Nintendo is offering two free months of its Nintendo Switch Online membership – but there’s a catch (Image: Emanuele Cremaschi, Getty Images)
Nintendo has launched a new deal for its online subscription service, offering two free months for every player who renews or joins. However, time is running out to take advantage.
The deal gives gamers two extra months of access to Nintendo Switch Online free of charge if they buy or “actively extend” a 12-month membership. The deal ends on Tuesday, June 30 so Switch and Switch 2 owners need to act fast to claim. The only catch is that only purchases from the Nintendo eShop or official Nintendo website are eligible for the bonus.
Switch 2 owners get exclusive benefits to the NSO membership (Image: SOPA Images, SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
It means that anyone who buys membership via a gift card will not get the extra 60 days free. According to Nintendo, individual and family 12-month memberships of Nintendo Switch Online and NSO + Expansion Pack are eligible for the bonus.
Automatic renewals are not included in the deal and it also excludes codes found in console bundles.
What is Nintendo Switch Online?
Nintendo Switch Online is the platform via Switch and Switch 2 that allows online gaming on supported titles. These include Mario Kart World, Super Mario Pary Jamoree and Splatoon 3, among many others.
It also grants access to more than 190 classic Nintendo games via the virtual NES, SNES and Game Boy libraries. Retro titles like Super Mario Bros. 3 and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past are among those available.
Subscribers also receive other benefits like access to the Nintendo Music app, exclusive multiplayer games like Tetris 99 and F-Zero 99, game trials and access to merch that cannot be purchased without a subscription like old-school controllers for use with the Switch consoles.
For Nintendo Switch 2 owners, an exclusive benefit is the use of GameChat, which allows players to communicate, share screens in real time and see friends’ reactions while using a compatible USB-C camera.
Two free months of Nintendo Switch Online are available if you act fast (Image: Emanuele Cremaschi, Getty Images)
What is the NSO Expansion Pack?
The expansion pack is an extension of the NSO membership, including all of the above benefits plus a growing library of Nintendo 64, Sega Mega Drive and Game Boy Advance games. Switch 2 owners can also play classic GameCube games.
There are also selected upgrade packs for Nintendo Switch 2 owners, which currently only include the Switch’s two Legend of Zelda titles.
Selected DLC is also available at no extra cost – including for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
What about individual and family memberships?
Individual memberships for Nintendo Switch Online are self-explanatory in that they are only available for one account or player. A family membership allows up to eight Nintendo Accounts to use the membership.
There is an increased cost, of course, with getting a family membership. The individual NSO membership works out at £1.50 a month, with a total 12-month membership priced at £17.99.
For the Expansion Pack membership, it’ll cost £34.99 a year – or £2.92 a month – for an individual membership. Family memberships cost £31.49 for NSO access only, or £59.99 annually for the Expansion Pack.
