What Happens When Your Nintendo Switch Online Expires?
The Nintendo Switch Online service is essential for many gamers, providing access to online multiplayer, cloud saves, and a library of classic games. But what happens when your subscription lapses? The short answer is: you lose access to all the benefits of the service. Let’s delve deeper into the specifics and explore the implications of an expired membership. When your Nintendo Switch Online subscription ends, you will immediately lose access to online multiplayer features for most games, your cloud save backups, and the classic game libraries. It’s a significant disruption for many players, but Nintendo does offer a grace period for recovering save data. This article will outline everything you need to know about what happens when your Nintendo Switch Online membership expires, and address some of the most frequently asked questions to help keep you informed.
Loss of Online Multiplayer Access
The most immediate consequence of an expired Nintendo Switch Online membership is the inability to play online with friends or other players. If you’re an avid player of games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 3, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, or Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you’ll find yourself restricted to local, single-player modes. This can be frustrating for those who rely on online play for their gaming experience, highlighting the importance of maintaining an active membership.
Inaccessibility of Cloud Save Data
Perhaps the most critical feature impacted is the loss of access to your cloud save backups. Nintendo Switch Online allows you to back up your game progress to the cloud, meaning that if your console is lost, damaged, or you decide to switch to a new one, you can restore your progress seamlessly. However, if your membership expires, your cloud saves are no longer accessible.
The 180-Day Grace Period
Fortunately, Nintendo provides a 180-day grace period for users to resubscribe and regain access to their cloud saves. If you renew your membership within 180 days of expiration, all your backed-up save data will be restored, and you will be able to continue your games without losing any progress. However, if you exceed this timeframe, your save data in the cloud could be permanently deleted.
Removal of Access to Classic Game Libraries
A significant perk of the Nintendo Switch Online service is the growing collection of classic titles from the NES, Super NES, and Game Boy libraries. An expired membership means you will no longer be able to access these classic games. These titles are exclusive to members, and without an active subscription, they will be locked and unplayable until the subscription is renewed. The same applies to any games from the Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, Game Boy Advance libraries for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers.
Loss of Exclusive Member Benefits
Along with the major changes outlined above, you’ll lose all the other smaller benefits as well. These include access to member-only digital titles, special offers, and any additional features associated with the service. The Nintendo Switch Online app on your phone will also see its functionality reduced, since some of its features require an active membership.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Nintendo Switch Online Expiration
Here are 15 FAQs that address common concerns related to a Nintendo Switch Online membership expiration:
1. Does Nintendo Switch support local save data backups?
The Nintendo Switch primarily uses the system’s internal storage or a microSD card for local save data, not external backups. Cloud backups are exclusive to the Nintendo Switch Online service. However, if you delete a game, local save data remains, as it is separate.
2. Does Nintendo Switch Online expire?
Yes, Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions do expire. After your paid subscription term is over, you must either renew your membership or purchase a new one to continue enjoying its benefits. Auto-renewal is usually enabled by default, unless you turned it off in the Nintendo Account settings.
3. Why did my Nintendo Online membership expire?
There are a few reasons why your Nintendo Online membership might expire. The most common is that auto-renewal was not enabled, and the subscription ended when your previous term expired. Other reasons can be that the payment failed, or your Nintendo Account was banned or suspended.
4. Can you upgrade Nintendo online to expansion?
Yes, you can upgrade from a regular Nintendo Switch Online membership to the Expansion Pack. Nintendo offers a discount based on the remaining days of your current membership. This will apply towards the cost of the expansion.
5. How do I renew my Nintendo online?
You can renew your Nintendo Online membership from the Nintendo eShop on your Switch console, or through the Nintendo Account website. You can select the subscription length you would like, and you can set your membership to automatically renew using your saved funds.
6. How long does a Nintendo online membership last?
Individual memberships are available in 1-month, 3-month, or 1-year increments. Family memberships are only available as 12-month subscriptions, and cover up to eight users.
7. Can Nintendo accounts expire?
Yes, Nintendo Accounts are permanently deleted after 30 days of inactivity. Once the account is deleted, it is unrecoverable.
8. Why is the Nintendo online expansion so expensive?
The Nintendo Online Expansion Pack is more expensive due to the inclusion of retro games from Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance. These require licensing agreements, as well as include additional downloadable content (DLC) for specific games, all of which increase the cost.
9. What’s the difference between Nintendo online and expansion pack?
The base Nintendo Switch Online membership includes online play, cloud save backups, and libraries of NES, Super NES and Game Boy games. The Expansion Pack provides all of the features of the basic membership, with the addition of games from Nintendo 64, SEGA Genesis, and Game Boy Advance, and access to DLC for certain games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
10. How much is it for a year’s worth of Nintendo online?
The regular Nintendo Switch Online plan costs $19.99 annually. The Expansion Pack costs $49.99 for 12 months.
11. Is it worth getting Nintendo online membership?
If you regularly play online with others, then Nintendo Switch Online is a necessary subscription. The online play, cloud saves, and free games are usually considered a worthwhile value. The Expansion Pack is more debated, as some feel it’s overpriced, while others enjoy the retro games and DLC it includes.
12. How do I not renew my Nintendo Switch Online?
To turn off auto-renewal, you need to visit your Nintendo Account settings through accounts.nintendo.com or through your console’s eShop. Once auto-renewal is disabled, you will need to purchase a new subscription manually.
13. Do you get free games with Nintendo Online expansion pack?
Yes, a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership includes libraries of classic Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance games. It also includes access to the Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass DLCs.
14. How much more expensive is Nintendo Switch Online expansion pack?
The Expansion Pack is $30 more per year compared to the regular Nintendo Switch Online plan. The basic yearly membership is $19.99 and the expansion pack yearly subscription is $49.99.
15. How do I know if my Nintendo online membership is expired?
You can view the status of your Nintendo Switch Online membership through your Nintendo Account settings, either on the Nintendo Switch console or the Nintendo Account website. It will show your membership status, plan, and expiration date.