The best microSD cards for the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026
Expanding your Switch 2's storage is a bit simpler than you might think.
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If your Nintendo Switch 2 is running out of storage space, it's probably time to buy a microSD Express card. This is a new class of storage device that's both faster and, most of the time, more expensive than the typical microSD cards you may have bought over the years. But if you don't want to be forced into deleting and redownloading games, they're your only choice.
Which one should you buy, though? I've researched the market and tested a number of top contenders to find the best microSD Express cards for the Nintendo Switch 2 right now. In general, the answer is a bit simpler than you might think. You can find a full breakdown below.
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Best microSD Express cards for the Switch 2
The reality with the Switch 2 is that any microSD Express card should work well enough most of the time. Usually, your best bet is to buy whichever one you can find in stock, at a manageable price, in the capacity you want.
Unfortunately, this is becoming increasingly difficult. Most microSD Express cards — and most storage devices in general — have dramatically increased in price since we first published this guide in March 2026, thanks mostly to the ongoing AI boom and a subsequent global shortage of NAND flash . All signs suggest that this crisis won't improve anytime soon either. So when I give recommendations below, be aware that you could very well be better off grabbing a different microSD Express card if it happens to be more affordable at the time.
Nevertheless, if I had to pick one card to recommend broadly as of our latest update, I'd go with the 512GB version of the PNY microSD Express Flash Memory Card. The card itself is neither the absolute fastest model I've tested nor the most affordable, but it sat at or near the top in most of our benchmarks and comes from a known brand. It's also backed by a lifetime limited warranty, plus it's easy to buy at multiple reputable retailers as of this writing, which isn't a given in today's storage market. It's one of the handful of Express cards available with a 1TB capacity as well, alongside the usual 256GB and 512GB, though that largest model now costs a whopping $372 after multiple price hikes. (It retailed for $200 as recently as March, to give you an idea of how rapidly prices are rising.)
Most importantly, it's not as expensive right now as most of its peers. The 512GB version, for one, retails for $120 as of this writing and has occasionally gone on sale for $100. That's not cheap by any means, and we'd expect it to rise at some point in the future as the global memory shortage persists. But it's still less than 512GB alternatives from Lexar , Samsung , SanDisk and GameStop , all of which cost between $130 and $200 at the moment. Given that the performance of these cards isn't drastically different within Switch 2 games (more on this below), it's just not worth paying extra.
There is one caveat worth noting. While this PNY card was the fastest model I tested when it came to moving games to the Switch 2's internal storage — it averaged 3 minutes and 40 seconds to transfer Mario Kart World , for example,and 10:34 to move Cyberpunk 2077 — it was also the slowest option for the inverse. Writing Mario Kart from system storage to the PNY card took 7:11; with a competing option like the Lexar Play Pro, that only took 4:33. Likewise, Cyberpunk took 21:21 with the PNY card but only 13:30 with the Lexar one. So the sustained write speeds aren't ideal.
Still, once everything was stored, any difference in launch times and in-game loads was virtually unnoticeable. That's generally more important for day-to-day use, since most people will only move a given game on and off their microSD card every once in a while. So while PNY's card isn't perfect, I'd still take it over other options as long as it's more affordable. If and when it's priced similarly to its peers, feel free to get another model instead.
- Priced lower than most other microSD Express cards (for now)
- Ranked near the top in most benchmark tests
- Available up to 1TB
- Lifetime limited warranty
- Slowest model we've tested for moving large games to the card, which suggests middling sustained write speeds
If you just want to pay as little as possible, the microSD Express Card from Walmart's in-house electronics brand Onn is also worth a look. It's significantly less expensive than most other Express cards, with the 512GB model a particularly strong value at $85 as of this writing. That's a good way cheaper than PNY's card and other budget-minded models from Samsung and GameStop.
We hesitate to make the Onn our top overall pick for a couple of reasons. First, it's technically a bit slower than the PNY model and most of the other cards we've tested. The drop-off typically isn't significant, but you can lose a few seconds here and there with some demanding loads compared to a card like our top pick. It also took about two minutes longer to move Cyberpunk to and from the Switch 2's internal storage.
