Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack includes access to Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance games and access to DLC for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Splatoon 2.

Features announced included a companion smartphone app, as well as access to a free Nintendo Entertainment System game per month.

Then-Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé explained that the delays were to ensure that the service was "world-class", and had enough of its announced functionality available on-launch to justify its cost.

[13][14][15] A Nintendo Direct five days before the release detailed the full set of features that would be part of the Online service, including a larger and persistent library of NES games with 20 available on launch, and more to be added on an ongoing basis, as well as cloud save support.

It also added Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Happy Home Paradise as the first of several pieces of downloadable content that users have free access to for the duration of the subscription.

[40] In May 2022, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa claimed in an interview that subscribers of the paid service had "gradually" increased, adding that a large percentage of the new members were in the United States.

Some free-to-play multiplayer games, such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Warframe, and games published in China (due to the Chinese version of Nintendo Switch lacking Nintendo Switch Online service), are exempt from this requirement, and can be played online freely without a subscription.

[45][46] The feature is not supported for some first and third party games, including those with certain forms of online functionality such as item trading and competitive rankings.

Nintendo cites concerns surrounding the possibility of abuse that could "unfairly affect" gameplay as the reason for those games not allowing for cloud saves.

The app features voice chat and "game-specific services" for games such as Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Arms, Mario Tennis Aces, Nintendo Entertainment System for Nintendo Switch Online, Super Smash Bros.

Voice chat functionality is not available natively through the Switch console; Reggie Fils-Aimé justified the decision by explaining that "Nintendo's approach is to do things differently.

[57] Starting in October 2021, subscribers can purchase an expansion to play Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games; unlike the other systems, the emulation software for these consoles was principally done by iQue and M2, respectively.

[citation needed] Similarly, a special wireless SNES-based controller designed to work with the Switch was made available to purchase exclusively to Online subscribers shortly after the service added support for SNES titles.

Tetris 99 was released as a free-to-play title for subscribers in February 2019, though has subsequently offered paid downloadable content and retail versions of the game for non-subscribers.

[69][70][71] Upon the introduction of the Expansion Pack in 2021, free access to select downloadable content for retail games also became available for subscribers of the higher tier.

[27] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass[72][73] and Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion DLC would be added the following year.

These missions, to be offered on a rotating basis, give the user opportunities to earn Nintendo platinum points by completing certain activities with the Switch software or in various games.

The playtest is only open to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members whose Nintendo Account region is set to Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain and whose age is 18 or over.

Its affordable price compared to other online services has been generally praised, but its smartphone app (which is required for voice chat),[80] content library,[81] the initially small selection of cloud save-supported games (and lack of support for first party games such as Splatoon 2, 1-2 Switch, and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!

During the Animal Crossing New Horizons Direct on October 15, 2021, the price of the Expansion Pack was revealed, drawing widespread criticism.

The games also did not support a virtual equivalent of the Controller Pak memory expansion, preventing players from utilizing ghost data in Mario Kart 64 or the native method of saving in WinBack.