Nintendo Switch Online has both a new free download for NES nostalgics and a new free download for Game Boy nostalgics. And unlike some free downloads that are limited to the Expansion Pack, some of these aren’t, but some are. Further, they are available for both Nintendo Switch users and Nintendo Switch 2 users. The former includes both Switch Lite and OLED Switch users. The free offer is only available until September 3, 2026, though.
On the back of announcing the subscription service’s first new perk of 2026, Nintendo has released a new set of retro icons for Switch Online subscribers to claim and use to personalize their accounts. And these special icons highlight Kuru Kuru Kururin and Clu Clu Land. Of course, both of these games feature in the Nintendo Switch Online library, the former via the NES app, and the latter via the Game Boy Advance app. As you may know, the NES app is available to all subscribers, but the Game Boy Advance app is not, so half of these new freebies are only available with the Expansion Pack tier of the Nintendo subscription service. To get the icons, those interested will need to boot each game on their respective apps and then hand over five Platinum Points for every icon. While a subscription is needed to gain initial access, it is notably not required to retain access to any icon downloaded.
Kuru Kuru Kururin
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Kuru Kuru Kururin is a puzzle game released in 2001 as a Game Boy Advance exclusive by developer Eighting and Nintendo. And it’s never been released on any other platform. Meanwhile, in 2026, Eighting has mostly become a co-developer rather than a lead developer, most recently helping ship Nintendo Switch Sports in 2024 and Pikmin 4 in 2023.
Kuru Kuru Kururin earned a 73 on GameRankings back in the day, and sold appreciable for a title of its size and scope, but certainly did not sell overly well, hence why it’s never gotten a sequel or a proper re-release.
Clu Clu Land
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By comparison, Clu Clu Land is a much older game, having been released in 1984 for the NES by an internal Nintendo team. Because it was released so long ago and was a niche release at the time, there isn’t much data or insight into its reception, but again, it never got a proper follow-up, and nothing is being done with it in modernity, so that suggests it didn’t light the world on fire either. To be fair, though, its primitive puzzle gameplay doesn’t translate very well in the modern era.
All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the video game conversations over on the ComicBook Forum.
