The subscription service will save almost all of your games in the cloud.
If you've been playing some of the best Nintendo Switch games, the last thing you want is to lose your progress. Regardless of whether you're playing a physical cartridge or a digital download, game data is saved on your console, which means you'll lose it if your Nintendo Switch is lost or damaged. Luckily most Nintendo Switch games support backup save data via Nintendo Switch Online.
It's easier to ask what games don't support back up save data
The Nintendo Switch Online subscription service costs $20 a year and gives you the ability to play games online, voice chat, exclusive offers, and access to a collection of NES and SNES titles. It also provides cloud backup for the vast majority of games on the console.
You can check if an individual game uses online features such as cloud data in its description in the Nintendo eShop or product page on nintendo.com. It's usually safe to assume that a game will be backed up with your Nintendo Switch Online membership unless it's one of the titles on this list that are not compatible with the service.
- 1-2-Switch
- 8-BIT ADV STEINS;GATE
- A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher
- A Fold Apart
- A Sound Plan
- Air Hockey
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Arcade Archives IKARI III -THE RESCUE-
- Asphalt 9: Legends
- Bass Pro Shops: The Strike — Championship Edition
- Battle Supremacy — Evolution
- Battleground
- BINGO for Nintendo Switch
- Blade II — The Return Of Evil
- Bookbound Brigade
- Bowling
- Bubble
- Cabela's: The Hunt — Championship Edition
- Catan
- Chapeau
- Clue: The Classic Mystery Game
- Color Zen Kids
- Creepy Brawlers
- Curious Cases
- DAEMON X MACHINA
- DAEMON X MACHINA: Prototype Missions
- Dark Souls: Remastered
- Darts
- Dawn of the Breakers
- Dead By Daylight
- Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise
- Deployment
- Doggie Ninja The Golden Mission
- Dungeon Stars
- EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Nintendo Switch Legacy Edition
- Escape First
- Eternal Card Game
- EXORDER
- Fear of Traffic
- FIFA 18
- FIFA 19
- Fledgling Heroes
- Fortnite
- Fractured Minds
- Funimation
- Gates Of Hell
- Gato Roboto
- Gems of War
- Gigantosaurus The Game
- Go Vacation
- Golf
- Guess the word
- Gurgamoth
- HAUNTED: Halloween '86
- Hidden
- Hidden in Plain Sight
- Hulu
- Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
- InkyPen
- IN-VERT
- It's Spring Again
- izneo
- JUMANJI: The Video Game
- Just Black Jack
- Lanternium
- Lightseekers
- Little Shopping
- MetaChampions
- Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition
- Miner Warfare
- Miniature — The Story Puzzle
- MISTOVER
- Modern Combat Blackout
- NBA 2K Playgrounds 2
- Neverlast
- New Super Lucky's Tale
- Nidhogg 2
- Ninjala
- No Time to Relax
- North
- Onigiri
- Orbitblazers
- Othello
- Overwatch — Legendary Edition
- Party Trivia
- Pet Care
- Pixel Devil and the Broken Cartridge
- Pizza Parking
- PLOID SAGA
- Pokémon HOME
- Pokémon Sword and Shield
- Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!
- POOL
- Ragtag Adventurers
- Red Hot Ricochet
- Robbie Swifthand and the Orb of Mysteries
- Robox
- Royal Adviser
- Santa Tracker
- Sheep in Hell
- Slam Land
- Slot
- Smash Rush
- Speaking Simulator
- Splatoon 2
- Spot the Difference
- Squidlit
- SUPER DRAGON BALL HEROES WORLD MISSION — Launch Edition
- Super Holobunnies: Pause Café
- Taimumari: Complete Edition
- Teddy Gangs
- The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game
- The Otterman Empire
- The Raven Remastered
- The Town of Light: Deluxe Edition
- Theatre Tales
- Theme Park Simulator
- Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
- Trailer Trashers
- Trials Rising Standard Edition
- V.O.I.D.
- Wanba Warriors
- Warface
- Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Champions
- while True: learn()
- World Soccer
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution
- ZOMB
Always have a back up plan
Losing or breaking your Nintendo Switch is a hassle even if you don't also lose hundreds of hours worth of gameplay. You should seriously consider a Nintendo Switch Online subscription so you can keep that data safe. Do you have any questions about the Nintendo Switch games that support back save data? Let us know in the comments section!
Our pick
Nintendo Switch Online 12-Month Individual Membership
Cheap online service with plenty of useful features
Nintendo Switch Online has a lot of useful benefits for subscribers. You'll be able to play online with others, voice chat through the mobile app, get exclusive bonus offers and games, cloud game saves, and gain access to the NES classics with online functionality. It's a win-win, and relatively cheap when you compare it to PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live.