Whether you own the original Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite or the gorgeous Switch OLED, it’s likely that the onboard storage won’t be enough to hold your full game library. And that’s where microSD cards come in.

While you may get away with downloading a handful of games directly to your console, the onboard 32GB storage can fill up fairly quickly. Even the boosted 64GB that comes with the Switch OLED isn’t enough for most users. Luckily, this can be easily remedied by inserting a microSD card, which can then live in your console via the small slot underneath the kickstand.

Below, we’ve listed some of the best memory cards for Nintendo Switch, whether you want to break the bank and futureproof your storage for the long term or just add a bit more space on the cheap.

Best Switch SD card: Our top pick

For

  • Official option Great value

Against

  • Faster speeds available

While there are obviously options that provide both more and less storage than this 128GB option from SanDisk, we believe this is the ideal mid-point for most people.

It’s still very affordable, and, providing you’re not downloading new games very frequently, it won’t leave you short on storage.

Since it’s also the officially licensed version, there’s no need to format it prior to popping it in your Switch. Plus, you get that cute logo on the card itself.

  • Officially licensed Very affordable

  • Only really for light users

If you’re likely to only download things to your Switch occasionally, there’s perhaps no need to splash out on more storage than you need.

Enter, then, this 64GB option from SanDisk. As with others, this is officially licensed by Nintendo, which means there’s no need to format it, and you’ll get a Triforce logo for good measure.

Just be sure that you won’t eventually need more than this storage option, since it’s preferable to have a big card with empty space rather than running two cards simultaneously.

  • Super speeds

  • Sometimes inconsistent reading

You won’t get a fancy Nintendo logo on the card itself, but you do get extremely fast speeds and excellent affordability with this Samsung option.

We’ve noticed the odd inconsistency compared to the SanDisk options we tested, but nothing major - often the card will just need popping out and clicking back in and it’ll format correctly.

  • Simple and reliable

  • Official option means slight premium

If you want something that’s officially licensed and still offers the 256GB bump in memory, SanDisk also has this option to consider.

It’s slightly more expensive than likeminded cards, but you do get improved reliability, easy formatting and that fun design to enjoy.

This storage option does appeal more to heavy users, we’d suggest, and the price reflects that, so consider whether this is truly the right level for you before splashing out.

  • An impressive amount of storage

  • Mild inconsistencies

If you want storage levels on par with the latest consoles from Microsoft and Sony, then Gigastone’s 512GB card is really the only option to consider.

We’ve found the odd inconsistency during testing, but, like with others, this only really requires a reboot of the console or releasing the card and placing it back in the slot.

For the price, you really can’t do better than this option if you’re looking for maximum external storage.

How to choose a memory card for Nintendo Switch

Do I need a microSD card for my Nintendo Switch?

Unless you’re only planning to have a handful of games downloaded to your console, and will stick mostly to cartridges, owning a memory card is pretty much a necessity, we’d say. Some popular titles can take upwards of 10GB to store if downloaded from the virtual store, and having a storage card inserted means that you’ll have the convenience of quickly swapping between them.

It’s often more a case of figuring out just how much additional storage you’ll need - with options typically offering 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB.

What is stored on a Nintendo Switch microSD card?

Once inserted, your card will simply take care of game downloads and media, not save files. If you have Nintendo Switch Online, these save files can also be backed up to the cloud, meaning that a change of console (or an unfortunate loss) isn’t a big drama. You’re able to easily redownload games and restore save files.

Which microSD cards work on Nintendo Switch?

Any microSD card will work with the Switch, but, obviously, it’ll have to offer relatively big storage capabilities to make it worthwhile. That’s why we’ve recommended cards ranging from 64GB to 512GB, which are known as microSDXC (extended capacity).

Do I need to check a microSD’s transfer speeds?

All of the cards we’ve recommended fall within Nintendo’s guidelines for Switch microSD cards, but, if you decide to go with something that isn’t on our list of picks, transfer speeds is a factor to consider.

See that circle with a number in it? That’s the card class. Class 10 means 10MB/second minimum sustained write speed, Class 6 means 6MB/sec, and so forth. Nintendo recommends a minimum speed of 60-90mb/s.

Often you’ll see an “I” towards the bottom corner of a card, too, in numeral style, which represents UHS-I, or ultra-high-speed, assuring a decent buffer speed to keep data chugging along. UHS-II (“II” rather than “I” symbol) is a lot faster, but rarely supported - so it’s best avoided on a cost basis here as it’ll bring no benefit. If you see a 3 symbol in a bucket then, again, that’s the higher UHS speed class and not necessary.