Here are the top 5 microSD cards for Nintendo Switch

We’re only a few weeks away from the release of the Nintendo Switch, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be prepped and ready to go on March 3rd. Thankfully, Nintendo will be supporting the standardized microSD card format with the Nintendo Switch (*AHEM* SONY) so you’ll be able to get those ahead of time for all your digital purchases.

Wait, why would I want a microSD card?

You’re kidding, right? Like the Wii U before it, the Nintendo Switch only includes 32GB of internal storage for games. Games are getting increasingly larger, with Zelda: Breath of the Wild expected to take up at least 13.6GB of hard drive space for the base game, not including the expansion pack. That means more than two games will fill up that paltry space on the Switch in no-time flat.

Nintendo does plan on having a range of microSD cards branded to be used with the Nintendo Switch, but those will cost twice as much as the regular microSD cards you can buy right now. You can save money by buying a microSD card that’s not branded by Nintendo, it’ll work just fine in the Nintendo Switch when you get it.

SDHC microSD cards are those from 2GB to 32GB, while SDXC cards are for 32GB up to 2TB. The Nintendo Switch will need to be updated before you can use SDXC cards, but we recommend you pick one of those up since these games are clocking in at such high storage capacities.

The Best microSD cards

I don’t personally recommend buying microSD cards from third-party retailers like eBay, even if they offer better deals. It’s extremely easy to sell fake Chinese counterfeit cards that don’t have half the space they advertise. In order to avoid that, order from a retailer like Amazon, Walmart, or Best Buy where you can return the merchandise if need be.

SanDisk Cards

I have plenty of these I use in smartphones, cameras, and my Nintendo 3DS and they’ve worked perfectly every time. No corruption and easy to use.

Samsung EVO Cards

This is the cheapest I’ve seen the 128GB cards from Amazon for both Samsung EVO and SanDisk, so if you want one of the higher capacity cards, now is the best time to snag one. They usually retail for about $50 or so.

Lexar Cards

Another micro SD card I’ve used personally and can vouch for how well it works. For those of you that remember, this was the card I used in my article detailing how to use a higher capacity card than 32GB on the Nintendo 3DS.

Silicon Power Cards

I personally have no experience with these cards, but there are thousands of Amazon ratings for these cards that seems to indicate they’re just as reliable as SanDisk or Samsung cards. They also offer the best deal on more expensive storage.

PNY Cards

I’ve used a couple of PNY thumb drives and they’ve always been reliable, so there’s no reason their microSD cards should be unreliable. You wouldn’t find the best deals here, but still worthy of consideration.