No more free rides: Paid Switch Online service launches on Sept. 18

Enlarge / You'll need to collect a few gold coins to pay for online gameplay on the Switch very soon. (credit: Nintendo)

From the days of the Gamecube online adapter to Switch titles like Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon 2, Nintendo has been the only current console maker to never charge its customers an additional fee for access to online multiplayer gameplay. That's set to change on September 18, when the paid version of Nintendo's Switch Online service will finally launch worldwide.

The paid subscription service, which was originally slated to launch in the fall of 2017, replaces the current free online gameplay trial that has been available to all Switch owners since last year. After September 18, users will get an additional seven-day trial of the paid service to ease the transition into the new subscription.

Following that, though, Switch users will have to pay the previously revealed prices of $4 a month or $20 a year for online play in games including Splatoon 2, Arms, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario Tennis Aces, and Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido. Some other Switch titles, including free-to-play games, will be playable online without a subscription, and Nintendo has promised more details will be revealed in a Nintendo Direct presentation tomorrow.

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