Key Takeaways
- Nintendo launched a dedicated music streaming app called Nintendo Music, featuring soundtracks and playlists from various Nintendo games.
- The app includes customizable playlists, spoiler prevention settings, and the ability to extend song lengths for extended listening.
- A Nintendo Switch Online membership is required to access the app.
When Nintendo announced the Nintendo Music app, it was met with a fair bit of skepticism. After all, most video game soundtracks can already be found on
music streaming
networks. Why is a dedicated app necessary? Well, maybe it wasn’t necessary, but it is awesome — and it has an interesting set of features catered to those who thrive on video game background music.
The app was announced through a YouTube trailer. It contains a huge amount of music sorted by game, but you can also find playlists dedicated to specific characters (the Zelda playlist is pretty incredible.) You can also find playlists for specific moods, like getting ready for bed or working out. If the playlist you want isn’t there, you can build it yourself. However, the standout feature is actually found tucked away in the Settings menu. Every song is accompanied by art from its respective game, but if you’re worried about spoilers, the Spoiler prevention setting lets you add specific titles to a list and the Nintendo Music app will filter out any listings from that game.
What games can you listen to?
There aren’t many games listed at the moment — only about 22 — but Nintendo says more are on the way. We certainly hope so, considering several mainstream entries are missing (including Tears of the Kingdom and Age of Calamity.) The current track list is picked from Nintendo’s entire lineup dating all the way back to the NES and original GameBoy.
There’s also another feature hiding away beneath the play button. You can choose to extend select songs from their default length to 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 60 minutes for the times when you really want to get into the flow and your current song perfectly fits your vibe. You can also loop tracks, set the app to shuffle, and favorite specific songs. Basically, it has all the controls you would find for any other streaming service. Think of it like Apple Music or Spotify, but it has only Nintendo game songs to choose from. That’s a streaming service I can get behind. If you have a Nintendo Switch Online membership, you can download and use Nintendo Music right now.
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