These are the best free Nintendo Switch games available

Even though the Nintendo Switch is the cheapest of the current generation of gaming consoles, it’s still good to know that buying a full-priced game to take it for a spin isn’t essential. Similarly, if you already own one, there are a number of ways to pay nothing (or a little) to access some of the best games available on the handheld.

While rumours of the 4K-capable New Nintendo Switch Pro or Switch 2 continue to swirl and the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is behind us, scroll on for the best free games on Nintendo Switch.

If you want the best free Nintendo Switch games, you’ve got these three options:

• Nintendo eShop free-to-play games
• Nintendo eShop demos
• Nintendo Switch Online subscription

Instead of calling them “free-to-play” games, Nintendo prefers to call them “free-to-start” games, which feels more honest in terms of the expectation that you’ll be tempted to spend money in-game to unlock additional content (even if it’s only cosmetic).

Below is our pick of the top 10 free-to-start games on Nintendo Switch:

At the time of writing, there were close to 700 Switch games with free downloadable demos. Head to the Nintendo eShop (or check out the list below) for a list of  the most popular free Nintendo Switch demos playable right now.

Like the respective PlayStation and Xbox networks, you need to pay for an online subscription to play multiplayer on Nintendo Switch. Called ‘Nintendo Switch Online’, the multiplayer subscription service also includes access to an expanding list of free downloadable Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) games.

Signing up for the Nintendo Switch Online service currently costs either $5.95 a month, $11.95 a quarter or $29.95 a year. At the time of writing, there were 63 NES games and 55 SNES games that are totally free to download and play as part of a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

Here’s our pick of the top 10 free NES games that come with a Nintendo Switch Online:

Here’s our pick of the top 10 free SNES games that come with a Nintendo Switch Online:

Back in 2021, Nintendo introduced a second tier to its online offering. Branded as the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, this pricier subscription service includes everything that a Nintendo Switch Online membership gets you plus access to an expanding list of Nintendo 64, Sega Mega Drive, Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games.

Rather than pay month to month, this upgraded tier of Nintendo's online service is only available on a yearly plan that costs $59.95. At the time of writing, there were 29 Sega Mega Drive games, 22 Nintendo 64 games and 9 Game Boy games that are totally free to download and play as part of a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription.

Here’s our pick of the top 10 free Nintendo 64 games that come with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership:

Here’s our pick of the top 10 free Sega Mega Drive games that come with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership:

Here’s our pick of the top 10 free Game Boy games that come with a Nintendo Switch Online membership:

Nintendo's online gaming subscription isn't the only membership of its kind out there. Check out the the table below for a round-up of some of the other options and how they compare in terms of value for money.