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Nintendo has always had a mantra of looking forward and rarely looking back on its history. Yet in recent years, that stance seems to have changed, with a Nintendo Museum having opened in Japan last year, and a bigger focus on its past games via the Nintendo Switch Online service.
Since launching in September 2018, any Switch owner can sign up for the service and download individual apps that have a library of retro games. These include games from the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, and Sega Genesis. New Nintendo Switch Online games are added to the service frequently, so there’s always something fresh to play.
But playing games from the past is only the start of what the Online service offers. You can rewind your progress if you miss a jump, save your progress anywhere you wish, and even play online with friends and family for games that have multiplayer modes, such as GoldenEye and Mario Kart.
The service is in a strong position in 2025 — but it could be even stronger as we await the much-rumored and highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2. There are still some games that are suspiciously absent, and it’s high time that we see them be part of the Switch Online service. With this in mind, we’ve listed five games below that we want to see in the coming months.
Key Takeaways
- Nintendo Switch Online debuted in September 2018.
- Since it first offered NES titles, it currently features SNES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo 64 games.
- The service currently has around 34 million members.
- An active subscription also grants you access to Nintendo Music, an iOS and Android app that plays classic soundtracks from the company’s gaming past.
- You can also play free-to-play titles exclusive to the service, such as F-Zero 99, and obtain DLC for existing games, such as Mario Kart 7 and Animal Crossing.
5 Games We Want For Nintendo Switch Online in 2025
Pokémon Crystal
Think of Pokémon Crystal as if it was the Game of the Year edition of Gold and Silver. There were plenty of enhancements here when it came out for the Game Boy Color in 2001, such as giving the player the choice of a male or female protagonist, as well as expanded animations to Pokémon during battles.
There was also an expanded story that gave players opportunities to capture the legendary Pokémon of the era, like Suicune, Raikou, and Entei. It’s still bizarre to see that, apart from a Pokémon Trading Card game, there’s no mainline entry to be seen on the Switch Online Service in 2025. Nintendo, let’s start to see this stance change, and while you’re at it, create a way for players to trade their Pokémon and use it in Pokémon Stadium on the N64 Online Service.
Sonic Advance
By the time 2001 came around, Sega knew that it had to do something drastic now that its Dreamcast console was a failure. This led to the company transforming into a third-party developer, which meant IPs like Sonic the Hedgehog were about to appear on other consoles. With 2001 also the 10th anniversary of the franchise, two games were released to mark the occasion — Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Advance.
The latter was a 2D platformer, taking inspiration from the Mega Drive era, but with abilities from the Dreamcast games, such as grinding on rails and the ability to play as other characters in a wide-ranging story. It’s a very fun entry, and I understand what works in a 2D Sonic game, so seeing it as part of the Switch Nintendo Switch Online service someday would be great. We’ve seen so many ports of the original Sonic games, Sega; let’s start to see lesser-known ones appear now.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
It’s quite a feat to see games like Star Wars: Bounty Hunter and Jedi Power Battles see remasters, but the Rogue Squadron series, developed by Factor 5, seems to be constantly swept under the rug. First debuting in 1998, it’s a flight-sim game where it interweaves with the Original Trilogy of Star Wars.
You pilot different starfighters, from X-Wings to A-Wings, and bonus ones, such as the Millennium Falcon and the super-hidden Naboo Starfighter. It’s a very fun game with a lot of replayability, so it’s strange that Disney, the current owners of the franchise, haven’t brought this series out of the vault. Seeing it on the N64 Online Service would be great to see, especially as there are no Star Wars games to be found there. At the least, it would be a start to see one of the most underrated franchise series to see a return.
Super Smash Bros
With the latest game, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, having been available on the Switch since 2018, combined with the amount of DLC the game was given for the next three years, perhaps it’s time for the first game in the series to make an appearance.
Released in 1998 and developed by HAL Laboratory, mainly known for the Kirby series, Smash Bros wasn’t meant to feature Nintendo characters at all. It wasn’t until the idea was thought up and showcased to Nintendo that the pitch was approved. Even for the first entry in the series, the control system is as addictive as it always has been, as well as unlockable characters and up to four players to fight against one another.
With the Switch Online Service able to bring online multiplayer to a bunch of games, it feels like bringing Smash Bros 64 to the service would be a natural fit.
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Yes, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is a GameCube game, but as it’s almost certain that the GameCube console is next to debut on the Online Service, it’s time for this timely game to make a return.
A remake of the original Metal Gear Solid from 1998, you take control of Solid Snake, a former soldier recruited by FOX Hound. Snake has to infiltrate an Alaskan base called Shadow Moses to take on a group called ‘The Sons of Big Boss’, led by Liquid Snake, who are demanding a hefty ransom. What follows is a fantastic narrative that interweaves with the very concept of playing a game and taking on bosses.
Yet The Twin Snakes puts its own spin on some things. For example, there are a lot of Matrix influences in the cut scenes, with bullet-time effects aplenty. The game is also built on Metal Gear Solid 2’s engine. While this brings an update in graphics, the added gameplay, such as first-person mode, breaks a lot of bosses, especially for a location like Shadow Moses — but that’s what adds to its charm.
Seeing Twin Snakes appear on the Online Service would be a fantastic coup, especially as we’ve seen plenty of games from Rare appear lately. To see Snake’s GameCube remake once again would only make the fee of the service even more worthwhile.
The Bottom Line
The Switch Online service is a fantastic offering for players. When the Wii U and its predecessor were still available, a ‘Virtual Console’ let players buy individual games from previous systems, but it was very barebones, and if you bought something like N64 games on a Wii, you couldn’t transfer that over to a Wii U.
Fortunately, those days are over now, with the Online Service offering something more akin to subscription services like Netflix and Apple TV Plus, with features that can help those challenging moments in certain games.
Yet, as the games above show, there’s still plenty that could appear on the service. It’s surprising that there’s no mainline Pokémon game, nor are there other Sonic games that were released on the Game Boy Advance. However, there’s no sign that Nintendo will be replacing the Switch Online service with something completely new. Rather, it looks like this service will continue to be improved for years to come.
With the more powerful Switch 2 rumors circulating ahead of an official announcement, it’s more likely we’re going to see plenty more games and systems come to the service, and we can’t wait to see what they’ll be.
