Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in North America will soon be able to play Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled for free for a week. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is an awesome kart-racer featuring the characters from the Crash Bandicoot video games.
The Switch is the first Nintendo console to require a paid subscription to use its online services. Unlike other consoles' online services - PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold - Nintendo Switch Online doesn't give contemporary games for free to subscribers. Instead, subscribers to Nintendo Switch Online receive NES and SNES games for free. Nintendo also gives away free games that are made specifically for the service, including the incredible Tetris 99 and the fun, but short-lived Super Mario Bros. 35.
Nintendo sometimes gives away free trial periods of eShop games to subscribers, and these are usually first-party titles. The next free trial will be a third-party title, as the official Nintendo of America Twitter account has announced that Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled will be available for free for one week. This offer is only available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled will be available from December 30, 2020, to January 5, 2021.
The free trial is for the full version of the game, including the local and online multiplayer modes. It's not a demo that restricts the amount of content available to the player. If Nintendo follows its previous strategy with free trials, then the full version of the game should be discounted for the duration of the promotion, in case fans want to keep it once it's over.
Crash Team Racing is an awesome racing game, and people who haven't had the chance to check it out already on the Switch should do so, assuming they can access the promotion. It's just a shame that this trial is happening on the system that already has an incredibly popular go-karting game. It's exciting for a high-profile game to receive a free trial on the Switch, as the previous free trials haven't been that exciting. Nintendo Switch Online has shoddy service for some of its biggest titles and the number of free games is low compared to its competition. Fans are willing to overlook these issues, due to its low price and killer exclusives. Hopefully, the Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled promotion leads to other great third-party games receiving free trials on Nintendo Switch Online.
Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will have free access to Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled from December 30 to January 5, 2021.
Source: Nintendo of America