Before Nintendo Switch Online, before Xbox’s Game Pass, and even before the streaming platform Netflix, an extremely popular video game downloading service on the Nintendo Wii existed. Imagine that it’s 2007, and Nintendo was back at the top after experiencing two generations in the chasing pack, with Sony having taken control of the market with consoles that had DVD capabilities and more games than its rivals combined.
However, Nintendo had decided to innovate and had shaken things up with the release of the Wii, which used motion controls. Its game downloading service, the Virtual Console was an underrated asset. The wider public picked up the Wii for Wii Sports, while the “true” gamers picked up the Wii because they could download a huge array of classic games on their systems. These games were yours, it wouldn’t matter if you never connected to the internet again, those games would still be there.
Fast forward almost 20 years. Streaming platforms are everywhere, and most people are constantly connected to the Internet, whether on their phones, PC, or TV. Nintendo Switch Online or NSO, started very simply (with online play, and access to NES games) near the original Switch’s release in 2017. However, the NSO has developed and is much more of a “full” experience in 2025. Is the NSO finally worth the money for a subscription?
Comparison to the Virtual Console
NSO not only lets you play your games over the Internet. That is obviously a main part of the service. On the Wii it was free to play games online. The Virtual Console let players pay a small amount to download games from past systems, with the original selection being quite good. The service continued on the Wii U and 3DS. However, people were disappointed when it didn’t appear on the Switch. In 2017 or 2018 when Nintendo announced that NSO was replacing the Virtual Console many people, including me, were very disappointed.
NSO back then only included access to NES games. I would go as far as to say people were angry that Nintendo wasn’t going to let us download old, classic games. The NSO back then was a huge disappointment. I decided that what was being offered just wasn’t worth the money. Over the years, Nintendo has been adding games and systems to NSO. Today, you can play games from N64, SNES, Megadrive, and even GameCube if you own a Switch 2 and have the NSO membership. The presentation is good, and it is easy and convenient to switch games that you are playing.
Streaming Services
However, another reason that people were originally disappointed with the demise of the Virtual Console is that the new service wouldn’t allow players to fully download games onto their Switch. The games would be “rented” or accessible through an app. When the subscription runs out or is cancelled, there is no longer access to the game. I wouldn’t say that the game is exactly streamed as the games can still be played with no online connection, because they are on the app which you download; but they are, in essence, rented, not bought.
Nintendo offers subscription-based emulators with the current NSO. This isn’t like the old days, when you owned the game. Nintendo has obviously developed this model from Xbox Game Pass, where you pay a certain amount a month and have access to hundreds of new and almost new games. That model worked for Microsoft and is still working. Nintendo is now using that model with its awesome back catalogue. Microsoft borrowed their model from the streaming movie and TV show platforms such as Netflix.
So, we are in the age of streaming. Not only is physical media a threatened species, but even regular downloads are at risk of extinction (in this context). NSO does allow for cloud saves, and in reality, as long as you resubscribe within three months, your saves are not at risk of being lost. It is sad that we have less control over our games and our saves, but that is the age that we live in.
Addition of GameCube software
The NSO on Switch 2 has some cool new additions. For one, there are free updates to Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The update turns these Zelda games into true “next-gen” titles. The other bonus for Switch 2 is the ability to play GameCube games. Although there are only 5 games currently available, they include Zelda: The Wind Waker and Soul Calibur 2, some of my favorite games, so for me, these were some great benefits.
The games run great. Another thing to keep in mind is that all the games on NSO support save states. So you can dive in and out of these games at any point. This gives players a major advantage during difficult gameplay. New games are still being added for multiple platforms. The price of the NSO has never been high, but that was expected because not much was being offered.
Nintendo now offer an NSO Expansion Pack, which is where the GameCube and Megadrive games are included. I would advise skipping the regular service and going straight for the Expansion Pack, especially if you will be playing on Switch 2. The regular service doesn’t include GameCube games or the Zelda upgrades. The regular service currently costs $19.99/ยฃ17.99 for a year. The premium version costs $49.99/ยฃ34.99 for a year, which is good value. If you keep in mind that the Expansion Pack includes online gaming, cloud saving, and access to a lot of classic games, then the service is finally worth it.
Conclusion
In 2025, if you plan to purchase a Switch 2, then my recommendation is to also purchase the NSO Expansion Pack. It is only $49.99/ยฃ34.99, and with that, you get access to online gaming, cloud saves, and a wide collection of some of the best games from the last 30 years. You may not own them, or even have permanent access to them, but as long as Nintendo is around, and you have an active membership, your saves should be safe.
The game selection isn’t as wide as the old Virtual Console or as varied as Xbox’s Game Pass, but it includes some of the most polished and gameplay-oriented games of the past three decades. Nintendo will keep adding games, and those five GameCube games will eventually become 20. Plus, they might introduce more upgrades to older Switch games. NSO is a system of the present and the future. The Virtual Console, for how epic it was, is a part of the past. Moving on and developing is a good thing. Happy gaming!
What is your take on the Nintendo Switch Online? Do you think it is worth it? Please let us know in the comments below and on our social media.
