Nintendo adds Wario Land to Switch Online

Nintendo expanded its Nintendo Switch Online retro catalog on July 8, adding four games across its Game Boy and Game Boy Advance libraries, according to a post on Nintendo’s official news site. The update put Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Fortified Zone and The Sword of Hope II into the Game Boy app for standard Nintendo Switch Online members. Dr. Mario & Puzzle League was added separately to the Game Boy Advance app, which requires the higher-priced Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack tier. Nintendo said the games are available on both Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 systems. ### Which games were added, and where do they sit in the subscription lineup? Nintendo’s July update breaks cleanly across the two retro apps. The Game Boy app gained Fortified Zone, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 and The Sword of Hope II, while the Game Boy Advance app gained Dr. Mario & Puzzle League. Nintendo listed those additions in its July 8 news post and in the current game rosters for each app. (nintendo.com) Nintendo Switch Online members at the base tier can access the Game Boy catalog with an active subscription priced at $19.99 a year for an individual plan in the United States, while the Expansion Pack tier that includes Game Boy Advance access is priced at $49.99 a year for an individual plan, according to Nintendo’s membership overview page. Family plans are priced at $34.99 and $79.99 a year, respectively. (nintendo.com) ### Why is Wario Land the headline addition? Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 is the oldest and most recognizable title in the update. Nintendo’s description says the game sends Wario across Kitchen Island in search of a giant golden statue of Princess Toadstool after Mario kicks him out of the castle. The company highlighted the game’s treasure-collecting structure and power-ups including Bull Pot, Jet Pot and Dragon Pot. (nintendo.com) Nintendo’s Game Boy library page now lists both Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 and Wario Land 3 among the included games. That means subscribers can now play two separate Game Boy entries in the Wario Land series through the same app. ### What does Dr. Mario & Puzzle League add to the GBA side? Dr. Mario & Puzzle League arrived as a two-in-one Game Boy Advance release. (nintendo.com) Nintendo described it as “two engrossing puzzle games in one” in its July update post, and the title now appears in the Game Boy Advance app’s current lineup. The Game Boy Advance catalog is only available through Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, which also includes Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis and GameCube libraries, depending on platform and service terms, Nintendo says. (nintendo.com) The same membership page says Expansion Pack subscribers also receive access to selected DLC and upgrade packs. ### How do players actually get these games? Nintendo’s classic-game library page says the retro collections are delivered through separate Nintendo Classics software downloads rather than individual paid game purchases. (nintendo.com) The Game Boy and Game Boy Advance apps are both listed at $0.00, with access tied to an active membership. Nintendo’s store pages say the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance apps support suspend points and rewind functions. (nintendo.com) The Game Boy page also says some titles support local or online multiplayer features, depending on the game. ### Where does this leave the broader retro catalog? Nintendo’s classic-games hub says Switch Online memberships now include access to a curated library of more than 150 classic games across systems. (nintendo.com) The page labels the July additions as the latest updates and lists Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Virtual Boy, NES and Super NES among the available categories. (nintendo.com) Nintendo’s next step for players is straightforward: the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance Nintendo Classics apps remain available through the eShop, and the company’s U.S. membership page says a bonus-month Expansion Pack offer runs through July 28, 2026. (nintendo.com)