With so many great games released for the Nintendo Switch year after year, it’s not surprising that many gamers are looking for a way to get more storage for their portable consoles. Fortunately, Nintendo makes it easy to expand the Switch’s storage with a microSD card.
Once you insert a compatible microSD card into your console, all future game downloads and accompanying data will be stored there. That is, you only have to gain from this increment.
But after all, what should be the size of the microSD? Which ones are compatible? Below, we’ll explain this to you, and how to expand the Nintendo Switch’s storage.
What is the best microSD card size for Nintendo Switch?
It depends. How much memory you need will depend on how many Switch games you buy and whether they are physical or digital copies.
All in all, our recommendation is a microSD card of at least 64GB. However, those who only buy digital games should invest in a bigger one.
Does the Nintendo Switch have how much internal memory?
The Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite only offer 32GB of internal storage. The Switch OLED has only 64 GB. This is kind of problematic, given that many of the Nintendo Switch’s best games require upwards of 10GB of space.
For example, The Legend of Zelda and Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield take up 13.4GB and 10.3GB of space respectively. Just installing these games already leaves the Switch practically out of memory.
Therefore, it is essential to buy a microSD card that supports a greater number of games. In this way, you can enjoy and play various games on your portable console.
What is the recommended minimum microSD card size?
Our recommendation is to go no smaller than 64GB. This size allows you to have some large, medium and small games. Even so, at some point, you will need to delete, archive, and reinstall Nintendo Switch games.
Don’t forget that you can simultaneously use internal and external storage. So, think of it as being 96GB! Of course, if you’re planning on playing a bunch of Switch games, we’d recommend looking for a larger microSD than that.
Right size for digital games
Considering that Nintendo Switch games are being released with ever-increasing file sizes, anyone looking to download games digitally should look for a larger microSD card, like 256GB. It has the space to store lots of saved data, screenshots and videos.
Of course, if you’re fond of having a large number of games, and want to play any one of them at a moment’s notice, you’ll want to look into something much bigger, like a 512GB card for maximum storage.
Right size for physical games
The Nintendo Switch is one of the few remaining game consoles that does not install game data when using physical media. Given that, the 32GB of internal storage inside might be more than enough if you’re only planning to buy a few physical copies here and there.
Now, if you’re planning on buying a copy of pretty much every major title Nintendo releases, you’ll be running out of the Switch’s internal storage and you’ll want to invest in a big microSD card, like a 128GB one.
What are the supported microSD cards?
The following types of microSD cards are compatible with the Nintendo Switch:
- microSD (up to 2 GB);
- microSDHC (from 4GB to 32GB);
- microSDXC (64 GB and higher).
How to use a microSD card on Nintendo Switch?
Once you’ve found the best microSD card for your Switch, here’s how you can mount it on your Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch (OLED Model):
- Turn off the Nintendo Switch;
- On the back of the Switch, open the bracket;
- With the label facing away from the console, position the microSD card in the slot;
- Insert the microSD card into the card slot until you hear a click.
To verify that the microSD card has been successfully inserted into the Switch, you can click System Settings > Data Management. Then make sure the microSD card appears on the right side of the screen.
With a microSD card, not only do you have access to more storage for your downloaded Switch games, but you can also save and transfer screenshots of your favorite games to your PC.
