Nintendo 64 gets rollback netcode

Nintendo updated its Nintendo 64 Classics service on May 17, adding rollback netcode to online play across the Nintendo 64 library available through Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, according to Nintendo’s store page and support materials. The change was first flagged in gaming coverage over the weekend and appeared on Nintendo’s official Nintendo 64 Classics listing by Monday. Nintendo’s page says the library now includes “newly added online play for up to 4 players,” a feature attached to the subscription tier that costs $49.99 a year for an individual membership. Nintendo has not published a separate news release detailing the network change. ### Where did Nintendo confirm the change? Nintendo’s U.S. store page for Nintendo 64 Classics now says subscribers get access to Nintendo 64 games with “newly added online play for up to 4 players.” The same page says players can “connect with friends online and share your screen for co-op or competitive play” and points to Mario Kart 64 as an example of four-player online racing. Nintendo’s support pages also describe online multiplayer across the Nintendo Classics libraries and say Nintendo 64 access requires an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership. The support page says only titles supporting multiplayer will be listed when a player starts an online session, and that users can invite friends directly from the service. (nintendo.com) ### What exactly changed for players? Games.gg reported on May 17 that Nintendo had added rollback netcode to the full Nintendo 64 catalog on the service. Nintendo’s own pages do not use the term “rollback netcode,” but they do show that online functionality has been expanded and that the Nintendo 64 library now supports online sessions for up to four players where the game itself allows it. (en-americas-support.nintendo.com) Nintendo’s support documentation says players can share screens during online sessions and, on Switch 2, can also use GameChat while playing these games. The support page also says online play is limited to users on a player’s friends list rather than open matchmaking with strangers. (games.gg) ### Does this apply to the whole Nintendo 64 catalog? Nintendo’s Nintendo 64 Classics page presents the feature at the library level rather than singling out one or two games. The page lists titles including Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64, Mario Party, Mario Party 2, Mario Party 3, GoldenEye 007 and Pokémon Stadium 2 under the same service description. (en-americas-support.nintendo.com) Nintendo’s support materials say the Nintendo 64 library is part of the Expansion Pack tier and that users select a title from within the library when starting online multiplayer. The support page adds that only games with multiplayer modes will appear in the online-play flow, which means the four-player addition applies where a game supports it. (nintendo.com) ### What does the subscription include now? Nintendo prices the individual Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack plan at $49.99 a year in the United States, according to its membership comparison page. The same page says the tier includes Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance and Sega Genesis libraries, while Switch 2 owners also get access to Nintendo GameCube titles and selected upgrade packs. (en-americas-support.nintendo.com) Nintendo’s main Switch Online overview says Expansion Pack members get classic Nintendo 64 games with added online play as part of the broader subscription bundle. The company’s Nintendo 64 store page also highlights other features, including suspend points, screen sharing and, on Switch 2, added options such as rewind and a CRT filter. ### What should players watch for next? (nintendo.com) Nintendo has not posted a separate changelog or dated announcement explaining when rollback netcode was deployed or whether game-specific exceptions remain. As of May 18, the clearest official confirmation is on Nintendo’s store, membership and support pages for the Nintendo 64 Classics service. (nintendo.com) Nintendo’s next public update would most likely appear on its Nintendo Switch Online news pages or on the Nintendo 64 Classics store listing, where the company has been posting feature and catalog changes for subscribers. (nintendo.com 1) (nintendo.com 2)