Storage is always an issue with new game consoles, especially when they require new, hard-to-find storage formats. That’s the case with the Nintendo Switch 2. Any old microSD card you used for the original Switch will not work on Switch 2. It requires the new, faster microSD Express card format. These are new to the market, and the Switch 2 stressed the global supply of the tiny cards. But now, after being unavailable for most of the time the Switch 2 has been available, the 1TB Lexar microSD Express card is back in stock at Amazon. It’s not cheap at $219.99, but that’s the going rate for big microSD Express cards at the moment.
1TB Lexar microSD Express Card Is Currently Available
Note: the shipping time is a bit delayed for this item, and it has slipped by one day since I started writing this article. That indicates stock may be running low, so it could go out of stock again.
A Switch 2 console comes with just 256GB of storage space, but many games are big enough to fill that up pretty fast. While Nintendo’s first-party games don’t tend to take up too much space — Mario Kart World is 22 GB, while Donkey Kong Bananza is only 9 GB — third-party games can get much bigger. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition is 60 GB and Split Fiction is 69 GB.
So it’s nice that if you want to add a large amount of storage to your Switch 2, you can finally do so. A 1TB microSD Express card offers a ton of storage space, though I really wish it were less expensive. The price will likely come down over time, just like the price of standard microSD cards did during the original Switch’s lifetime. But if you want a hefty microSD Express card now, you’ll have to open the old pocketbook pretty wide.
Which is unfortunate, because storage is especially important on the Switch 2. That’s because, even games you buy in physical format might not actually be on the cartridge. Many physical Switch 2 games are actually “game-key cards.” These are physical carts you have to put in your Switch 2, but they only contain a key that lets you download and play a digital copy of the game. Some other physical Switch 2 game boxes only come with a code for you to download the game. It’s sort of confusing, though on every physical game box that doesn’t include the full game on the cart, Nintendo plasters a large explanation for what actually comes in the box.
For more info, check out our picks for the best microSD cards for Switch 2 (the Lexar one above is our first pick).
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.
