Animal Crossing, and obviously Animal Crossing New Horizons.
Even though these games change from one week to the next about which is most popular, there is always a game that you will find on the Switch Lite that you will be able to play. The downside to games such as Fortnite is the fact that they have to be played when you are on WiFi or online the entire time.
Fortnite is not a game that can be played offline as the entire game is based upon people playing against each other in real-time.
Does Switch Online Need An Internet Connection? (To Play Games?)
Well, let me tell you, does a fish need water to survive? Of course it does! And in the same way, does Switch Online need an internet connection? Absolutely!
It’s like trying to start a fire without kindling – it ain’t gonna happen.
But in all seriousness, yes, an internet connection is required for Switch Online. The service offers online multiplayer, cloud saves, and access to a library of classic NES games and SNES games.
You can download the software for those NES and SNES games and play them offline but you will need to go online every 7 days to be able to continue playing those games.
Without an internet connection, you’re just left with a fancy paperweight.
Now, I know some of you may be thinking, “But what about those lonely, isolated souls who live in the middle of nowhere with spotty internet connections? What about them?”
Well, my dear friend, I have some bad news for you. It’s called “moving to a city with better internet.” Or, you know, just suck it up and deal with the occasional lag.
But honestly, in today’s world, not having an internet connection is like not having electricity. It’s a necessity. So, if you want to enjoy all the perks of Switch Online, you better make sure you have a reliable internet connection, or else you’ll be stuck playing Mario Kart with yourself (and trust me, that gets old real quick).
In short, if you want to fully enjoy Switch online, you’ll need an internet connection. So, if you don’t have one, you better get one, or else you’ll be missing out on all the fun.
Can You Play Mario Kart (On Your Nintendo Switch) Without the Internet?
Can you play Mario Kart on your Nintendo Switch without the internet? Oh, please. Of course you can.
Do you think Nintendo would be so cruel as to only allow us to play one of the most beloved games in history only if we have internet access? Puh-lease.
Now, don’t get me wrong, having internet access does give you some fancy pants online features for the Mario Kart game like playing with people all over the world, but let’s be real, who needs that when you can dominate your friends and family in person?
Plus, playing offline is the perfect opportunity to practice and master those tricky courses before you take on the online world.
But let’s be real, playing Mario Kart without the internet is like eating ice cream without sprinkles, it’s still good, but it’s not the full experience. Nothing beats the thrill of playing against real opponents and feeling the sweet taste of victory (or the bitter taste of defeat).
But hey, if you’re just not into the whole online thing, that’s cool too. The computer-generated opponents are still pretty decent competitors.
So, to sum it up, yes, you can play Mario Kart on your Nintendo Switch without the internet, but why would you want to? It’s like going to a concert and only listening to the music through a phone speaker, you’re missing out on the full experience. But, hey, to each their own.”
Conclusion
Before someone goes to purchase the Nintendo Switch Lite, they want to know a very important question about it. They want to know if they will be able to play games on the device when they are not on WiFi or if WiFi is required no matter what.
Many people will not have access to WiFi at all times especially if they are going on a road trip or walking around. Everyone will be happy to know that Nintendo has taken this into consideration when they produced the Nintendo Switch Lite. Even though you will need WiFi or a cellular data connection when you download the games, you will not need WiFi when you are playing the games themselves.
The only time you will need WiFi when you are playing the Nintendo Switch Lite is if you are playing a game against other people head to head that requires a connection the entire time you are playing the game. Most games are not like this though and you will not need WiFi when you are playing them.
Now that you know you do not need WiFi when you are playing games on the Nintendo Switch Lite, you can go and purchase one so you can always play the games that you love. The best part is that you can play the games without having to worry about being on WiFi!