The officially licensed Samsung microSD Express Card remains the most popular option for Nintendo Switch 2 players who decide to upgrade their storage. The Super Mario-themed card is only available in 256GB, but Switch 2 owners will soon be able to get a Samsung card with 512GB of storage. The Samsung 512GB P9 microSD Express Card is available to preorder at Amazon for $95 (was $100) ahead of its November 4 release. You need to click the coupon box on the store page to get the $5 discount.
This is Samsung’s first microSD Express that isn’t licensed by Nintendo, but it has similar specs. Samsung is also launching a 256GB edition for $55, which is five bucks lower than the official card. The P9 has the lowest MSRP of any 256GB and 512GB microSD Express Cards on Amazon, but both editions cost about $10 more than Walmart’s Onn brand. The Onn 512GB microSD Express is currently going for $84.77, while the 256GB model is only $46.77.
Other popular and high-performing options include the SanDisk 512GB microSD Express for $120 and the Lexar 1TB Play Pro for $200 (was $220). Lexar is the only major storage brand offering microSD Express in 1TB.
Below, we’ve listed every microSD Express Card from a reputable brand we could find on Amazon–though we excluded cards that are a lot pricier than average. The microSD Express market is still quite small, but the Switch 2 is the first major consumer device to use the ultra-fast storage format. The number of options has doubled multiple times over since Nintendo announced the Switch 2 requires microSD Express to expand storage.
Notable microSD Express Cards at Amazon
Notable microSD Express Cards at Walmart
Nintendo Switch 2 storage space can disappear fast
The Nintendo Switch 2 has 256GB of onboard storage. On the surface, this is a big leap forward, since it’s four times larger than the Switch OLED (64GB) and eight times larger than the original Switch and Switch Lite (32GB). But the Switch 2’s ability to run more graphically intensive games also means larger file sizes. For context, here are file sizes for several upcoming Switch 2 games published by Nintendo: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (44.9GB), Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (31.6GB), and Kirby Air Riders (25GB). Other examples of games that are currently out: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (20GB), Mario Kart World (22GB), Pokemon Legends: Z-A (10GB), and Donkey Kong Bananza (8.9GB).
You can save your storage space for those first-party games by grabbing physical editions, because Nintendo-published games have the full game file on the card. For third-party titles, outside of rare exceptions like Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, physical games for Switch 2 are using Game-Key Cards. These are low-capacity cards that essentially serve as unlock keys to download the game from the eShop. So if you buy the physical edition of Madden NFL 26, you’ll still need to download the the game’s 55.3GB file from the eShop. Star Wars Outlaws, meanwhile, requires a 20.9GB download.
A bunch of recently released and upcoming Switch 2 games with Game-Key Card editions also have large file sizes, including Borderlands 4 (48.8GB), Persona 3 Reload (25.4GB), and Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero (25GB). Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is currently expected to have an 87.9GB download on Switch 2, so that game alone will consume an enormous chunk of storage space.
The prevalence of Game-Key Cards and larger file sizes for AAA games in general will likely cause many Switch 2 owners to run out of storage space even faster than they did on the original Switch.
microSD Express: What is it?
The Express format is a recent advancement in the semiconductor industry that hasn’t been widely adopted by manufacturers just yet. If you’re wondering why Express cards seem so expensive compared to the UHS-I cards you used on the original Switch console and most devices, it all comes down to speeds. For example, the SanDisk Ultra 512GB microSD Card has up to 150MB/s read speed, and the SanDisk 512GB Express Card can hit 880MB/s–it’s nearly six times faster. Express cards are markedly faster than SATA SSDs; the prices make more sense with this context.
You can take a closer look at many of the microSD Express Cards from the lists in the gallery below.
$59
- Read: 800MB/s
- Write: 400MB/s
Samsung’s officially licensed model has a Mario red color scheme and M logo. Unsurprisingly, it’s by far the most popular microSD Express Card for Switch 2. Samsung and SanDisk are widely considered the top brands for microSD cards. Since SanDisk’s Nintendo-licensed card isn’t available yet, Samsung is the only “official” option.
At $60, the Samsung microSD Express is far more reasonably priced than the pricey Nintendo-themed SanDisk cards for original Switch.
We’ve included read/write speeds for each card on this list. Read speeds range between 800-900MB/s, but it’s highly unlikely you’d ever notice a difference between Samsung’s 800MB/s read speed and Lexar’s 900MB/s speed.
The Nintendo-licensed Samsung card has the slowest write speed on this list. At face value, this sounds bad, but really it signifies what’s important and what isn’t. If the officially licensed card writes 400MB/s, that likely means the Switch 2 doesn’t benefit from higher speeds.
