The mysterious Nintendo Switch Online Playtest Program returns later this month, now compatible with the Switch 2.
Nintendo confirms this playtest will feature the same service shared with a limited group of fans in October 2024 — originally available only on the standard Switch.
While any Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscriber can apply, participation is capped at just 40,000 players worldwide, and the content remains confidential. (Of course, details of the secret software leaked online last year anyway.)
Individual and group applications open later today and can be submitted from Monday, July 21 to Wednesday, July 23. Selected participants will have access to the playtest from Tuesday, July 29 through Monday, August 11.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old and hold an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership linked to an account in the US, Canada, UK, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, or Mexico.
Nintendo’s application page reiterates the company’s strict confidentiality policy:
“Please do not discuss or disclose any content from the Nintendo Switch Online Playtest Program, including the test software or website,” the company states. “If you join as a group, you may communicate only within your registered group.”
We will perform another test in the #NintendoSwitchOnline: Playtest Program. From 8:00 AM PT on July 21st, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members can apply to participate on a first-come, first-served basis.
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 17, 2025
Find out more: https://t.co/xed7zzwzBb pic.twitter.com/JfnMRd9eoH
Last year, Nintendo issued copyright strikes to remove leaked screenshots of the secret software from social media. Still, traces of the playtest can be found online — such as on Reddit — with a quick search.
So what is being tested? Often likened to Nintendo's version of Minecraft, this experimental game lets players pick up and arrange blocks to build structures in specific zones of a shared world with others. Footage briefly shared online last year appeared unfinished, as expected, but suggested Nintendo aimed to explore the concept further with real players and observe their creativity.
Although the upcoming test appears to involve the same software, it will be interesting to see if any new features are included — and whether, or when, fresh footage will surface again.
