A round-up of the best free Nintendo Switch games of the year, split across free-to-play games, game demos, and Nintendo Switch Online.
These are the best free Nintendo Switch games available
4 min readEven 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.
Best Nintendo eShop free-to-play games
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:
- Apex Legends
- Rocket League
- Pokémon Café Mix
- Pac-Man 99
- Asphalt 9: Legends
- Fallout Shelter
- Tetris 99
- Super Kirby Clash
- Brawlhalla
- Warframe
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Best free Nintendo Switch demos
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.
- Dave the Diver
- Monopoly for Nintendo Switch
- Metroid Dread
- Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition
- Spiritfarer
- Little nightmare II
- Boomerang Fu
- LEGO 2K Drive
- Trials Rising
- Pikimin 4
What about the best paid Nintendo Switch games?
Exhausted all the Nintendo eShop's free titles? We've sorted the treasure from the trash and rounded up the best Switch games across seven categories: multiplayer, open-world, RPG, FPS, platformer, relaxing and fitness.
Best free Nintendo Switch Online games
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.
Best free Nintendo Switch Online NES games
Here’s our pick of the top 10 free NES games that come with a Nintendo Switch Online:
- Double Dragon
- Donkey Kong
- The Legend of Zelda
- Super Mario Bros. 3
- Yoshi
- Metroid
- Kirby’s Adventure
- Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream
- Kid Icarus
- Clu Clu Land
Best free Nintendo Switch Online SNES games
Here’s our pick of the top 10 free SNES games that come with a Nintendo Switch Online:
- Prehistorik Man
- Super Tennis
- Super Mario Kart
- Kirby’s Dream Land 3
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- Super Metroid
- Star Fox
- F-ZERO
- Super Punch-Out!!
- Donkey Kong Country
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Best free Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack games
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.
Best free Nintendo Switch Online Nintendo 64 games
Here’s our pick of the top 10 free Nintendo 64 games that come with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership:
- Super Mario 64
- Lylat Wars
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Mario Kart 64
- Banjo-Kazooie
- Pokemon Snap
- Paper Mario
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
- GoldenEye 007
- F Zero X
Best free Nintendo Switch Online Sega Mega Drive games
Here’s our pick of the top 10 free Sega Mega Drive games that come with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership:
- Golden Axe
- Shining Force
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- Gunstar Heroes
- Altered Beast
- Toejam & Earl
- Earthworm Jim
- Castlevania Bloodline
- Ecco the Dolphin
- Phantasy Star IV
Best free Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy games
Here’s our pick of the top 10 free Game Boy games that come with a Nintendo Switch Online membership:
- Tetris
- Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
- GARGOYLE'S QUEST
- Game & Watch Gallery 3
- Alone in the Dark - The New Nightmare
- Metroid II - Return of Samus
- Wario Land 3
- Kirby's Dream Land
- The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (coming soon)
Looking for other free games?
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We haven’t just created a list of the best free Nintendo Switch games. Click on the corresponding link below to check out our lists of the best free games for Xbox, PlayStation and PC:
Nintendo Switch Online alternatives
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.
Service | Monthly price | Online Play | Library size | Features | Platforms | Trial |
| $9.99 /mo | Yes | 200+iOS games | Exclusive game library, online play, family sharing and weekly games | iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV | Try it for free | |
| $18.95 /mo | Yes, includes Gold | 400+ Windows PC, X360, XBO and XSS and XSX | Monthly games, game library, cloud gaming, exclusive discounts and online play | PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X | Try for $1 | |
| $10.95 /mo | No | 400+ X360, XBO and XSS and XSX games | Monthly games, game library, cloud gaming, exclusive discounts and online play | Xbox One, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X | Sign up | |
| $10.95 /mo | No | 400+ Windows PC games | Monthly games, game library, cloud gaming, exclusive discounts and online play | PC | First month for $1 | |
 PS Plus Essential | $11.95 /mo | Required | 20+PS Plus Collection games (only on PS5) | Monthly games, exclusive discounts, game library, game trials, cloud storage and online play | PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 | Read more |
 PS Plus Extra | $18.95 /mo | Required | 400+PS4 and PS5 games | Monthly games, exclusive discounts, game library, game trials, cloud storage and online play | PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 | Read more |
 PS Plus Deluxe | $21.95 /mo | Required | 800+PS1, PS2, PSP, PS4 and PS5 games | Monthly games, exclusive discounts, game library, game trials, cloud storage and online play | PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 | Read more |
 Nintendo Switch Online | $5.95 /mo | Required for select titles | 100+NES and SNES games | Online play, classics game library, cloud saves and exclusive member offers | Nintendo Switch | 7-day free trial |
 Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack | $59.95 /yr | Required for select titles | 150+ NES, SNES, N64 and SMD games | Online play, classics game library, cloud saves and exclusive member offers | Nintendo Switch | 7-day free trial |
 Google Play Pass | $7.99 /mo | Yes | 450+ Android games | Game library, app library, family sharing and yearly subscription options | Android smartphones and tablets | Read more |
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