The microSD Express card specification became very popular recently, as Nintendo confirmed the Switch 2 will support that type of removable storage. The console supports up to 2 TB, though 1 TB is the highest capacity currently available at stores. It’s worth noting that the stock of most microSD Express cards is always in flux, and cards can have very long delivery estimates, with the longest we’ve seen estimating up to a two month wait.
Regular microSD cards, of which I can’t be alone in amassing multiples of at this point, won’t work for playing games of any kind in the Switch 2; inserting one into the Switch 2 will only reveal your screenshots and video clips. Essentially, if you foresee downloading more games than the console’s 256 GB of internal storage can contain, you’ll need to buy a microSD Express card at some point.
That may be disappointing (especially since microSD Express are more expensive), but the significant read and write speed boosts that microSD Express yields in comparison to standard microSD cards should make the upgrade feel worth it. These cards are classified as NVMe SSDs, letting them run about four times faster (they are slower than PCIe 4.0 SSDs in the PS5, but so, so much faster than the storage in the original Switch). The boosted speed results in quicker loading times, and likely several other positive benefits, like faster downloads and boot times. You’re paying SSD prices because you’re getting an SSD in the form of a microSD card.
There are a few microSD Express cards you can buy now ahead of the Switch 2’s June 5 launch date, while some are only available to pre-order (there’s also a licensed Mario one from Samsung that’s coming June 5). While we haven’t tested (or tasted) any of these, we feel confident that any of the options below should be great for your Switch 2, as well as any console that may one day support them.
The best microSD Express cards for the Switch 2
We’ll keep this post updated with our latest microSD Express card recommendations. If you decide to shop around for other microSD Express cards, make sure the card you buy has the “EX” graphic printed on it to ensure you’re getting the right type.
