Nintendo Music

Review by eFreeware

Most music apps try to cover everything. Nintendo Music does the opposite: it is a streaming service devoted entirely to the company's own video-game soundtracks, from the NES era through the Nintendo Switch 2 system. That narrowness is the whole pitch, and it is what makes the app interesting.

It is free to download, and it carries ads. Access sits behind a Nintendo Switch Online membership and a Nintendo Account, which the developer states plainly; the membership is sold separately and renews automatically unless it is canceled. If you already pay for Switch Online, the app is essentially a bonus for hardware you own. If you do not, the membership is the real cost of entry, and it is worth weighing before you install anything.

The catalog is the reason to care. The developer lists Mario Kart World, Pikmin 4, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Fire Emblem Engage, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Splatoon 3, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Super Mario Odyssey, alongside older picks such as Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Sports, Metroid Prime, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario Bros. New soundtracks are promised over time. This is for people who hum along to level themes and want them on a phone rather than a console.

Background listening and downloads

The feature the developer puts first is background playback: tracks keep going while the screen is off or while you are using another app. That is the baseline for any music service, and it is what turns a soundtrack catalog into something you can actually listen to during a commute, a workout or a long drive rather than something you open and stare at.

Offline playback is the other headline. You can download tracks to your device and listen without a connection, which matters on flights, in the subway or anywhere signal drops out. Together, the two features cover the ordinary ways people listen: streaming when the network is there, downloads when it is not.

The catalog itself is organized around the games rather than around albums or artists, which is the sensible choice here. You pick a title and work through its track list. Anyone who has ever wanted the music from a specific dungeon or overworld without hunting through fan uploads will recognize why that structure matters.

Spoiler settings, extended tracks and playlists

The most thoughtful feature is spoiler prevention. If you have not finished a game yet, the app's settings let you hide its songs and stop them from playing, so a late-game theme does not surface before you get there. It is a small thing, but it shows the app was designed by people who understand how players move through these games.

Extended playback stretches certain tracks far beyond their normal length. You can set a track to run for 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes, with the music continuing without interruption, positioned as background accompaniment for study or work. That turns a three-minute overworld theme into something closer to a focus soundtrack, and it is a genuinely different way to use a game music app.

There is a time-based trick as well: some Animal Crossing playlists match the hour in your local time to the in-game music written for that hour. Beyond that, the app offers themed playlists built around individual characters, relaxing tracks, battle music and similar groupings, and you can assemble your own playlists from the tracks on offer. The developer notes that more soundtracks will be added, so the library is not fixed at what you see today.

What the app asks of you

Two requirements shape everything. Access needs a Nintendo Account and a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership. The membership renews automatically at the then-current price unless you cancel, and it is not available in every country, so the app is not equally accessible everywhere. The second is Android 9.0 or later on your device.

On top of the membership, the app contains ads. The developer does not offer in-app purchases, so there is no separate upgrade path inside the app itself. Internet access and a compatible smart device are required, and data charges may apply depending on your plan. If you plan to lean on offline downloads, that is the one part of the experience that does not depend on a connection once the tracks are on your device.

The membership is the part I would think about hardest. If you already subscribe for online play and cloud features on a Switch, the marginal cost of this app is nothing, and the value is straightforward. If you would be signing up purely for the music, the decision is really about whether the catalog is worth a recurring subscription on its own terms.

Getting the most from the catalog

The practical way to approach the app is to start with the games you already know. Pick a title you have played, download a few tracks, and see how the music holds up away from the screen. The catalog spans decades, so there is a real difference between the chiptune-era tracks and the orchestral scores from recent titles, and that range is part of the appeal.

If you use the app for focused work, extended playback is the setting to explore first. Choosing a 30- or 60-minute length for a track you like gives you a continuous piece of background music without tending to a queue. The themed playlists for relaxing tracks and battle music serve a similar purpose when you want a mood rather than a specific game.

For anyone working through a game slowly, spoiler prevention is worth turning on before you browse. It keeps late-game music out of sight until you are ready, which preserves some of the surprise the composers built in. And if your car supports Android Auto, the app works with the built-in display, which makes it a reasonable companion for driving rather than something you manage by hand at a stoplight.

The one habit I would build early is downloading. Offline playback is the feature that makes the app dependable when you are traveling or underground, and it is the difference between a service that works when the network cooperates and one that works when you need it.

The verdict on Nintendo Music

Nintendo Music is a well-targeted app rather than a broad one. It does one thing, and it does it with the care you would expect from a first-party catalog: background and offline playback, spoiler controls, extended track lengths, hourly Animal Crossing music, themed and personal playlists, and Android Auto support. The 4.8 average across more than 42,000 ratings suggests the people using it are happy with what they get.

The catch is the membership. Access requires Switch Online and a Nintendo Account, the subscription renews unless canceled, and it is not sold in every country. Ads are present as well. None of that is hidden, but it means the app is best understood as part of a subscription you may already hold rather than a standalone purchase.

If you subscribe to Switch Online and want the soundtracks from games you have played on your phone, this is an easy install. The catalog reaches from the NES to the Switch 2 era, and the spoiler and extended-playback features give it a purpose beyond simply playing songs. If you would be joining the membership only for the music, the decision rests on how much that catalog is worth to you month after month.

What's new in version 1.7.1

We have addressed some issues to provide a better user experience.