The other potential issue is that this is a rebranded card from a separate manufacturer. It's reportedly made by Longsys, the parent company of Lexar, so it should be reliable in the long term. But there's always an inkling of doubt when buying binned or "reject" models like this, and Walmart only gives the card a one-year warranty. This is largely speculation, to be clear — I've used the Onn card for months without any major issues, and there haven't been widespread reports of failure since it was released last year — but it's enough to keep us from giving a full-throated recommendation.
- Most affordable microSD Express card we've tested
- Quick enough performance within Switch 2 games
- Rebadged model with only a one-year warranty
- A bit slower than most other options, especially when transferring games
The Lexar Play Pro is more expensive than the PNY card highlighted above, but it's still well worth considering if that ever changes. It's available in capacities up to 1TB, it comes from a reputable brand and, as noted above, it topped or effectively equaled PNY's model across our benchmarks. It was quicker than just about every option other than the PNY at moving games to the card itself, suggesting that its sequential read speeds are strong.
- Fast
- Lifetime limited warranty
- Available up to 1TB
- There are more affordable options
The main thing to know about microSD Express cards and the Nintendo Switch 2
As I alluded to above, every card I've tested performs well enough on the Switch 2 — the truth is, you can't really go wrong no matter which one you pick. I've put seven cards through a range of benchmark tests, and while the results haven't been entirely identical, any performance gap within actual Switch 2 games has usually been difficult to notice.
All seven cards took between 18 and 20 seconds to load Mario Kart World , for instance. Each then took six or seven ( ugh ) seconds to load that game's first Grand Prix race. For Cyberpunk 2077 , one of the console's most technically demanding games, each took 38 or 39 seconds to reach the start screen.
For the Switch 2 upgrade of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (using a Switch 1 cartridge), each model needed just over six seconds to load to the start screen, 19 to 20 seconds to load a save just before the final boss fight, about 16 seconds to fast travel between two common areas and so on. With Fast Fusion , a smaller racing game, all of the cards took six or seven seconds to complete the initial load, then about four seconds to load the first championship race after selecting it from the main menus.
There are two instances where you might feel a speed difference, however. One is certain in-game loads with especially taxing games like Cyberpunk . A few of the tests I ran there involved loading into a particularly asset-heavy area — for those, the difference between the absolute fastest performers (from SanDisk and PNY ) and the slowest ( Walmart's Onn card ) was about five to six seconds on average. The latter was still far from unusable, and it fell within a second of its peers in most of our other benchmarks. But the difference between these things isn't always negligible if you push them hard enough.
The second, and more obvious to the naked eye, involves downloading full games onto a card or transferring them from the card to the Switch 2's internal storage. This can stress each model's sustained write and read speeds and it's where I saw the most varied results in testing. That said, you probably won't spend a ton of time moving games between storage locations on your Switch.
One other thing to note: No microSD Express card has been quite as fast as the Switch 2's built-in storage. If you want the absolute best performance from a given game, I recommend downloading it directly to the console.
The most important thing here is getting lots of space to hold games at a price you can live with. So again, while I have a couple of blanket recommendations, you should feel free to buy a different card from a reputable brand if you see it for a lower price in the size you want.
Other microSD Express cards I've tested
The SanDisk microSD Express Card is up there with the Lexar and PNY models in terms of raw speed, but it's more expensive than the latter as of this writing.
SanDisk has a newer card that's officially licensed for the Switch 2 as well, but it's essentially the same non-branded version, and it costs $200 for 512GB, so it too is pricier than my pick from PNY for now. It does come with a cute Fire Flower logo, though.
The Samsung microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2 is a solid card that I've seen on sale a few times, but it's only available in a 256GB capacity.
The GameStop Express microSD Card for Nintendo Switch 2 is a fine budget model, though there isn't much reason to grab it over the usually-cheaper Onn unless you see it for the same price, or if Walmart's card is unavailable. It does have the most affordable 1TB model I could find in stock as of our latest update, though it's another rebadged model, and that largest version is still expensive at $300.
The Samsung P9 Express was another budget-minded option, but it's since risen to $80 for a 256GB model and $200 for 512GB, both of which are pricey even in today's massively inflated market.
