Nintendo Confirms Return of Mysterious Switch Online: Playtest Program — Now Compatible with Switch 2

The mysterious Nintendo Switch Online: Playtest Program will once again take place later this month, now compatible with Switch 2.

Nintendo has said this playtest will be another outing for the “same service” it previously shared with a select few fans in October 2024 — then, of course, just on the original Switch.

While applications to participate are open to all Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers, numbers will be limited — to just 40,000 players globally — and the test’s contents are once again designed to be kept secret. (Though, of course, details of the hush-hush software previously spilled online last year anyway.)

Applications to take part in the playtest either as an individual or group open later today, and can then be submitted next Monday, July 21 to Wednesday July 23. If you’re lucky enough to be picked, the playtest itself will then be available from Tuesday, July 29 to Monday, August 11.

Entrants must be over 18 years old and have an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, with an account tied to either the US or Canada, UK, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil or Mexico.

Nintendo’s website with application details once again makes clear the company’s desire for secrecy:

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

Find out more: https://t.co/xed7zzwzBb pic.twitter.com/JfnMRd9eoH

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 17, 2025

During last year’s playtest, Nintendo used copyright strikes to see screenshots of its secret software scrubbed from social media. But, of course, some evidence of the playtest still exists — and it’s pretty easy to find via a quick search on reddit.

So what is it that’s being tested? Widely compared to a Nintendo take on Minecraft, the experiential game allows users to pick up and assemble blocks to create structures in specific areas of a shared world, alongside other users. The gameplay footage that briefly appeared online last year appeared work-in-progress, as you’d expect, but suggested Nintendo was keen to explore the concept further with actual players and see what people got up to.

While this latest test looks to be for the same software, it will be intriguing to see what new features are included — if, or rather when, new footage leaks once again.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social