There’s a Lot of Math You’ll Must Do Earlier than You Purchase a Swap 2

Nintendo made an enormous deal out of how the Switch 2’s storage capacity is eight occasions that of the original Switch. Nonetheless, 256GB is a paltry quantity in comparison with the ballooning dimension of most third-party video games that appear designed to gobble up big chunks of your console’s storage.

Not like the unique $300 Swap that Nintendo launched in 2017, the $450 Swap 2 prices practically as a lot as a PS5 or Xbox Collection X. That’s not even together with the impending $70 or $80 game prices and expensive accessories. The dear complete price to start out means the Swap 2 isn’t merely a secondary system chances are you’ll mud off to play Mario Kart or Tremendous Smash Bros. when mates come over. In case you plan on the Swap 2 being your predominant gaming machine, you need to in all probability math out precisely what video games you’ve got, after which ask how a lot you’re keen to spend on further storage choices.

First, Nintendo’s specs page for the Swap 2 clarifies that some portion of the built-in storage is allotted to the system’s working system software program, together with its settings and menus. The unique Swap’s 32GB storage meant customers truly solely had 26GB accessible for video games. We don’t know whether or not the Swap 2 OS and firmware—which look much like the unique Swap—will take up more room, however anticipate your 256GB of storage to be nearer to or lower than 250GB.

Then, it’s a must to take into account the dimensions of video games. Whereas most of Nintendo’s first-party video games will match on bodily Swap 2 sport playing cards—which is able to save on some space for storing—that received’t be the case for a number of third-party titles. Mario Kart World takes up just below 24GB, whereas Donkey Kong Bananza squeaks in with round 10GB. Nonetheless, bodily sport playing cards don’t account for inevitable updates and sport saves that may eat into inside storage. In any other case, Nintendo now provides game-key cards, that are basically simply digital codes to obtain a sport from Nintendo’s eShop. The one hassling half is that you simply nonetheless want the bodily cartridge inserted into the system to play the sport if a writer goes the game-key card route.

The explanation why some video games are on playing cards and others are digital download-only appears to return all the way down to publishers’ desire. For instance, Best Buy lists the bodily model for the much-hyped Swap 2 model of Cyberpunk 2077 as approaching a “64GB sport card.” In an interview with Game File, CD Projekt Purple engineer Tim Inexperienced stated, “the bodily model is all performed from the sport card.” The caveat there’s that the sport will goal 1080p decision on TVs in “high quality” mode, although it’s additionally making use of Nvidia’s AI upscaler DLSS—which transforms a lower-resolution picture to a better high quality—to hit that efficiency. Not all publishers are stamping their complete video games onto a sport card even when they solely take up 64GB or much less. Hitman World of Assassination (61GB), Road Fighter VI (48GB), and Yakuza 0 (54GB) are confirmed to return on game-key playing cards. There’s a easy reason: game-key playing cards, which once more simply obtain a digital copy to the Swap 2, are cheaper as a result of they don’t must include precise flash storage chips. A minimum of not ones with massive capacities.

Nintendo appears to be one of many few gaming corporations that also cares about file dimension compression, as evidenced by its video games taking on a fraction of third-party AAA titles. However should you’re bringing over your older Swap video games to the Swap 2, that may even take up extra space for storing. An improve pack for Kirby and the Forgotten Land will price $20 and shopping for it from Finest Purchase will nonetheless solely web you a code for a digital obtain. In case you port your authentic copy of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to Swap 2, you’ll must buy and obtain the “Switch 2 Edition” upgrade separately for $10 to achieve improved body charges, resolutions, and cargo occasions. Nintendo has said that should you purchase the Swap 2 model of a cross-platform sport, you’re going to get the improve already on the sport card, no further obtain required.

Nintendo Swap 2 sport obtain sizes

Cyberpunk 2077 – 59.8 GB
Yakuza 0 – 53.7 GB
Mario Kart World – 23.4 GB
Bravely Default – 11 GB*
Donkey Kong Banaza – 10 GB*
Zelda BOTW – 24.2 GB
Zelda TOTK – 19.9 GB
Kirby and the Forgotten Land – 13 GB
Tremendous Mario Get together Jamboree – 13 GB pic.twitter.com/aPF46tN3qd

— Nintendeal (@Nintendeal) April 27, 2025

Each gamer might want to calculate their complete storage and see if the video games they intend to play will max out storage. In that case, Nintendo’s reply is for customers to purchase a microSD Specific card. These playing cards use a PCIe reminiscence interface that’s doubtlessly a lot quicker than the common microSD, sufficient that it might match the quicker SSD storage of the Swap 2. The Swap 2 system helps as much as 2TB of further storage, however will probably be extra pricey than shopping for a microSD for the unique Swap. Your older, non-Specific reminiscence add-ons are usually not appropriate. A 256GB microSD Specific card from Samsung emblazoned with Mario’s well-known “M” brand will price $60. You possibly can anticipate extra corporations to make higher-capacity microSD Specific choices sooner or later that would price rather more.

So not solely are you balancing your storage on Swap 2, you’re additionally balancing your pockets. When Nintendo launched the Swap OLED, it doubled the storage to 64GB from the unique Swap’s 32GB. Certain, you possibly can await a Swap 2 OLED and pray it comes with twice the storage, too. However realistically, should you’re getting in on the Swap 2 at launch or within the subsequent few years, you need to in all probability decide up a microSD Specific card should you’re anticipating to have a large sport library. Particularly should you’re going to purchase non-Nintendo video games.