Nintendo Switch – How to Add More Storage Space and Memory

Nintendo Switch – How to Add More Storage Space and Memory

The Nintendo Switch only comes with 32 GB of internal storage. If you plan to buy physical copies of your games that should be enough for at least a little while. However, if you plan to buy your games digitally or pick up a lot of DLC, you’re going to want to add more storage space to the Nintendo Switch.

By adding more memory to the Nintendo Switch you can be free to download as much as you like (just don’t lose the MicroSD Card). This article covers how to add more storage and memory to the Nintendo Switch and where the MicroSD slot is located on the Switch.

At the moment, the best way to add more storage to the Nintendo Switch is by simply buying a MicroSD Card. The location of the slot of the MicroSD card on the Nintendo Switch is found under the kickstand on the back of the tablet. There’s a pretty good chance you already have a spare MicroSD Card if you own a digital camera or similar device. However, if you need to buy a new one you have a couple of different choices.

MicroSD Card memory is fairly cheap these days. You can get a 128 GB card for 40 dollars without looking very hard. If you put a bit more effort into your search or wait for a sale, you can find a 128 GB MicroSD Card for 30 dollars or less.

While a 128 GB should hold you over for a while, if you’ve got the extra money to burn, a 256 GB MicroSD Card runs about 130 dollars on the low end, with sale prices dropping to about under 100 dollars. The advantage of going with a larger MicroSD Card is that you won’t have to worry about carrying around multiple MicroSD Cards for a much longer time.

There are differences in the data transfer speeds of these cards. Most MicroSD cards will have a number printed on them that reads 2, 4, 6 or 10. The higher the number, the faster the data transfer speed. For example, a 2 indicates a transfer speed of 2MB/s, while a 10 equates to a 10MB/s transfer speed. Ideally, you want the fastest transfer speed, but we don’t have any confirmed reports that this has a significant impact on load times if you have a game downloaded to your MicroSD Card.

Nintendo released the download sizes for a few of the launch window Switch games, which you can see below. For the most part, you can fit 20 or more games onto a 128 GB MicroSD Card if we assume some DLC will be going along with that. Keep in mind you still have 32 GB of internal storage that you can use to save games, DLC, and even screenshots. Some Switch games will clock in right around 1 GB, but the larger games will be 32 GB or more, as seen by the size of Dragon Quest Heroes 1 and 2.

Nintendo Switch Game Download Sizes

• Puyo Puyo Tetris – 1.09 GB
• I Am Setsuna – 1.4 GB
• Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together – 1.6 GB
• Nobunaga’s Ambition – 5 GB
• Disgaea 5 – 5.92 GB
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 7 GB
• Dragon Quest Heroes 1 and 2 – 32 GB

Be sure to check out our Nintendo Switch console hub for more information on Nintendo’s latest!