The Nintendo Switch is a tremendous amount of fun. When buying one for the first time, you’ll need some extras beyond the console itself, like controllers and cases. But perhaps most important is storage, in the form of a microSD card—preferably the biggest, fastest one you can afford. All of the cards here are compatible with the Nintendo Switch, and have a Class 10 speed rating, which is recommended for gaming.
You can’t use any old SD card with your precious Switch! Only micro cards—not minis, or regular SD cards—will fit into the console. You can use either a plain microSD card or a higher-storage type, either the microSDHC (high capacity) or microSDXC (extended capacity). The regular microSD can only hold 2 GB, the SDHC can hold up to 32 GB and the SDXC starts at 64 GB and goes into the stratosphere. All of the cards in this article are either SDHC or SDXC.
The Nintendo Switch only has 32 GB of internal storage, and some of that is taken up by the console’s operating system itself. That amount of space can likely hold around 10 games if you tend to play smaller, less-complex titles. But most gamers rely on microSD storage to hold their downloadables. There are plenty of games for the console that are only available for digital download, including the entire library of classic NES and SNES games. So opt for the largest size microSD card you can afford if you plan to download often.
There are a few different speeds available for microSD cards, and this determines how quickly the card can read and write data. You want as fast a card as possible for gaming, so opt for a card that can transfer data quickly. Nintendo recommends looking for one with a transfer speed of 60 to 95 MB/s. You might notice a little logo reading “U1” or “U3” on a card; these refer to the “ultra high speed” rating. U3 is fastest, but as long as your card rates a U1 or above, you should be all good.
