Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming

Nintendo Switch Online’s Expansion Pack is a pricey online plan

By

While today’s Animal Crossing Direct was largely about the game’s upcoming 2.0 update and newly revealed DLC, Nintendo also snuck in pricing details for its new version of Nintendo Switch Online. Titled Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, the service will cost individual users $50 per year, while a family plan version that lets up to eight accounts use the service will cost $80.

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack Pricing.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack was revealed during Nintendo’s last Direct showcase. The upgraded version of Nintendo Switch Online will give its users access to a library of Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis titles, as well as to the new Animal Crossing: New Horizons paid DLC, Happy Home Paradise. While pricing for the service has been revealed, Nintendo has not revealed when users will actually be able to subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.

Recommended Videos

It’s worth noting that Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack’s pricing is a fair leap from what users pay for the base version of the service. A yearlong individual membership for Nintendo Switch Online costs only $20, while a family plan runs customers just $35. In both cases, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack is more than twice the cost of its basic counterpart.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

For users, that pricing might be a bit high. Nintendo Switch Online itself has drawn criticism over the years for its lackluster library of games and Nintendo’s own subpar multiplayer service, which doesn’t offer any voice chat capability. Users may be hesitant to shell more money out to the company without being assured that the service’s base issues will also be addressed in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Otto Kratky
Otto Kratky
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…
The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct is coming in early April
The Switch 2 next to a TV with Mario Kart.

Nintendo Switch 2 – First-look trailer

Nintendo has given us an official time for its Nintendo Switch 2 Direct: April 2 at 9 AM ET, 6 AM PT. A Direct had been promised when Nintendo first revealed the Nintendo Switch 2, but in its usual fashion, the company provided only the bare minimum details. And even though we now know the exact time of the stream, Nintendo hasn't given any more information on the console itself.

Read more
The Switch’s newest game is the next best thing to Animal Crossing
My Melody swims in Hello Kitty: Island Adventure.

When it comes to Nintendo Switch games, we’re in a bit of a holding pattern. Nintendo’s next console is right around the corner and new releases for its old one have stalled as a result. We expect Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends: Z-A to be the system’s last games, but we’re only getting ports of a few older games until then. If you’re used to getting a big new Switch game every month, you might find yourself a little restless for the next few months.

Thankfully, third-party publishers are doing their part to fill that gap. This week, Switch owners just got what might be one of its last must-own games thanks to Hello Kitty: Island Adventure. The life sim is the closest thing you’ll get to a new Animal Crossing game on the Switch. Considering that Nintendo has no games of its own scheduled to launch until March, this is the next best thing.

Read more
Ridge Racer 64 sees its first-ever re-release on Nintendo Switch Online
Two players play Nintendo Switch.

Ridge Racer 64 is now available for Nintendo Switch Online. For those keeping track, this is the first time in 25 years the game has been available (legally) on anything but the Nintendo 64 itself. Who wants to dust off an old consoleThe classic racing game is available to all Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers starting today.

Ridge Racer 64 first hit shelves in 2000, near the end of the console's lifespan. That put it in competition with other games like Gran Turismo 4 and Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed. Less than a year after its launch, the PlayStation 2 released and dominated console sales for years to come — and that means Ridge Racer 64 flew under the radar for a lot of people.

Read more