7 free NES games added to Nintendo Switch Online in July 2024 (2024)

Published Jul 4th, 2024 7:36PM EDT

Image: Nintendo

Nintendo has really been picking up the pace with additional classic games for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers lately. This week, just in time for Independence Day, Nintendo added 7 NES games to the Switch Online library, including Donkey Kong Jr. Math.

Nintendo Switch Online – NES games for July

Here’s the complete lineup of free NES games added to the Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online library in July:

• Urban Champion: On these streets, there is only one rule: Punch or be punched. Nintendo’s first 2D fighting game from 1986,Urban Champion^™is a bare-knuckle throwdown between fighters looking to earn the rank of Champion – and send their opponent plummeting down the nearest manhole in the process. If successful, they will earn confetti showers from local residents and, eventually, enough victory symbols to proclaim themselves the undisputed champ.But watch out for angry neighbors who will attempt to drop flowerpots on your head, and the police will make occasional appearances to temporarily break up the fight, or to make an arrest if the fight clock runs out.Spar against a computer opponent or a friend and prove your worth in becoming the Urban Champion!
• Golf: Hit the links and revisit one of the original NES sports games. This 1990 classic brings you 36 holes of realistic golf action, with hazards that change every time you play (so you’ll need to plan a strategy apart from just “swing away”). Check wind direction, select the right club and adjust your swing as you make your drive. A scorecard keeps track of your strokes for each hole as you face twisting fairways and hungry sand traps. Tee time is right now, so grab your clubs!
• Donkey Kong Jr. Math: First question:Donkey Kong + Donkey Kong Jr. ÷ Math Homework = ?The answer: Numerical fun. Originally released in 1986,Donkey Kong Jr.^™Mathtakes the vine-swinging gameplay of the originalDonkey Kong Jr.game and adds an extra element of mathematical challenge. Play as Donkey Kong Jr. and rescue Donkey Kong, who’s been imprisoned by Mario. Navigate across vines and platforms to solve math-based puzzles, which requires you to do everything from collecting numbers to grabbing appropriate symbols that add, subtract, multiply and divide them as needed to solve each problem. Along the way, you’ll gather fruit and keys, and make sure you avoid the pesky birds, nasty electric sparks and creepy chompers! Sorry, did we not mention there’d be a test?
• Mach Rider: Set either 88 years in the future (from today) or 127 years in the future (from the game’s original release date in 1985),Mach Rider^™is a vehicular combat racing game where players navigate their heavily-armed Quadrunner across the ruined wastes of Earth in the year 2112. Engage in the Fighting Course and blast your way across 10 different sectors, avoiding obstacles and taking down enemies. Or try your hand at the Endurance Course, where you try to complete sectors in a set time limit, with oil drums and opponents determined to slow you down. You can also tackle the time trial in the Solo Course mode where it’s just you against the clock.Remember, you are Earth’s only hope — you are Mach Rider.
• The Mystery of Atlantis: Known asAtlantis no Nazoin Japan,The Mystery of Atlantisis a side-scrolling adventure where players take on the role of Wyn, an amateur explorer intent on unlocking the secrets of a lost civilization and rescuing his captive master from the forces of the evil Emperor Zavyra. Using sticks of dynamite, Wyn will attempt to survive a myriad of exotic locations such as caves, temples and even clouds. Atlantis is comprised of 100 zones, each one connected by warp doors – but choose wisely! Your success in the island’s maze will depend on which doors you go through and the path you take.
• SOLARJETMAN: You are Jetman on a dangerous quest to collect the lost pieces of the Golden Warpship, a near-mythical vessel capable of interstellar travel. This early-’90s multidirectional shooter puts you in the co*ckpit of Jetman’s Jetpod, as you explore 12 menacing alien worlds, each with its own level of gravity! Collect alien goods along the way to earn points you can trade for equipment from the Interstellar Marketing Co. Trading Post. Once you discover a piece of the Warpship, you’ll have to tow it back to your Mothership, fighting against the added drag that impacts your maneuverability (and burns away your fuel – keep an eye on those gauges!). Recovering the pieces will be no easy task, and Solar Jetman is the only hope!
• COBRA TRIANGLE: Heard of the Bermuda Triangle? Well, that’s a resort cruise compared to what awaits you in theCOBRA TRIANGLE^™.Put your skill and reflexes to the test at the helm of a Cobra Class Speed Boat in this 1989 vehicle-based action game for theoriginal NES. In this part boat racing game, part vehicular combat game, you’ll take on high-speed challenges including cannon-equipped enemy craft, imperiled swimmers, deadly sea monsters, dangerous whirlpools and ticking bombs. Play through 25 stages of aquatic mayhem,where you’ll need to collect Power-Up Items scattered throughout levels to upgrade your speed and firepower if you hope to get out of the Triangle in one piece!

The standard Nintendo Switch Online membership costs $19.99/year and includes online play, Save Data Cloud backup, and NES, SNES, and Game Boy games. You can also upgrade to a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass membership for $49.99/year, which adds DLC for a few popular Switch games, as well as N64, GBA, and Genesis games.

This article talks about:

NintendoNintendo Switch