256GB / 512GB – Releases November 4
- Read: 800MB/s
- Write: 330MB/s
Samsung’s P9 microSD Express Card will be available in 256GB and 512GB capacities November 4. The 512GB model retails for $100, but it is available to preorder for $95 by clicking the coupon box on the store page. The 256GB edition is $5 less than Samsung’s officially licensed card for Switch 2. The P9 matches the official card’s 800MB/s read speed, but the max write speed is 330MB/s, making it a bit slower than the Mario-themed card.
1TB / 512GB / 256GB
- Read: 900MB/s
- Write: 600MB/s
The Lexar Play Pro is the only microSD Express Card from a major brand with a 1TB model, but it’ll typically cost you $200-$220. Earlier this month, Amazon briefly sold the 1TB edition for $158 and the 512GB version for $88.47, but the prices quickly rocketed back up close to MSRP.
Outside of Samsung’s officially licensed card, the Play Pro is the most popular microSD Express on Amazon. Unlike most cards in this roundup, the Play Pro was available before the Switch 2 console launch. If you want to add 1TB to your Switch 2, the Lexar Play Pro is the best option.
512GB / 256GB / 128GB
- 128GB
- Read: 880MB/s
- Write: 480MB/s
- Sustained Write: 100MB/s
- 256GB
- Read: 880MB/s
- Write: 650MB/s
- Sustained Write: 210MB/s
- 512GB
- Read: 880MB/s
- Write: 650MB/s
- Sustained Write: 220MB/s
SanDisk’s microSD Express Card is available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB models. All three capacities offer 880MB/s read speed, but, as shown above, write and sustained write speeds are markedly different when moving from 128GB to 256GB. The 512GB edition is benchmarked for slightly faster sustained write speeds.
At $120, SanDisk’s 512GB model is pricier than a few other solid choices, but if you want to go with the brand with the best track record, this is the 512GB card to pick. The 256GB category is crowded with good choices to strongly recommend paying a premium–especially when the officially licensed Samsung card exists. The 128GB edition is currently sold out, but based on its tech specs and price, we’d avoid it anyway.
SanDisk will be releasing a Nintendo-licensed microSD Express Card with a Mario red color scheme and logo, but a release date still hasn’t been revealed. We do know that the licensed edition is the same card with a different look–just like the SanDisk Gameplay situation.
512GB / 256GB – Walmart Exclusive
- Read: 800MB/s
- Write: 600MB/s
The Walmart-owned tech brand Onn is known for its budget prices, and that remains true with its microSD Express Cards. It was especially true the first few months after the Switch 2’s launch, as Walmart sold the 256GB card for $35.77 and the 512GB model for $65.77.
The prices increased about a month ago, but $46.77 is still the lowest in the 256GB category. Even with a $19 price hike to $84.77, the 512GB Onn card is often cheaper than the competition.
Anecdotally, I’ve been using the 512GB model since launch day and haven’t experienced any issues.
Walmart says the cards are “water, shock, temperature, and magnet proof.” Your purchase includes a one-year limited warranty.
Sold out | Walmart Exclusive
- Read: 880MB/s
- Write: 650MB/s
- Sustained Write: 220MB/s
In addition to offering microSD Express Cards from its own tech brand, Walmart was the only retailer selling the SanDisk Gameplay microSD Express. If you snagged one of these 512GB cards from Walmart while they were being sold for $78, you nabbed quite the deal.
The SanDisk Gameplay is identical to SanDisk’s regular microSD Express from a technical and performance perspective. They were anything but identical when it came to price. The SanDisk Gameplay’s original $78 price was $42 lower than the SanDisk 512GB microSD Express. The latter still sells for $120 today.
But just like it did with its Onn-branded cards, Walmart raised the price to $98 a few months after launch. It’s unclear if Walmart plans on restocking the SanDisk Gameplay, but it hasn’t been available to purchase at all in October.
1TB / 512GB / 256GB
- Read: 800MB/s
- Write: 500MB/s
TeamGroup is a well-regarded budget manufacturer of microSD cards. The Apex is TeamGroup’s first card with Express tech. TeamGroup’s prices are often noticeably lower than competitors, but that’s not the case with the Apex just yet.
512GB / 256GB / 128GB
- Read: 890MB/s
- Write: 550MB/s
Popular budget tech brand PNY has 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB microSD Express Cards.
1TB / 512GB / 256GB
- Read: 800MB/s
- Write: 700MB/s
GameStop sells branded microSD Express Cards, too. It’s unknown which manufacturer makes the card, and there aren’t any customer reviews on GameStop’s store page. It doesn’t make much sense to get the 256GB or 512GB model from GameStop when you can get one from a known brand for the same price or less.
GameStop is one of the few brands offering a 1TB model, and the $190 MSRP is the lowest. Still, if you’re going to spend this much cash on a microSD Express, snagging the Lexar Play Pro 1TB for $200 is the safer bet.
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