5 Nintendo Switch Online Free Games That Are 10/10 Masterpieces

Published Aug 13, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT Ben Brosofsky has been writing for Screen Rant since 2022 and editing since 2024. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor's in Cinema & Media Arts. Writing serves as a much-needed distraction from tackling a backlog of Steam games that will never be surmounted. A Nintendo Switch Online membership can be useful to play games with friends, but the service's biggest value might lie in its game library. While Nintendo doesn't include current AAA releases in its membership like the more expensive subscriptions from Xbox and PlayStation, it more than makes up for the deficit with an array of fantastic classic games. Over the decades, Nintendo has published plenty of masterpieces, so a list of ones available through Nintendo Switch Online could easily get long. These five aren't the only inclusions deserving of a 10/10 rating, but they're true contenders to be considered as the best of the best. Super Mario Bros. 3 The Super Mario Bros. series was remarkable from the start, with the original game still holding up incredibly well as a tightly designed and consistently fun platformer. Super Mario Bros. 2 is also great, whether you're talking about the tough Japanese sequel known as The Lost Levels or the American version based on the game Doki Doki Panic. Super Mario Bros. 3, however, is where everything kicked into high gear. Returning to the strengths of what made the original Super Mario Bros. great, Super Mario Bros. 3 layers on an overwhelming number of new ideas and creative challenges. From the Goomba's Shoe that lets Mario stomp on spiky enemies to the P-Wing that grants him the power of flight, the array of power-ups is truly something to behold. The cream of the crop is the Tanooki Suit, which gives Mario a tail attack, gliding abilities, and invincibility in the form of a stone Tanooki statue. Going back to Super Mario Bros. 3 after playing modern Mario games can present a challenge, at least if you're ignoring save states. While it has a save system, limited lives mean you'll need to make it through several levels at a time to hit key checkpoints, and they're full of hazards that would make the New Super Mario Bros. games shake in their boots. It's all worth it, though, as the platforming experience is so well-designed that the thrills never stop coming. From a modern standpoint, NES games can often feel like rough drafts for SNES sequels, but Super Mario Bros. 3 avoids any such pitfalls. Decades later, it remains one of the best games in a truly iconic franchise. Tetris 99 Although the bulk of the Nintendo Switch Online library is composed of classic games, there are a few modern treats for subscribers. One such game is Tetris 99, which takes the original Tetris formula to new heights in a brilliant multiplayer format, with gigantic 99-player multiplayer lobbies giving the game its name. In standard Tetris fashion, each player is focused on clearing lines from the screen, but clearing lines also results in Garbage Blocks being sent to other players. The game is consequently even more fast-paced than typical Tetris, forcing players to concentrate on both defense and offense as they attempt to avoid drowning in Garbage Blocks while keeping up the pressure on opponents. F-Zero 99 expanded the concept to racing, and it's another great free inclusion with Nintendo Switch Online. If other battle royale games have started to feel routine, Tetris 99 is the perfect way to shake up the formula. Getting a win in Tetris 99 can be tough, as there are a lot of great Tetris players out here, but the struggle is fun regardless of the outcome. The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap A list of the best Nintendo Switch Online titles could easily consist of only Zelda games, with fan favorites like A Link to the Past, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and The Wind Waker being obvious choices. They aren't the only 10/10 options, however, and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap's comparative lack of popularity might make it even more deserving of a shoutout. As a Game Boy Advance title, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is only available for free to those with a NSO + Expansion Pack subscription. To start with, The Minish Cap boasts some of the most beautiful pixel graphics of all time. While 3D console games had taken center stage for the Zelda franchise, The Minish Cap posed a great argument for the continued value of the original top-down approach. Diving into the Lilliputian world of the Minish, the game renders leaves and blades of grass as large environmental details, to say nothing of its beautiful buildings and rich interiors. The Minish Cap also features a strong story, trading out the typical Ganon affair for a memorable villain named Vaati. Games like A Link Between Worlds and Echoes of Wisdom have further refined the gameplay formula of the top-down Zelda titles, but when it comes to pure charm, The Minish Cap has yet to be beat. Earthbound At some point, the best Nintendo Switch Online games can start to feel like a sea of familiar faces. From the NES to the GameCube, Mario and Zelda games are always among the standouts. Some other franchises, like Fire Emblem and F-Zero, can make for a welcome change, but nothing breaks things up quite like Earthbound. While this unique RPG initially sold poorly in North America, it's famously made a name over the years as one of the true greats of the SNES era. An offbeat sense of humor and a willingness to invert RPG tropes make it very unlike its competitors at the time, but its attitude has influenced countless games since. From Undertale to Omori, Earthbound's DNA can be seen everywhere. Its direct predecessor, Mother/Earthbound Beginnings, was equally inventive, but Earthbound refined the formula to create a more fast-paced and consistently fun adventure. Mother 3 is also great, but it's never been officially released in the West, leaving Earthbound to stand alone as one of the best games available through Nintendo Switch Online. Super Mario 64 Even with Super Mario Bros. 3 already representing the Mario franchise, it's impossible not to double-dip with Super Mario 64. Mario's first 3D outing was an absolute revelation, setting an impossibly high standard that even its fantastic successors have struggled to beat. As a Game Boy Advance title, Super Mario 64 is only available for free to those with a NSO + Expansion Pack subscription. On a fundamental level, Super Mario 64 simply gets the movement right. Rather than translating Mario's traditional mechanics to 3D in a 1:1 manner, Nintendo reinvented the way he moved, leaning further into momentum-based possibilities and letting him directly punch enemies to take them out. It immediately feels great, but the level design is what takes it to the next level. Inventive, atmospheric levels offer far more freedom than preceding Mario games, and the placement of platforms works in perfect synchronization with Mario's movement. The primary challenge is no longer simply to get to the end of a level, but to uncover a variety of stars, each attained through different challenges. When playing Super Mario 64 today on Nintendo Switch Online, adjusting to its camera system might take a bit of time. Once you get into the swing of things, though, it'll become apparent that this platforming masterpiece hasn't aged a day in any way that matters. Brand Nintendo Original Release Date March 3, 2017 Original MSRP (USD) $299.99, ¥29,980, £279.99, €329.99 Operating System Proprietary, codenamed Horizon Storage 32 - 64 GB, expandable via microSD VR Support No