Nintendo's Switch Online Playtest Program Returns, Includes Switch 2 Support

this was so weird and mysterious last time 😭 i wonder if its gonna be the same or something different? if its the same something bigs gonna come.

I would just like to add, Banana!!!

I believe this time it includes more countries. Last time, NSO accounts from Mexico were not elegible to participate, but this time they do. Too bad that during half the period I'll be on vacation and God knows how good the internet will be where I go.

If it’s taking 2 playtests for Nintendo to greenlight a project, then I don’t have much confidence in it.

I do wonder what the situation is going to be for past participants. There's a grayed-out link for us on the website that only opens up tomorrow. I would hope that it's just an update to the current application and just having that downloaded means I can join in again, but it's not clear right now.

@LazyDaisy I played it the first time around, and it was extremely fleshed out. The point of the playtests isn't to see if the idea works, it's to refine what they already have (and there was a lot to it). It's very different from anything they've ever made before, so it's sensible to make sure the infrastructure is solid and that the game clicks.

The disqualifier for everyone...

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership

Don’t see the point of doing this again unless they want to see if they get the same reaction it got last time. People will be smartened up to what this is, so it’s going to be pretty subdued unless there’s something drastically different about it. The first one had the attention it got due to mindless speculation and then bolstered by Nintendo telling people not to discuss or share anything from it.

I still can't believe how little actually leaked out from this. Even if they can't go up on youtube, I'm surprised there weren't a bunch of gameplay videos floating around the internet.

Stil have no clue what happened last time; I never saw any footage. So, I wil be trying to get in this time! Wish me luck!

The first time around I basically played it like twice then stopped bothering to check in, really just not at all my thing.

Interesting. I'm sure the usual suspects online will moan & complain as expected.

This might be something related to the drag x drive switch 2 nso demo (https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/07/nintendo-announces-global-jam-demo-event-for-switch-2-online-members) ( I'm not for sure yet but it's just an educated guess)
or something else entirely but If it is something new I'd give it like mabye 1-2 days until it gets leaked out into the public eye similar to the last time they did this type of thing .

It's interesting that this is returning, I heard about what it was because of the online reporting! Honestly, I would be willing to participate... if I had the Expansion Pack. 😭

No Oceania participation makes me think there will not be any Oceania servers for the final release, like most MMOs. If this game is as heavily online as I think it will be that's as bummer for Australians.

@LazyDaisy That's standard procedure though. Some ideas are good, but go through tweaks to test more interest.

Feedback is important after all, and can reshape the direction of a game

Doshin vs Minecraft

Bit confused about when it actually opens for applications. Saying on the link to create an application from Friday, but then step 2 it says they'll start accepting applications from Monday. Then it also says we should create the application by Monday.

Is this for the same thing? I’m curious about it. I also doubt they’ll let anyone who recorded during the playtest take part this time around.

@Baker1000 that just means they won’t check applications until Monday, so don’t expect to hear back before then

@sethfranum Yah, that’s what stopped me

@AdolBannings-Laylee Mmm, bananas, mm!

First come first serve again? I’m not even gonna bother to apply this time. They really need to have a lottery system instead.

well this sucks. why should i be locked out of this based purely on geography?? why on earth would they bring back the playtest yet not roll it out to anyone who didnt get to try it the first time around? super disappointing

@Solomon_Rambling, _{Hey, you! Yes, you! Wanna know what the Playtest was about? I've got some secret juicy info if you want it!}

@Anachronism I tried uploading some songs from the soundtrack on a burner account, left them unlisted, distanced them from the game proper, and they still got taken down. Nintendo was very diligent about removing leaks

Metroid prime 4 battle royal online playtest, aha..😋
Nah just kidding, ignore my comment 🤣

Once again my country is entirely excluded...

The next Mario will be called Mario 8 Billion. As in, up to all 8 billion people in the world will be running around the same map as Mario.

@sethfranum keep your hate going. It’s the best value of online services and extreme cheap compared to MS and Sony.

@Yosher Yeah, seeing the list of countries it does seem pretty small, even with the additions of Mexico and Brazil.

Apart from the Netherlands they don’t even add countries like Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Hong Kong, etc

What is the Playtest?

