The best SD cards for the Nintendo Switch need to have enough storage space to store all your games, and be fast enough to load them quickly.

Don’t look at anything less than 256GB, though higher capacities like 400GB or even 1TB are available if you see the need for them. There are a lot of different specs for SD Cards, but we think you should just buy the Samsung Evo+ 256GB UHS-I microSDXC U3 memory card.

Samsung is renowned for its storage media, and the Samsung Evo+ 256GB UHS-I microSDXC U3 memory card is no exception. This SD card isn’t the fastest on this list, but it’s perfectly acceptable, and the one we’d trust most readily with our data. It’s rugged, reliable, and offers a respectable quantity of storage space. It’s water, temperature, X-ray, and magnet proof, so you don’t have to worry about losing your games no matter what punishing conditions this card is used in.

Best Overall

Samsung EVO+ 256GB UHS-I microSDXC U3 Memory Card

  • Affordable price

  • Games load quickly

  • Reliable

  • Not the highest capacity possible

Capacity: 256GB | Read/Write Speeds: 95/90MB/s

This bright yellow switch branded SanDisk card really stands out from the crowd, and for good reason. The SanDisk 256GB MicroSDXC UHS-I Memory Card is purpose made for the Nintendo Switch and is certified by Nintendo. That’s as big of a guarantee of maximum compatibility with your Switch as you’re likely to find, and it’s backed up by an excellent warranty from SanDisk.

Best Compatability

SanDisk 256GB MicroSDXC UHS-I Memory Card for Nintendo Switch

  • Certified by Nintendo

  • Fast loading for games

  • Excellent warranty

  • Expensive

Additionally, this SD card is no slouch when it comes to speed, so you won’t have to wait around for games to load. The only downside to this card is that the Nintendo branding comes with a price hike over a standard SanDisk card - and once the card is in your Switch, you’ll never see it anyway.

Capacity: 256GB | Read/Write Speeds: 100/90MB/s

With massive capacity, the SanDisk Ultra 400GB Micro SDXC UHS-I will have no problem holding your entire library of games. On top of that, it offers fast 100 MB/s transfer speeds, so loading times won’t be a problem. It’s an ideal pick for either the Nintendo Switch, a smartphone, or any other device. Being from SanDisk, you also know it’s built to last.

Best Value

SanDisk Ultra 400GB Micro SDXC UHS-I Card

  • High capacity

  • Fast load times

  • Good value for capacity

  • More storage that you’re likely to need for the Switch

What’s surprising is just how cheap this card is, costing little more than a 256GB card and offering half again the capacity. This is easily the best value card you can buy for the Switch.

Capacity: 400GB | Read/Write Speeds: 100MB/s read, write unspecified

It’s easy to recommend the SanDisk Ultra PLUS 256GB microSDXC UHS-1 memory card if you’re looking for this level of capacity. SanDisk makes great, trustworthy products and this SD card is no exception. It’s backed up by SanDisk’s excellent warranty and is ruggedly designed to resist drops, submersion in water, extreme temperature, and even X-rays.

Best 256GB Card

SanDisk Ultra PLUS 256GB microSDXC UHS-I Memory Card

  • Plenty of capacity

  • Tough design

  • Good warranty

  • A little slow

Capacity: 256GB| Read/Write Speeds: 90MB/s read, write unspecified | 

If you want the best of the best and money is no object, then the SanDisk 1TB Extreme MicroSDXC UHS-I Memory Card is the obvious choice. With this SD card you’ll easily be able to fit your entire Switch game library onto it with room to spare for years worth of screenshots and video clips of your best gameplay moments. It’s also tough, as well, with resistance to shocks, water, and everything else the world can throw at it.

Biggest Capacity

SanDisk 1TB Extreme MicroSDXC UHS-I Memory Card

  • Nearly bottomless capacity

  • Blazing fast

  • Durable

  • Costs more than a Nintendo Switch Lite

The only downside is the eye-watering price tag. At more than $230, this card is more expensive than a brand new Nintendo Switch Lite, but for the dedicated gaming enthusiast with deep pockets and a huge game library, this is the obvious choice.

