Leaked list of Super Nintendo games for Nintendo Switch Online has plenty of classics (but no Earthbound)

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Digging through the code has revealed a healthy list of 16-bit titles

As part of its paid-for Nintendo Switch Online plan that enables online multiplayer, Nintendo has been offering access to an ever-growing library of NES games. Now it looks like Nintendo could be gearing up to include Super Nintendo games as part of that offering, according to filenames unearthed by datamining the Nintendo Entertainment System app.

A modder by the name of KapuccinoHeck posted their findings to Twitter this past weekend - and just for posterity, archived those 3,000 strings of code to a massive Pastebin post. But what you really want to know is the full list of games unecovered by this code spelunking, so here's KapuccinoHeck to do the honors:

It's nice to see the quintessential SNES classics in there: Super Mario World, Super Metroid, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario Kart. There's also a nice helping of third-party favorites like Contra 3, The Legend of Mystical Ninja, and Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts. You've even got Star Fox 2 in the mix, which would no longer be exclusive to the Super NES Classic if Nintendo adds it to the Switch app, and Stunt Racer FX, which hasn't made a Virtual Console appearance before. But if you go by fan demand, there are also some glaring exceptions in the current datamined list, like the eternally asked-for Chrono Trigger or the eccentric Earthbound (which in turn always gets interpreted as the possibility of an official Mother 3 port).

Of course, even with this Super Nintendo game names discovered in the Switch app's code, there's no indication that they'd be happening anytime soon. When asked for comment, Nintendo simply told Kotaku "We have nothing to announce on this topic." That said, it's safe to assume that Switch Online subscribers would only be contented with NES games for so long, and that a growing Super NES library would greatly sweeten the deal. 

Nintendo could be biding its time for now, waiting to work out any kinks with online multiplayer via screen-sharing, or manufacturing some official Switch-compatible SNES controllers (akin to the existing wireless NES controllers) before it makes an official announcement. Whatever the plans may be, it's nice to see that we're likely one step closer to playing SNES classics on the Switch - and we won't have to pay for them individually like all those regrettable repeat purchases we made on Virtual Console. 

For more secrets hidden in Nintendo's code, here's how Super Smash Bros. Ultimate datamining points to Dragon Quest DLC character.

Lucas Sullivan
Lucas Sullivan

Lucas Sullivan is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+. Lucas spent seven years working for GR, starting as an Associate Editor in 2012 before climbing the ranks. He left us in 2019 to pursue a career path on the other side of the fence, joining 2K Games as a Global Content Manager. Lucas doesn't get to write about games like Borderlands and Mafia anymore, but he does get to help make and market them.