Check the game-key card’s packaging for its required free-space figure, or look up the game’s digital listing in the Nintendo Store or Nintendo eShop. Then compare that amount with the free space shown in your Switch 2’s Data Management settings. A game-key card is a download key, not a copy of the full game, so you need enough storage and an internet connection to download the software.
What a game-key card includes
A Nintendo Switch 2 game-key card does not contain the full game data. It provides the key used to download the game to your console. Nintendo explains this in its Game-Key Card Overview.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Samsung microSD Express Card – 256GB for Nintendo Switch™ 2 | $59.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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SANDISK 512GB microSD Express Card | Works with Nintendo-Switch 2, Up to 880MB/s Read Speeds, Up to... | $129.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Minecraft - Nintendo Switch | $29.82 | Buy on Amazon |
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Find the game’s required free space
Check the card packaging
Look for the required free-space amount on the game-key card packaging. Nintendo says the amount is indicated there.
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If you do not have the package, find the same game in the Nintendo Store or Nintendo eShop and check its listed required free space. The figure is specific to the game; there is no single download-size estimate that applies to all game-key cards.
#1 Best Overall
- Nintendo Switch 2 uses a new standard of expandable memory card called microSD Express (sold separately). This kind of memory card is needed for faster access speeds and to ensure games will run smoothly.
- Please note: Nintendo Switch 2 is only compatible with microSD Express cards. If the microSD cards you have used for Nintendo Switch do not support microSD Express standards, you cannot use them with Nintendo Switch 2.
Compare the requirement with your available storage
On the console, open System Settings > Data Management to check storage information and available space. Use the free-space figure shown there rather than assuming the full advertised capacity is available for games. Nintendo Switch 2 has 256 GB of internal storage, but some of it is reserved for system use. Nintendo’s Data Management support page explains how to manage and check storage.
If the game’s stated requirement exceeds the available space, you will need to make room or use compatible additional storage. Switch 2 software can be stored in system memory or on a microSD Express card. Ordinary microSD cards cannot be used to store Nintendo Switch 2 software; check Nintendo’s microSD Express Cards FAQ before buying a card. An additional card is not necessary for every game—first compare the game’s requirement with your current free space.
Rank #2
- NEXT GEN GAMING: Works with Nintendo Switch 2.
- READY FOR TOMORROW. Ready for future products with a PCIe-NVMe interface; performs at UHS-I speeds with microSD UHS-I and UHS-II devices.
- EXPONENTIALLY FASTER PERFORMANCE. Up to 4.4 times faster transfer speeds than our fastest microSD UHS-I cards [9]. Transfer a 2-hour HD movie in less than 3.5 seconds [1]; save up to 2.8 minutes transferring 60 minutes of 4K UHD video [4] shot at 30 fps when paired with the SanDisk PRO-READER SD Express Dual Card (sold separately) [9]
- DURABILITY YOU CAN COUNT ON: Cards are waterproof, temperature-proof, humidity-proof, drop-proof, shock-proof, magnetic-proof, x-ray proof, and wear-out proof [5].
- HEAT MANAGEMENT REIMAGINED. SanDisk ThermAdapt helps keep devices from overheating with a specially designed enclosure and controller that uses dynamic adaptive thermal management.
Know when the game-key card is needed
You need an internet connection to download the game and to launch it for the first time. After that, Nintendo says the downloaded game can be started without an internet connection, but the game-key card must be inserted to play. The card is therefore still needed even though the game data is stored on the console or microSD Express card.
Quick Recap
Rank #3
- Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures
- Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs
- Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
- Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack; Compatible with Nintendo Switch only
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