Nintendo Switch Drops 4 Free Surprise NSO Games, Absolute Bangers

Nintendo isn't particularly well-known for bringing good deals and offers to their consumers, preferring to rely on the quality of its work in order to justify selling it at full price.

That said, the market for older games is continuing to grow and Nintendo seems to be doubling down on bringing as many of them as possible to its fanbase from previous generations of its consoles and hardware.

A big part of that movement is via Nintendo Switch Online, the subscription service in which users are given access to some additional games to play via the Nintendo Classics apps.

Depending on which generation of console you are looking to access, you will need a different tier of the Switch Online service. Specifically, the basic subscription covers very old consoles like the NES and SNES, while the Expansion Pack upgrade gives access to marginally more recent classics like the GameCube.

Now, four new games just hit the service which should come as a delight to those who play games back then with some absolute plastics to look forward to.

NES and Game Boy Titles Hit Online Services

Dlala

Nintendo shadow-dropped two NES and two Game Boy titles yesterday (25 November), with some major franchises making a notable appearance.

Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can now log in and play Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters and Bionic Commando on the Game Boy: Nintendo Classics app, alongside Ninja Gaiden 2: The Dark Sword of Chaos and Battletoads for the NES app.

Those are just the latest arrivals after Luigi's Mansion for the GameCube arrived on the service on 30 October. That followed a glut of shadow-dropped releases for the SNES in the previous month, with Mario and Wario leading out a procession that included Fatal Fury Special and Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind.

In all fairness to Nintendo, there are some great releases in this latest lot, with Battletoads serving as one of the best (and most difficult) games that storied developer Rare ever produced.

Equally, the Ninja Gaiden sequel is still well worth revisiting in 2025, with this new addition to the subscription service probably the best way to do so.

No word yet on what Nintendo is planning to bring out next at the various tiers of their subscription model, but with classics like the original Pokémon games still notably absent, we're hoping for some big announcements.