Zelda: A Link Between Worlds shows odd Nintendo Switch Online listing

A mysterious NSO badge

Nintendo's official website for the Zelda series has added a badge reading Playable with Nintendo Switch Online to the page for A Link Between Worlds, according to Nintendo Life. The 2013 game has been exclusive to the 3DS since launch and is not available on the paid subscription service.

The odd marking has led some fans to speculate that the title, or even a broader dual-screen library, could be coming to Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo Life urges caution, arguing the icon is more likely a mistake.

Why the listing looks unreliable

The Zelda website hosts a timeline of the series, running from the NES original through to the Ocarina of Time remake. Games that genuinely are on Nintendo Switch Online, such as A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening and Oracle of Seasons, carry the Playable on NSO marking, and all of them can indeed be played there.

A Link Between Worlds does not fit that pattern. It has never appeared on the service and there is no 3DS library on Nintendo Switch Online at all, so the badge contradicts what subscribers can actually access.

Missing badges elsewhere

The inconsistency works the other way too. Oracle of Ages, a game that is part of the NSO library, has no such button on the website, Nintendo Life reports. None of the series' other DS games show any indication that they are playable on the service either.

These mismatches suggest the website's labels do not reliably track the current service. That supports the site's view that the A Link Between Worlds badge is a simple error rather than a deliberate teaser.

Rumours of dual-screen support

Speculation about a dual-screen addition to Nintendo Switch Online has circulated since details of the Switch 2's extra USB-C port emerged, along with mock-ups of a possible screen accessory. A 3DS library would require some way to display two screens at once.

Nintendo Life considers it very unlikely that such an announcement would surface through a website badge. The site expects the message to be removed in the near future and notes that no confirmation has come from Nintendo itself.

What it means for fans

Until Nintendo confirms anything, the safest reading is that the badge is a website mistake rather than a hint of new content. Fans hoping to replay A Link Between Worlds on modern hardware should treat the listing with scepticism.

Any real news about Nintendo Switch Online additions would normally come through an official Nintendo Direct presentation or an announcement on Nintendo's own channels. Readers can watch the Zelda website to see whether the badge disappears.