Is Nintendo Switch Online worth it in 2021?

Nintendo Switch Online launched in September 2018 and immediately received a ton of criticism. Since it’s not as essential to playing games on the Switch as PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold are to their respective platforms, many Switch owners have skipped subscribing to Switch Online entirely. However, it’s been two years since the service debuted. Have there been any updates that make Nintendo Switch Online worth it in 2021?

Is a Nintendo Switch Online membership worth it in 2021?

When Nintendo Switch Online launched, it didn’t have a lot going on for it. Subscribers got access to a smattering of NES titles for free, and it was required to play Splatoon 2. Many features, such as Cloud Saves, were half-baked and only worked with certain titles, and voice chat had to be done through a phone app.

In the two years since release, Nintendo hasn’t drastically improved Nintendo Switch Online. There have been more NES games added, and there’s now a selection of free SNES games, but the service is still lacking compared to the competition.

Fortunately, the price for Nintendo Switch Online hasn’t gone up since its launch. It’s still $3.99 for a month, $7.99 for three months, and $19.99 for a year. Given how cheap it is compared to PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold, some of its flaws can be forgiven.

Where players can really save money on Nintendo Switch Online is through a family membership. For $34.99 a year, users can have up to 8 Nintendo Accounts on a family plan. The requirements are extremely loose too. “Family members” can be on different consoles and even live in different countries. If a user can fill all eight slots, it’s only $4.37 a year per person. At that rate, yeah, Nintendo Switch Online is worth it.

Given that the Switch requires an online membership for some features, $19.99 isn’t too high a price to pay per year. The NES and SNES games alone are worth that, and Nintendo is slowly but surely adding new features and content.