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Guide: The Best microSD Express Cards For Nintendo Switch 2

If you’re buying a Nintendo Switch 2, you will definitely need to purchase a microSD Express Cards to increase your storage space.

In this article, we will explain why microSD Express Cards are only supported on Nintendo Switch 2, why you need one, and some of the best microSD Express Cards you can buy right now.

The reason why microSD Express Cards are only supported on Switch 2

The main reason why Nintendo Switch 2 only supports microSD Express Cards is simple – it supports high speed read and write times that are not possible with microSD cards.

High speed read and write times allow games with high quality 4K textures to be loaded at a much faster speed, which isn’t possible with microSD cards. To put things in comparison, a microSD Express card is at least 4 times faster than a regular microSD card.

Why you need a microSD Express Card

While the Nintendo Switch 2 comes with 256GB of internal storage, it can quickly run out of space especially if you plan to buy lots of third-party AAA games.

For example, Mario Kart World takes up about 23.4GB of space, while Donkey Kong Bananza takes up about 10GB of space. These games may not seem huge, but third-party AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Street Fighter 6 require 64GB and 50GB of space respectively, so if you download all four games on launch day, you would have used up almost 60% of internal storage.

Keep in mind that even if you’re not buying games off the Nintendo eShop, many third-party Nintendo Switch 2 titles, such as Street Fighter 6, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster, and Survival Kids come on Game-Key Cards. As Game-Key Cards only contain software licenses, you need to download the entire game on your Nintendo Switch 2, and that requires space.

In addition, you have to account for space for games that you may be transferring from your Nintendo Switch, as well as photos and videos.

TIP: Click here to check out our list of file sizes for Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games.

The best microSD Express Cards available

We recommend Lexar’s PLAY PRO series of microSD Express Cards. The microSD Express Cards offered by Lexar are cheaper than those officially licensed by Nintendo, and they come in higher capacities.

The PLAY PRO series comes in three options – 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. The 512GB and 1TB options are harder to purchase, but we recommend adding them to your list so you will be reminded when they return in stock. You should consider the 1TB card if you’re planning to download lots of third-party AAA titles.

Click the links below to check the price and purchase on Amazon: