There’s a Lot of Math You’ll Need to Do Before You Buy a Switch 2
Nintendo made a big deal out of how the Switch 2’s storage capacity is eight times that of the original Switch. Still, 256GB is a paltry number compared to the ballooning size of most third-party games that seem designed to gobble up huge chunks of your console’s storage.
Unlike the original $300 Switch that Nintendo released in 2017, the $450 Switch 2 costs nearly as much as a PS5 or Xbox Series X. That’s not even including the impending $70 or $80 game prices and expensive accessories. The pricey total cost to start means the Switch 2 isn’t merely a secondary system you may dust off to play Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros. when friends come over. If you plan on the Switch 2 being your main gaming machine, you should probably math out exactly what games you have, and then ask how much you’re willing to spend on additional storage options.
First, Nintendo’s specs page for the Switch 2 clarifies that some portion of the built-in storage is allocated to the system’s operating system software, including its settings and menus. The original Switch’s 32GB storage meant users actually only had 26GB available for games. We don’t know whether the Switch 2 OS and firmware—which look similar to the original Switch—will take up more space, but expect your 256GB of storage to be closer to or less than 250GB.
Then, you have to consider the size of games. While most of Nintendo’s first-party games will fit on physical Switch 2 game cards—which will save on some storage space—that won’t be the case for several third-party titles. Mario Kart World takes up just under 24GB, while Donkey Kong Bananza squeaks in with around 10GB. However, physical game cards don’t account for inevitable updates and game saves that will eat into internal storage. Otherwise, Nintendo now offers game-key cards, which are essentially just digital codes to download a game from Nintendo’s eShop. The only hassling part is that you still need the physical cartridge inserted into the system to play the game if a publisher goes the game-key card route.
The reason why some games are on cards and others are digital download-only seems to come down to publishers’ preference. For example, Best Buy lists the physical version for the much-hyped Switch 2 version of Cyberpunk 2077 as coming on a “64GB game card.” In an interview with Game File, CD Projekt Red engineer Tim Green said, “the physical version is all played from the game card.” The caveat there is that the game will target 1080p resolution on TVs in “quality” mode, though it’s also making use of Nvidia’s AI upscaler DLSS—which transforms a lower-resolution image to a higher quality—to hit that performance.
Not all publishers are stamping their whole games onto a game card even if they only take up 64GB or less. Hitman World of Assassination (61GB), Street Fighter VI (48GB), and Yakuza 0 (54GB) are confirmed to come on game-key cards. There’s a simple explanation why: game-key cards, which again just download a digital copy to the Switch 2, are cheaper because they don’t need to contain actual flash storage chips. At least not ones with large capacities.
Nintendo seems to be one of the few gaming companies that still cares about file size compression, as evidenced by its games taking up a fraction of third-party AAA titles. But if you’re bringing over your older Switch games to the Switch 2, that will also take up more storage space. An upgrade pack for Kirby and the Forgotten Land will cost $20 and buying it from Best Buy will still only net you a code for a digital download. If you port your original copy of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to Switch 2, you’ll need to purchase and download the “Switch 2 Edition” upgrade separately for $10 to gain improved frame rates, resolutions, and load times. Nintendo has said that if you buy the Switch 2 version of a cross-platform game, you will get the upgrade already on the game card, no additional download required.
Nintendo Switch 2 game download sizes
Cyberpunk 2077 – 59.8 GBYakuza 0 – 53.7 GBMario Kart World – 23.4 GBBravely Default – 11 GB*Donkey Kong Banaza – 10 GB*Zelda BOTW – 24.2 GBZelda TOTK – 19.9 GBKirby and the Forgotten Land – 13 GBSuper Mario Party Jamboree – 13 GB pic.twitter.com/aPF46tN3qd
— Nintendeal (@Nintendeal) April 27, 2025
Every gamer will need to calculate their total storage and see if the games they intend to play will max out storage. In that case, Nintendo’s answer is for users to buy a microSD Express card. These cards use a PCIe memory interface that is potentially much faster than the regular microSD, enough that it could match the faster SSD storage of the Switch 2. The Switch 2 system supports up to 2TB of additional storage, but it will be more costly than buying a microSD for the original Switch. Your older, non-Express memory add-ons are not compatible. A 256GB microSD Express card from Samsung emblazoned with Mario’s famous “M” logo will cost $60. You can expect more companies to make higher-capacity microSD Express options in the future that could cost much more.
So not only are you balancing your storage on Switch 2, you’re also balancing your wallet. When Nintendo released the Switch OLED, it doubled the storage to 64GB from the original Switch’s 32GB. Sure, you could wait for a Switch 2 OLED and pray it comes with twice the storage, too. But realistically, if you’re getting in on the Switch 2 at launch or in the next few years, you should probably pick up a microSD Express card if you’re expecting to have a sizable game library. Especially if you’re going to buy non-Nintendo games.
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