Capacity: 1TB | Read/Write Speeds: 160/90MB/s | Class: U3

If you’re on a tight budget, the Lexar Professional 1000x microSDHC 128GB UHS-II/U3 provides blazing-fast performance at a very affordable price point. Compared to much larger capacity cards mentioned on this list, 128GB seems like nothing, but keep in mind that with this much capacity you’re more than doubling the native capacity of the Switch. With that said, it’s worth considering that, though this is a cheap budget option, it does represent poor value given its price to capacity ratio.

Best Budget

Lexar Professional 667x 128GB microSDHC

  • Cheap

  • Extremely fast load times

  • Includes data recovery software

  • Small capacity

  • Poor value for capacity

What makes this SD card really special is its 100MB/sec read speed, which is great. It drastically reduces load times and beefs up data transfer speeds to make short work of any task to which it’s turned. Lexar also provides increased peace of mind by offering an excellent warranty and a free downloadable copy of their Image Rescue Software so that if something does go wrong you can recover your data.

Capacity: 128GB | Read/Write Speeds: 100/90MB/s | Class: 10 U3

About Our Trusted Experts

Andy Zahn has been writing for Lifewire since 2019 and is an unapologetic gamer and tech nerd. When he isn’t testing the latest gaming hardware or researching the latest gadgets he’s likely to be found leveling up in the latest triple-A games.

What to Look For in SD Cards for Nintendo Switch

Brand

  • How much does a microSD card cost for the Nintendo Switch?
  • A microSD card doesn’t have to break the bank. If you plan to get mostly physical cartridges, then a microSD card slot as small as 32GB is fine since all you need to do is accommodate any save game files and screenshots. But if you plan on doing a mix of digital download and physical, we’d recommend at least a minimum of 128GB. Our most affordable card on this list is the 32GB Lexar Professional which costs just $40.
  • How to reset a microSD card?
  • If you want to use an existing microSD card on your Nintendo Switch, reformatting it is an easy matter. Insert your microSD card into an SD card adapter (or microSD card slot on your laptop if it has one), then put it in your PC. Hit Start>Computer and right-click the microSD card. Then hit format. You’ll get asked if you want to reformat is, just say yes, and all the old data on your microSD card will be wiped and it’ll be good as new for your Switch.
  • Where does a microSD card go in the Switch?
  • The microSD card slot is hidden behind the Switch’s stand. Make sure your Nintendo Switch is off, open up the stand, and you should see the microSD card slot right there at the bottom. Just insert your card with the microSD card logo facing away from the console and you should be good to go.

A microSD card doesn’t have to break the bank. If you plan to get mostly physical cartridges, then a microSD card slot as small as 32GB is fine since all you need to do is accommodate any save game files and screenshots. But if you plan on doing a mix of digital download and physical, we’d recommend at least a minimum of 128GB. Our most affordable card on this list is the 32GB Lexar Professional which costs just $40.

If you want to use an existing microSD card on your Nintendo Switch, reformatting it is an easy matter. Insert your microSD card into an SD card adapter (or microSD card slot on your laptop if it has one), then put it in your PC. Hit Start>Computer and right-click the microSD card. Then hit format. You’ll get asked if you want to reformat is, just say yes, and all the old data on your microSD card will be wiped and it’ll be good as new for your Switch.

The microSD card slot is hidden behind the Switch’s stand. Make sure your Nintendo Switch is off, open up the stand, and you should see the microSD card slot right there at the bottom. Just insert your card with the microSD card logo facing away from the console and you should be good to go.

Capacity

Your budget is really your only limit to storage capacity on SD cards. However, it’s not always wise to shell out hundreds of dollars for terabytes of data. Often super high capacity comes at the cost of speed, and you probably don’t need that much storage space anyway. A 256GB card offers a good balance between price, performance, and storage capacity. If your needs are more modest, a 64GB card could cut it. If you plan to have an all-digital library, then a 512GB or even 1TB card wouldn’t be amiss.

Speed

Most modern SD cards offer enough speed, but as a rule of thumb 90MB/s should be considered the minimum for read and write speeds. Remember that the faster the card the quick the load times and the better your Switch will function. Write speeds tend to be lower than read speeds, but for gaming purposes, the read speeds are more important. Most of the cards on this list are Class 10 and many are U3, meaning they offer read/write speeds that are three times as fast as regular U1 Class 10 cards.