Nintendo is Bringing Back its Playtest Program from July 28 to August 10

Nintendo has announced that it is bringing back the Nintendo Switch Online Playtest Program. Starting on July 21 at 8am PT, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers will be able to register for the Playtest Program, and will be picked on a first-come, first-served basis. Registerations will only be open until July 23. The Playtest Program is slated to kick off on July 28 at 6pm PT, and will go on until August 10, 5:59pm PT.

As the company explains in a social media post, there are a few pre-requisites to be part of the program: the Nintendo Account has to be registered in the US, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Japan, UK, France, Germany, Italy, or Spain. The player registering for the program also has to be at least 18 years old, along with subscribing to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service.

While Nintendo hasn’t yet fully revealed what new feature it is testing through this Playtest Program, it has stated on its official website that the test is for the same service that was tested back in October 2024. It is also worth noting that either Switch or Switch 2 players can participate in the playtest, which would indicate that the company is testing out something with its servers.

Generally speaking, the company is also asking those that sign up for the playtest to not discuss content they see during the playtest. This would indicate that the company isn’t fully ready to unveil what this new feature will be.

“We request that you do not discuss or disclose content from either the Nintendo Switch Online: Playtest Program test software or website with others,” wrote the company on its website. “If you participate as a group, you may communicate and exchange information as long as it remains within the bounds of your group.”

While the non-Japanese applicants for the playtest will be picked on a first-come, first-serve basis, players from Japan will instead be chosen through a raffle. The company has also noted that it will be accepting as many as 40,000 participants into the playtest from across the world.

Earlier this month, Nintendo had announced that it is discontinuing its Game Vouchers system, which allowed Switch players to buy digital copies of two titles part of a special catalogue for $100 total. For example, if you want to buy The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, they would both cost $120 in total owing to their individual $59.99 price tags. Through Game Vouchers, both games could instead be bought for $100.

While the service is coming to an end, Switch Game Vouchers can still be purchased until January 30, 2026, and will still be valid for 12 months after the date of purchasing. The cancellation of the service likely comes in light of the company raising the baseline pricing for its first-party outings. Mario Kart World, for example, was a Switch 2 launch title priced at $79.99.

In the meantime, check out details about Nintendo’s latest console—the Switch 2—with our review. Also check out our review of Mario Kart World.