Anyone who lived through the video rental store era remembers the ritual of picking the weekend tape. In 2018, Nintendo proposed a different logic for its classics: a shelf that only grows. Nintendo Switch Online, the paid service launched on September 18 that year and required to play online in most Switch games, came with an NES app with 20 games and the promise of new tapes every month.
The difference from its rivals was clear. On PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold, the monthly games are usually from the current generation and claiming has a deadline: if the subscriber does not grab them that month, they lose the chance. Nintendo preferred a model similar to streaming services: the NES games added stay in the catalog and add up to the previous ones, as long as the subscription is active.
In November 2018, the announced batch brought three names, released on November 14: the original Metroid, which introduced Samus Aran to the world, Mighty Bomb Jack, from Tecmo, and TwinBee, Konami’s colorful shooter. The previous batch, in October, had brought Solomon’s Key, NES Open Tournament Golf and Super Dodge Ball. Check out Nintendo’s video:
Just like in the days of blowing into the cartridge, only with modern comfort: the app lets you play local multiplayer over the internet with friends, remap controls, create save points and, in most games, rewind a few seconds after a mistake.
What came next
On December 12, 2018, Wario’s Woods, Ninja Gaiden and Adventures of Lolo arrived. In the first year, NES batches were monthly. The shelf grew beyond the NES: Super Nintendo games came in September 2019, and the Expansion Pack add-on brought Nintendo 64 and Mega Drive in October 2021. In June 2025, with the arrival of the Switch 2, the library reached GameCube. By September 2026, the NES library totaled 99 games.
Source: Nintendo.
Zé Cartucho
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