We aim to test a few more microSD Express cards from TeamGroup , ADATA , Next and others for a future update.
How I test microSD Express cards on the Switch 2
I put each microSD Express card through a series of tests that are meant to simulate how someone might use a card on the Switch 2 in the real world. I mostly tested with four games: Mario Kart World , a mid-sized file (21.9GB); Cyberpunk 2077 , a large one (60.5GB); Fast Fusion , a smaller title (3.8GB); and the Switch 2 version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , a "hybrid" that I ran off its original Switch cartridge but uses a 10GB digital upgrade pack.
From there, I timed how long it took to move each game from the console's internal storage to the card and vice versa, how long it took to load each game when installed and how quickly the cards could load various in-game scenarios. These included the first Grand Prix race in Mario Kart , the first championship race in Fast Fusion and fast traveling between various asset-heavy areas in both Cyberpunk and Zelda . In the latter two, I also timed how long it took to load different save files in those more taxing locales.
I completed three to five runs for each test, then used the average time between them. I did each test in airplane mode to minimize any performance drops from background downloads. I also used each card casually with different games for at least an hour, just to ensure there were no major performance drops with everyday use.
I didn't spend much time running each card through traditional benchmark tests on a PC; the Switch 2 is the only major device that actually supports the microSD Express standard right now, so there's no real reason to buy any of these cards for anything else.
MicroSD Express card FAQs
You can distinguish a microSD Express card from a traditional model by looking for an "EX" logo on its front.
What is microSD Express?
It's a relatively new standard for microSD cards that supports faster transfer rates. Most traditional microSD cards have used a standard called UHS-I, which supports a theoretical maximum transfer speed of 104 megabytes per second (MB/s). (Some UHS-I cards can go higher with proprietary card readers, and there are other versions of UHS, but I'm keeping things simple here.) UHS-I is the standard supported by most devices with a microSD slot, including the original Switch, and it's long been enough for most needs.
The Switch 2 is a more modern gaming handheld that wants to run graphically demanding games, however, so it needs better performance from any external storage solution. MicroSD Express cards provide that: They tap into the same underlying tech used by solid state drives (SSDs) — the kind of faster storage used by laptops, desktop PCs and other game consoles like the PlayStation 5 — and thus can provide significantly quicker transfer rates, with a theoretical maximum of 985 MB/s.
These cards are never that fast in reality, and they still fall well short of normal SSDs, but they're a marked improvement over standard microSD cards and enough to meet the console's power demands. By using microSD Express, you're able to add more storage to the Switch 2 without sacrificing much in the way of load times and overall performance.
How do I know if I have a microSD Express card?
Look for a little "EX" logo on the card's front. Remember that you want the microSD Express standard, not "Extreme," which a branding SanDisk has used for some older cards .
Does the Switch 2 support normal microSD cards?
For the most part, no. You can use a traditional UHS-I microSD card to view screenshots and videos from your Switch 1, but that's it. For everything else, you need an Express card.
Are microSD Express cards backwards compatible with the original Switch?
You can technically insert a microSD Express card into a Switch 1, or any other standard microSD reader, but it'll revert to slower UHS-I speeds. So you'd be neutering any advantage it has over a normal microSD card in those scenarios. A general rule of thumb: Any microSD card is only as fast as the slowest link in the chain — if a host device doesn't support a given speed standard, you won't be able to utilize it to its fullest extent.
Do microSD Express cards cost more than normal microSD cards?
Normally, yes. It's a newer, faster technology for a smaller overall market. That said, with the AI boom driving storage and memory prices through the roof in recent months, it's not impossible to find some older microSD cards retail around the same price as an Express model, if not higher.
Storage manufacturers like Micron and Samsung are generally prioritizing the demands of data centers and other high-profit, AI-minded enterprise customers over ordinary consumers. This has led to a chip shortage for consumer products like microSD cards and made pricing extremely volatile for anything reliant on NAND flash memory. Exactly all of this will subside is anyone's guess, but it could take years.
What's the most space I can get from a microSD Express card right now?
Nintendo says the Switch 2 can technically support Express cards up to 2TB, but the most spacious models I've seen in the wild as of this writing are 1TB.
