Nintendo Switch Online launched yesterday, and with it came the ability to play your downloaded Nintendo Switch games on multiple devices. The subscription service, which starts at $3.99 for a month, adds overdue features like cloud saves that have long been available on services like Xbox Live and PSN. It’s not perfect, as it’s been reported that online data could be lost immediately if subscriptions lapse. But it’s still a step up from having your games tied to one Switch.
Previously, the process of transferring digital games to other consoles was way more difficult than it needed to be. Users had to manually deactivate their Nintendo accounts from the settings first, and if they didn’t have access to their Switch devices, they had to contact customer support. And even then, game data wasn’t saved because there was no cloud storage to speak of, so players had to start from the beginning.
this was long overdue
There are a lot of conditions you have to meet before being able to play on another device, which is explained in further detail on Nintendo’s website. Basically, Nintendo labels the Switch device you assign to your Nintendo account as your primary console. You can use your Nintendo account to log in to a secondary console, but it must be connected to the internet when you’re playing, and the game can’t be played at the same time on the primary console. If you decide you want to start playing again on your primary console, this will pause the game on your secondary console.
If you have multiple Switch consoles in your household, it might be a good idea to look into this feature. Here’s a how-to on joining Nintendo Switch Online.