I don't see the big fuss on why it should be hush hush as it was nothing amazing, just their attempt at copying Roblox/Minecraft which both are far ahead in terms of quality.

@Solomon_Rambling ah its not a lot. Just turns your switch into a nintendo character pilotable mech. It said explicitly when you launched it that it was not to be used for world domination or recreating power rangers episodes with friends.

I have the basic subscription.

I guess I'm not participating.

You had to be lightning quick with the sign-up process last time although admittedly, I was trying to get off a train the moment sign-ups opened.
Will give it another go though but won't get my hopes up ahaha!

It's interesting to see how many people assume that what was in the first playtest was basically the final product.

It could well be close to the final product, but there could also be an element of decoy to what we've had access to.

Curious to see how this pans out.

Well, now that I've got a Switch 2, I'll try to get in on this! Hopefully I'll be one of the lucky few selected!

Nintendo Exclusive Sub = NES

Secret Nintendo Exclusive Servers = SNES

I need to renew my NSO and I've been thinking about finally subscribing to the expansion pack, so potentially having a chance to play this seems like another good reason to do so! I never saw any footage or anything of the first playtest so I don't really know what it is, and getting to play a new Nintendo game with no prior knowledge at all would be pretty cool.

Edit: Turns out you have to have already had an NSO+ subscription as of the 17th, so I can't take part unfortunately. Oh well, it will still be worth subscribing for, like, Banjo-Kazooie.

got in the last time and it looks like im automatically in this time too because of it. wonder what, if anything, they changed compared to last time

@Nintendomatt64 no, its gonna be the same as last time. its not related to any announced game

Don’t have the expansion pack so sadly cannot participate. Extremely curious to see what comes of this project in the future

Weird. Automatic selection as soon as I applied. Fair. Someone said something about not being able to apply if you weren't in the previous test, which I wasn't, so hmm....

@geo-shifter same, I think it’s first come first served though so that may be why - I’m assuming we were just quick enough!

It says I've been selected!

@montrayjak same ! 🥳 i missed out last time

Wow, they’ve reached the limit and and no longer accepting applicants. Shocker.

I would like to proudly announce that I was selected this time.

Feel like this stuff really is a bunch of nothing.

@Hero-of-WiiU Having played it during the first playtest, this is their most ambitious new IP/online game since Splatoon, and it's known that the same directors are shepherding the project due to patent filings

@PikaPhantom Really huh? Thanks for letting me know!

I missed it, again! Oh, well.

I didn't get in the first time round but got accepted this time 🙌🏻

@Ldory12 That has to explain it.

@Ulysses If you played the first time, you get access to the new playtest by default as long as you still meet their requirements.

Anyone else’s download code not working? Just tried it with no luck and not sure what to do, I guess wait? Otherwise do I contact Nintendo somehow?

@Shaw_Brothers mine worked ok, but I can't launch the game presently. There is an faq here that might be able to help you: https://playtest-p.nintendo.com/en-gb/playtest/faq

@Shaw_Brothers It didn't work for me on my phone, but it worked when I entered the code on my Switch.

@KingChiliPepper thanks, redeemed directly on the switch and all good. Redeeming on the website didnt work

I tried to register for it on Monday but it said i couldn't apply as the deadline had passed. I thought applications opened in Monday so I messed up 😞

Oh well, I didn’t get to do it last time anyway

I was selected, but my Switch 2 will arrive during the test, so I think I'll wait to download the game there because it might not carry over with the transfer

I didn't like the game anyway so haven't bothered this time.

@Shaw_Brothers Same! But I'm trying from the website. I'll try from my Switch (2) tonight and see if that helps

@LazyDaisy or they're testing crossplay. What a weird comment for you to make.

Couldn't get in last time & I managed to get selected this time, I was having an issue with the code, it was like no for the website but my Switch 2 took it. Now I gotta set up the dock sometime.

@LazyDaisy Every game ever made gets playtested. Many times. They're just not normally public events like this one.

But where is Nate‘s promised Nintendo Direct?! 😢

@Johnny44
Hang in there bud, we normally only get 24 hour notice so reserve your crying emojis for a few more days. I'm expecting the announcement tomorrow for a Thursday show.

@YoshiTails yeah it is a bit strange! I don’t wanna say too much but I am enjoying it though it’s a lot to take in. Curious what this will end up being.