The 6 Best Nintendo Switch SD Cards for Storing Games

We’ve talked a lot about how much we love the Nintendo Switch. Everything from its hybrid-style portable design to its incredible selection of games make it a standout hit in a crowd of big, boxy gaming consoles.

But one pain point across all models of the Switch is limited storage. The original Switch and Switch Lite come with a very limited 32 GB of internal storage, while the Switch OLED has a slightly improved 64 GB. But considering games like The Witcher 3 take up a whopping 28 GB of data, the default internal storage is not enough for most gamers, especially those who prefer digital downloads to physical game cards.

Thankfully, every model of the Switch supports expandable storage via microSD card. Most microSD cards cost about $16, and provide more than enough additional storage capacity for all your current and future Switch titles. We’re here to give you some tips and recommendations on buying the best Nintendo Switch microSD card for your needs.

The Best Nintendo Switch Memory Cards

What to Consider

The Switch is compatible with a wide variety of microSD cards. Considering the size of some Switch titles, we recommend microSD cards with a minimum of 64 GB of storage. We also recommend (as does Nintendo) utilizing an UHS-I (Ultra High Speed Phase I) microSD card, which will ensure speedy transfer rates. As such, all of our recommendations are UHS-I cards with at least 64 GB of storage.

Nintendo also recommends UHS-I cards with transfer speeds between 60 and 95 Mbps. Therefore, we recommend avoiding higher-end microSD cards, as the Switch likely cannot take advantage of their faster speeds.

How We Selected

Many of these recommendations come from hundreds of hours of in-house use. For the products we couldn’t test ourselves, we perform intensive research, reviewing content from expert sources like Wirecutter, The Verge, CNET, Tom’s Guide, DigitalTrends, and others, as well as thousands of consumer reviews from online storefronts like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. As for the products themselves, we evaluated them on speed, capacity, and price.