Nintendo To Run A Playtest For Unknown New Feature For Switch Online This Month

The latest batch of announcements continues to grow following the unveiling of Alarmo, Nintendo's newest device, which goes on sale in 2025, and new Splatoon items to grab for Halloween. Another surprising announcement Nintendo made on 9th October 2024 is that they'll be hosting a playtesting program later this month, during which registration is set to begin shortly.

Aptly named the Nintendo Switch Online (NSO): Playtest Program, this testing period will see participants joining to try out a brand new and unknown feature for the subscription service on Switch consoles. However, those looking to participate in the latest playtest must meet specific requirements to be one of 10,000 players to get a first peek at the new Switch Online feature.

As briefly revealed in their latest social media post and later detailed in a separate developer post, the NSO: Playtest Program begins its registration between 10th October 2024 at 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 3 pm UTC and 15th October 2024 at 7:59 am PT / 10:59 am ET / 2:59 pm UTC which Nintendo is looking to accept around "10,000 participants." They've provided the Application Page in the aforementioned post in which the playtest begins on Nintendo Switch consoles on 23rd October 2024 at 6 pm PT / 9 pm ET / 1 am UTC on 24th October 2024 to 5th November 2024 at 4:59 pm PT / 7:59 pm ET / 11:59 pm UTC.

There are a handful of requirements participants are to meet, which we've provided below for interested parties to read through:

• Participants must have an active NSO + Expansion Pack subscription as of 9th October 2024 at 3 pm PT / 6 pm ET / 10 pm UTC
• Participants must be 18 years of age and older as of 9th October 2024 at 3 pm PT / 6 pm ET / 10 pm UTC
• Participants' Nintendo Account must be registered in one participating country and territory: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America
  • If there are too many applicants registering from Japan, participants will be selected via a raffle draw, while outside Japan, participants are selected on "a first-come-first-serve basis"

Finally, Nintendo has noted that all participants are to install "exclusive software" to their Switch consoles as part of this playtest. More details on the NSO: Playtest Program will be provided once the registration period has closed on 15th October 2024 at 7:59 am PT / 10:59 am ET / 2:59 pm UTC, and as such, we'll update this page with more information ahead of the playtest later this month.