Switch Online's Free NES Games For August Available Now

August's free NES games for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers have arrived. This month brings two more legacy games to the hybrid console, one of which is available for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Starting today, August 21, Switch Online members can play Kung-Fu Heroes and Vice: Project Doom. The latter is particularly notable because it hasn't been officially re-released since it originally launched on NES back in 1991, making this the first time it is appearing on any system in almost three decades. You can watch a trailer for both games below.

In addition to those two titles, this month's batch of NES games also includes another special save state for Gradius. This version starts you off in the more difficult second loop of the game, without any power-ups. There are now almost 50 games in Switch's NES library, with more still slated to come this year. You can see the full list on Nintendo's website.

As previously mentioned, the NES library is available exclusively to Nintendo Switch Online members. Subscriptions are available for US $4 / £3.49 / AU $6 for one month, US $8 / £7 / AU $12 for three months, and US $20 / £18 / AU $30 for one year, and they grant you the ability to play Switch games online and back up your save data via the cloud.

Another perk of the NSO service is Tetris 99, a battle royale-inspired take on the classic puzzler. The game is free to download for NSO members and pits you against 98 other players in a contest to be the last one remaining. Tetris 99's next Maximus Cup event kicks off this Friday, August 23, and players who rack up enough points during it can unlock a Fire Emblem: Three Houses in-game theme.

An FCC filing for a wireless SNES controller for the Switch was recently discovered. Nintendo released a set of wireless NES controllers for the system last year after the NSO service first launched, and this new filing has led to speculation that SNES games could be on the way to the console as well, although nothing has officially been announced yet.