Buying the best Nintendo Switch SD card allows you to store more games on your Switch. But is that really necessary? Well, the Switch OLED only comes with 64GB and the basic Switch just 32GB. So given that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild needs 13.4GB of space and Mario Odyssey needs 5.7GB, the answer is probably yes.
Choosing the best Nintendo Switch SD card can be tricky, though, as they look pretty similar on paper. Basically, you're looking at a read speed of at least 60MB/s and at least an extra 64GB of space.
The best Nintendo Switch SD cards
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The best Nintendo Switch SD card overall
Capacity: 64GB-512GB
Transfer rate: Up to 100MB/s
SanDisk has a selection of officially licensed options with eye-catching branding from top games. With storage options from 64GB up to an impressive 512GB, the transfer rates won't keep you hanging around waiting for games to load.
Best Nintendo Switch SD card for storage
Capacity: 16GB-512GB
Transfer rate: Up to 100MB/s
SanDisk's Ultra range of SD cards are easily fast enough for loading Switch games at a speed close to what you'd get from the console's own internal storage. We'd go for the 400GB option which will hold plenty, and for an excellent price.
Best cheap Nintendo Switch SD card
Capacity: 64GB
Speed: 48MB/s
This SD card is very cheap, making it the perfect storage card for newbies because you can get downloading and playing for less. 64GB will store roughly six to eight first-party titles (5GB to 15GB per game) or countless indies (around 500MB per game).
The best SD card for ruggedness
Capacity: 32GB-512GB
Speed: Up to 100 MB/s
The EVO Plus range offers fast speeds, along with what Samsung calls 4-proof protection. That means they're waterproof, X-ray proof, temperature proof and magnet proof. Bear in mind, though, that your Switch definitely isn't all four of those.
Offers large capacity and fast speeds
Capacity: 1TB
Speed: Up to 150MB/s
For a large-capacity card, the Lexar PLAY doesn't let anything slow it down. This MicroSD card has been designed for gamers with immensely fast transfer speeds and has undergone rigorous testing to ensure that it has the best performance. It's expensive, though.
Best Nintendo Switch SD card for value
Capacity: 16GB-512GB
Speed: Up to 100MB/s
If you want to get your hands on more storage for less money then there are plenty of less recognisable names out there (although you should check out reviews before buying). This one gives you lots of fast storage for not much cash, and does the job well.
Best Nintendo Switch SD card for speed
Capacity: 16GB-1TB
Speed: Up to 160MB/s
Feel the need for speed? The fastest SD card on our list screams along at up to 160MB/s so games will load in the blink of an eye. You'll pay a bit extra for the privilege, so you might as well get the 1TB model and then you'll probably never run short of shortage.
Basic but good value SD card for Switch
Capacity: 64GB-1TB
Speed: Up to 100MB/s
These SD cards from Amazon Basics are nothing to get excited about: they're simply rebranded cards bought in from Hong Kong. But they work and seem reliable enough for the job, and the price is pretty hard to resist, especially the 1TB card.
Plenty of storage at a nicely affordable price
Capacity: 16GB-256B
Speed: Up to 100MB/s
Gigastone's another brand that's new to us, but its 256GB SD card seems to be worth taking a look at. It's designed with game consoles in mind. It's nice and fast. It's also waterproof, shock-proof, temperature-proof and, yes, X-Ray proof too.
