Notice to fans of retro gaming! Nintendo offers Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games on Nintendo Switch through the Switch Online subscription. A simpler and more legal solution than traditional emulators… but paying!
Retro gaming is becoming more and more popular, and Nintendo has understood this! The manufacturer has been offering many NES, SNES, N64 and Megadrive games for several years now via its Nintendo Switch Online subscription. And he obviously intends to continue to play on nostalgia since he announced, during the Nintendo Direct which took place on February 8 – which notably honored The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and many HD remakes –, the official arrival of the Game Boy and the Game Boy Advance (GBA) on the Nintendo Switch! This should appeal to many players, due to its accessibility and, “incidentally”, its legality – installing emulators is not within everyone’s reach, not to mention ROMs – copies or ISOs – of games that must be recovered, most often via pirate sites.
Nintendo Switch Online: a subscription for Game Boy games
To be able to take advantage of the Game Boy games catalog, you must subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online which allows, as its name suggests, to play its games online, but also to access the catalog of titles on NES and Super NES. It is priced at 19.99 euros for one year for one player, with seven days of free trial, or 34.99 euros per year for 8 people with the family version. Here’s the full list of Game Boy games available today:
- Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
- Gargoyle’s Quest
- Game & Watch Gallery 3
- Metroid II: Return of Samus
- Kirby’s Dream Land
- Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
- Tetris
- The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX
- Wario Land 3
This list will of course grow in the months to come. Nintendo notably mentioned the arrival of cult games like Metroid Fusion, Fire Emblem, Pokémon Trading Card Game or The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons And Oracle of Ages. Note that it is possible to apply three visual filters to have the impression of a player on Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket or Game Boy Color. Local or online multiplayer mode for up to two players is also available.
Nintendo Switch Online+: a supplement for Game Boy Advance games
Game Boy Advance games are a little less accessible since you have to subscribe to the Nintendo Switch Online + Additional Pack subscription, which is billed at 39.99 euros per year for one person and 69.99 euros per year for the family version. – impossible to subscribe for only one month. In addition to the benefits of Nintendo Switch Online, it provides access to games on N64 and Mega Drive, as well as additional races in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and the DLCs ofAnimal Crossing And Splatoon 2. Here is the list of games on GBA:
- Kuru Kuru Kururin
- Mario Kart Super Circuit
- Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga
- Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
- The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
- WarioWare Inc: Mega Microgames
Multiplayer mode up to 4 is supported, and other titles will arrive later, including Metroid Fusion, Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, Fire Emblem and F-Zero: Maximum Velocity.