Update (10/25/21) – The Nintendo Switch System Update 13.1.0 is now live and brings with it the ability to purchase the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, which includes all the benefits of the standard membership, access to Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis games, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Happy Home Paradise DLC when it is released on November 5, 2021.
As a reminder, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack costs $49.99/year – a $30 increase from the standard membership. Another option is to purchase a Family Membership for $79.99/year, as that will allow up to eight Nintendo Account holders to access the benefits of this service.
Update (10/15/21) – Nintendo has confirmed that the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack will officially launch on October 25, 2021.
Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack launches 10/25!
Gain access to:
– Library of #Nintendo64 & SEGA Genesis games
– #AnimalCrossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise at no additional cost
– All other benefits of a #NintendoSwitchOnline membershiphttps://t.co/LUjTCpLg3v pic.twitter.com/P3YEdVtp2Z— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) October 15, 2021
Additionally, the new Switch versions of the Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis controllers are now available for pre-order for those who have a Nintendo Switch Online membership.
The original story follows.
Nintendo has announced that the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, which will give Switch owners access to N64 and SEGA games alongside Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Happy Home Paradise DLC, will cost $49.99/year – a $30 increase from the standard membership.
If you have other Switch owners in your family, a family membership, which can support up to eight Nintendo Account holders, will cost $79.99 for 12 months. No release date has been given besides late October.
The new pricing details for the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack.
For comparison, the current Nintendo Switch Online membership costs $3.99 for one month, $7.99 for three months, and $19.99 for 12 months. A family membership costs $34.99 for 12 months.
As previously mentioned, the Expansion Pack unlocks access to such N64 games as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, and Mario Kart 64; SEGA games like Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Ecco the Dolphin, and Streets of Rage 2; and Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Happy Home Paradise DLC which costs $24.99 on its own.
Nintendo Switch Online members will also be able to purchase full-size wireless Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis controllers to play these classic titles as you remember playing them.
This news was announced on the same day as the latest Animal Crossing Direct that revealed Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Version 2.0 update that brings with it Brewster and his coffee shop The Roost, other fan-favorite villagers, Gyroids, Island Ordinances, and more alongside the Happy Home Paradise DLC that lets you design villager’s dream homes on a new archipelago.
Nintendo also shared that these updates would be the last major updates to the game that has sold over 33 million copies since its launch in March 2020.
While you wait for the launch of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, be sure to check out our list of the top 25 N64 games of all time and our picks for the best Switch games you can play right now.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.