Nintendo Switch 2 Cartridges May Soon Get More Size Options

The Nintendo Switch 2 games use game cartridges, which are small cards that store the data of any game and can be played without any internet connection when inserted.

These cartridges are similar to the original Switch's cards, but they are now updated to a new red color and are specifically designed for the newer system.

Current Maximum Cartridge Capacity: 64 GB

Currently, Nintendo Switch 2 offers developers only one cartridge size for physical Switch 2 games: 64 GB. This is the maximum amount of data that can fit onto a single game card.

While 64 GB may be enough for many games, it is not sufficient for large, heavy graphics, high-resolution, cinematic games.

Developers are supposed to work within these limits, which can mean compressing the game files, reducing the video quality, or splitting content into multiple downloads.

Why Game-Key Cards Became Popular

To find something to overcome the limitation of a cartridge, Nintendo introduced something called Game Key Cards. Unlike the regular cartridge, these cards do not store the game itself.

They contain a code that lets you download the game onto your console's internal storage or a high-speed microSD Express card. This way, developers are not restricted by the 64 GB limit, and they can release bigger games digitally while still selling something physical in stores.

New Cartridge Sizes Could be Coming Soon

Macronix, the company that manufactures Nintendo's game cards, has hinted that there might be talks about more cartridge sizes that could be introduced soon.

Nintendo could start providing smaller sizes like 16 GB or 32 GB instead of offering only one large size, 64 GB. This can help indie developers save money, since they would not have to pay for costly high-capacity cards if their games do not need that much space, thus not letting the unused space go to waste.

Conclusion

For gamers, this creates better options in the future, whether you want to buy physical games that install directly or download them in an easy way. Smaller cartridges could also help with low prices and reduce wasted storage space.

For developers, especially smaller studios and indie developers, having that choice means that they can maintain their costs and decide whether to use full data carts or rely on game-key options.