- A Nintendo Account is required to use certain services from Nintendo, such as off-device game purchases and the My Nintendo loyalty program. Users aged 16 or older can create a Nintendo Account. Nintendo Account users aged 18 and older can create and add up to five Nintendo Accounts for children (aged 17 and under) to their Nintendo Account.
- The Nintendo Switch Online service has been running since 2019 and while it started much later than rival services like Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus, it's proven to be a worthwhile investment for.
To add your existing Nintendo account to an additional Switch, simply create a new local account on your Switch with your preferred name, then complete the process by linking that account to your. Nintendo Switch Online is a set of premium online features that you’ll need a subscription to access. The service is similar to PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold (which both cost $59.99 per year), but it has a cheaper price tag (at most $34.99 for 12 months). If you contact Nintendo within 30 days of deleting the account, it is possible to recover the account. Q: My family has multiple Nintendo Switch consoles, if we purchase the Family Plan, would the multiple accounts and multiple switches in my family all receive the Nintendo Switch Online service?
Make your games even better
Enhance your games with features like online play, cloud saves, and more. Individual and Family Memberships are available.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Invite friends to your island paradise for a virtual get-together via online play.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Play the Grand Prix, VS Race, and Battle modes online with up to 12 players.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Go 1-on-1 with a friend or hold a 4-player free-for-all when you brawl online.
Nintendo Entertainment System
Play—or replay—classic games like Super Mario Bros.™, Metroid™, Kirby’s Adventure™, and Yoshi™.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Jump into favorites like Super Mario Kart™, Super Metroid™, The Legend of Zelda™: A Link to the Past™, Donkey Kong™ Country™, and more.
Featured offer: PAC-MAN™ 99
Test your chomping chops in this 99-player PAC-Royale where you compete to be the last PAC-MAN™ standing. Nintendo Switch Online members can download and play the online mode of the game at no extra cost.
Save Data Cloud
Your save data will be automatically connected to your Nintendo account and stored online for compatible games. This makes it easy to retrieve your game data if you lose your system or start using a new one.
Nintendo Switch Online App
Open the app on your smartphone or tablet to voice chat in compatible games. Plus, enjoy special features for games including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Splatoon 2.
Make the most of your Nintendo Switch™ system with Nintendo Switch Online
Try it for 7 days free.1 Sign up on your system today!
Individual Membership
Designed for one Nintendo Account holder. Affordable and convenient, in your choice of 1-, 3-, and 12-month options.
| 1 Month | 3 Months | 12 Months |
| $3.99 USD | $7.99 USD | $19.99 USD |
| Save $3.982 | Save $27.89 |
For a limited time, get 200 Gold Points with a purchase or renewal of a 12-month Individual Membership!4
Access Nintendo Switch Online right from your system and sign up for your free 7-day trial
You can get the latest info on Nintendo Switch Online from the Nintendo Switch HOME Menu.
And if you’re not yet a member, you can sign up for a free trial and enjoy the service for a full week!
Create Nintendo Accounts for kids to let them earn and redeem their own My Nintendo points.
If you’re a parent or guardian of children ages 12 or younger, you can create and manage separate Nintendo Accounts for them with a Nintendo Account family group.
This lets kids have fun earning and redeeming My Nintendo points on their own accounts, while letting you manage multiple Nintendo Accounts within your family group. Plus, you’ll get notifications at your registered email address any time something is purchased using the child’s account.
Parents, here’s how you can get your child set up:
Step 1:
Log in to your Nintendo Account at http://accounts.nintendo.com. If you don’t yet have one, you need to create an account for yourself first.
Step 2:
Select “Family group” from the menu on the left. Select “Add member,” then “Create an account for a child.”
Step 3:
Enter the child’s date of birth.
Step 4:
When you create the first Nintendo Account for a child age 12 or younger, it will require you to provide verifiable parental consent. This is done by processing a one-time $.50 charge using your credit card. Once this charge is processed, you may add accounts for additional children to the family group with no additional verification required. (There can be up to 8 members total in a Nintendo Account family group.)
Step 5:
After the consent process has been completed, you can create additional accounts at any time.
YYour child’s Nintendo Account will appear in the “Family group” area of your account settings. You can adjust settings such as purchase restrictions for Nintendo eShop and Nintendo.com for each account.
Remember to share the User ID and password with your child so that he/she can use the account.
Step 6:
You’ll receive an email notification any time a purchase is made on a Nintendo system, the Nintendo website, or via a Nintendo smartphone app using the child account.
A note about family groups:
Keep in mind that you’ll only see the “Add member” option on your Nintendo Account settings page if you are the admin of your family group.
Nintendo Switch Online Account Set Up
If this option isn’t appearing and you are part of a family group already, check to see who the admin of the group is. The admin will need to either add the new member or transfer the admin rights to you before you can continue. To be an admin, you must be at least 18 years old.
To learn more about different roles within family groups, visit Support.
Related Resources:
Nintendo Switch Online Account Set Up
Note that you can also create accounts for children between the ages of 13 and 17 without the one-time verified parental consent fee. Visit your Nintendo Account page to get started at any time.