Nintendo Switch Sports adds basketball as a free update today

Nintendo Switch Sports
(Image credit: Nintendo)

The latest Nintendo Switch Sports content update finally adds basketball to the game.

During the Nintendo Direct showcase last month, it was announced that the spiritual successor to Wii Sports would soon receive basketball as a brand-new game mode in a free content update. At the time, the company said it would arrive sometime this summer, but didn't offer a set release date alongside the reveal trailer.

However, Nintendo has now confirmed via a social media post that the free content update will arrive today in the US, July 9, while the UK will receive it on July 10.

With Basketball added to the game mode roster, players will be able to participate in 2v2 matches, local and online, using the Nintendo Switch Joy Con motion controls. In local play, they can also take on 'Solo Three-Point Challenge' where they can attempt to score as many baskets as they can within the time limit.

Up to five players can also compete in 'Five-Streak Battle' on the court, a more chaotic-looking challenge, with the goal to score the most hoops within the time-limit.

Nintendo Switch Sports - Basketball Trailer - Nintendo Switch - YouTube Nintendo Switch Sports - Basketball Trailer - Nintendo Switch - YouTube
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Nintendo Switch Sports first launched in April 2022 and already features seven game modes, including Badminton, Volleyball, Soccer, Tennis, Bowling, Chambara, and Golf.

In order to play online, Switch users will need a Nintendo Switch Online membership, but can still play without one in local play.

Even more announcements were made during the June Nintendo Direct showcase, including the reveal of Mario & Luigi: Brothership - the first new entry in the series in almost nine years, which will see the duo return in an all-new platforming adventure featuring turn-based combat on November 7.

We also got new news of a brand-new Legend of Zelda title, called The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, which will see Princess Zelda as the playable protagonist on a quest to save Link and Hyrule. Echoes of the Wisdom is set to launch on Nintendo Switch on September 26.

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