Is Nintendo Switch Online Free? (How Much Is It?)

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The amazing gaming system of the Nintendo Switch is fun and versatile. You can take it with you whenever you are on-the-go and use the handheld console or you can play it at home by “switching” it over to your TV. 

You can also play it online. This is called Nintendo Switch online. If you are a Switch owner, you may be wondering, is the Nintendo Switch online free? And if it costs, how much is it?

The Nintendo Switch online membership is not free and you have to pay monthly for the games. In order to subscribe, you can simply go to your Eshop on the Switch and sign up for the membership. 

You used to be able to play Nintendo Switch online for free, but now, this is not the case. The good news is that It is only 4 bucks a month to play those online games. 

Nintendo Switch online allows players to play Nintendo Switch games online with friends, access NES and Super NES games, backs up data for games, and use additional features for the app. Nintendo online does have a free 7 day trial you can do. If you like it, you can then subscribe and play the online games all of the time. 

According to Nintendo’s website, when you are a Nintendo Switch Online member, you can download and play online modes of games at no extra cost to you. You just have to pay the fee for your membership. The Switch online membership is an affordable price of $3.99 a month (or less if you choose the 3 months or 12 month subscription. 

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How much does it cost to play Switch Online?

When Nintendo Switch became available online many took advantage of this so they could play multiplayer against their friends. Like we already mentioned, you need a subscription in order to play Nintendo Switch online. But how much does it cost?

Nintendo Switch Online costs $3.99 a month for a single member, $7.99 for 3 months, or $19.99 for 12 months. For a family membership which is up to 8 members it is $34.99 for 12 months. So, the more people on the plan, the more you save.

To play Nintendo Switch online, you have to choose from two different substations. These are individuals and families. An individual subscription covers only one player and for a one year subscription it costs $20. A family subscription covers up to eight players and costs $35 for a one-year subscription. 

There are also one month subscriptions available to Switch users for $4 a month for individuals and $8 a month for families. If you are going to be applying often and more than just a month, then you will save money by choosing the year subscription.

How can I get a free Switch online membership?

Do you want a free way to play Nintendo Switch online games? Well, you’re in luck, there is only one way you can play these for free and you can only play for a limited amount of time.So, how can you play the Nintendo Switch Online for free?

You can get a free Switch Online membership by signing up for the free 7 day trial. You then get access to online games and play with your friends online for a week. After the 7 days are up, you will have to pay for a subscription to continue playing.

If you want a free version of the Nintendo Switch online, your only option is the free 7 day trial. This can give you a glimpse of the games you can play so you can decide whether or not you want to pay for a subscription. 

This is great because it gives you a chance to see if you like online pay before you have to pay for anything. A normal subscription costs, so after you are done with your free trial, you will have to pay to keep playing online. But, if you want a free way to play the Nintendo Switch online, the free 7 day trial is the only option.

Can you play with friends on Nintendo Switch without Nintendo Online?

Maybe you are in different places but you still want to play the Switch with your friends. Well, you can use Nintendo Switch Online, but that costs money. So if you aren’t a member, you may ask, can you play with friends on the Nintendo Switch without Nintendo Switch Online?

If you are wanting to play Nintendo Switch multiplayer over the internet, sadly you cannot play friends without the Nintendo Switch Online membership. If you don’t want to use the internet then you can use wireless play and play with friends this way.

Certain Nintendo Switch online games used to be available for free, but when Nintendo Switch Online was introduced,this changed. You now have to pay for a subscription in order to play the online games. 

If you and your friends are playing online, then you have to have a Nintendo Switch Online membership to play against each other. The only game where there is an exception to this is Fortnite which can be played online without a subscription. 

You only need Nintendo online for playing multiplayer over the internet, so if you are playing with the Switch’s wireless play feature, you don’t need an online subscription. So, you can still play with friends on different consoles without the Nintendo Switch online membership but you can’t play online.

Final Thoughts

Nintendo Switch Online is not free. You have to subscribe and pay a monthly or yearly fee to play the online games. Prices vary depending on what kind of subscription you are getting. 

It is currently $3.99 a month or $19.99 a year for an individual membership. If you are wanting a family subscription, it is $34.99 for a one-year family membership. You can play with friends without going online by using the Switch’s wireless play feature and you can play on different consoles. 

If you want to play online, you have to have an online subscription. As you can see, Nintendo Switch online isn’t free but it doesn’t cost too much, (especially if you are playing a lot) costing about $4 for a one month subscription.