How Many Games Can Nintendo Switch Hold? (32 & 64 GB Editions)

Since its release in 2017, the Nintendo Switch has been one of the most successful gaming consoles released by Nintendo because it was a unique type of gaming console that consists of a tablet that can either be docked for use as a home console or be used as a portable device. The Nintendo Switch comes with a 32 GB and 64 GB edition however, with the sizes of games made for the Switch, this space may be considered relatively low. This may lead to you wondering how many games can either the 32 GB or 64 GB Nintendo Switch hold. 

Depending on each game’s size, you’ll at most be able to squeeze 5 – 6 games into the 32 GB console regardless of how much you can optimize the storage space. However, for a 64 GB console, you should be able to squeeze in between 10 – 15 games into the console even after you optimize the storage. 

When your Switch’s memory is full, it may be quite annoying however, there are ways you can optimize your console’s memory by clearing some games you barely play or getting an external drive or a micro SD card to increase the storage. In this piece, I’ll share with you how many games the 32 GB and 64 GB consoles can hold.

How Many Games Can A Nintendo Switch Hold? 

The Nintendo Switch has only about 21 GB of usable space on the 32 GB console and 51 GB of usable space on the 64 GB console hence, the amount of games both consoles can hold differs vastly. With the 32 GB console, you will be able to squeeze in about 5 to 6 games with average spaces on the console while the 64 GB console should allow you to squeeze in between 10 to 15 games on the console’s storage. You’ll also need to optimize your storage to be able to hold these amounts of games. 

In 2017, Nintendo released the 32 GB version of the Nintendo Switch console while proceeding to delay the 64 GB console until 2019. Before the release of the 64 GB console, a lot of users had issues with storage because they could barely download games onto the 32 GB storage resulting in them using external storage devices. In this case, most of the users who got the 32 GB console had to use the micro SD card to increase the storage of the console. 

For instance, after purchase, users will also get a 64 GB or 128 GB micro SD card for the game since the storage can be expanded to up to 1 TB storage using external storage devices. 

This made it easier for users to be able to install large game files on the console while still using the 32 GB internal storage of the console. While a lot of users indulged in getting the 32 GB storage console and expanding the storage with an external storage device, others instead purchased physical games instead of digital ones that may require so much space to use on the console. 

How Many Games Can A 32 GB Nintendo Switch Hold?

If you’re looking to purchase the 32 GB Nintendo Switch, the number of games you’ll be able to hold on the console’s internal storage ranges between 5 to 6 games. 

Although it’s publicized that the console has a 32 GB storage capacity, the usable storage capacity on the console is just 21 GB due to the operating system on the console which uses up about 11 GB of the internal storage to run and operate the console’s internal functions. With about 21 GB of storage left on your console, you’ll be able to fully install 5 to 6 games on your internal storage even after optimizing the storage. 

If you’re installing games like “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” which takes up over 13 GB of space, you may not be able to install more than 2 other games on the internal storage because you’ll have less than 8 GB of internal storage left to use. 

However, if you’re installing games that hold about 5 GB of internal storage, you will be able to install about 4 to 6 games. Other games do not take up a lot of space, for instance, Puyo Puyo Tetris takes up about 1.09 GB of storage which isn’t a lot of space and can allow you to install other games.

Overall, the amount of games that the 32 GB storage console will be able to hold depends on the size of games you install on the console. You should keep in mind that the more you install games and occupy your internal storage, the slower your console may get because of the space being occupied on the console. This is why some gamers shuffle between physical games and digital games to be able to optimize the space on the console. 

As a gamer, you can choose to purchase physical versions of games that may occupy a lot of space on your console’s internal storage. For instance, a physical copy of games like “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” can be purchased to avoid you using up almost 14 GB of your game’s storage. 

This way, your console will be able to process inputs at its proper speed and playing games on the console won’t be slow because there’s abundant space on your console and the inputs can be processed properly. 

How Many Games Can A 64 GB Nintendo Switch Console Hold?

Due to the space constraint experienced by users who got the 32 GB console back in 2017 when it was first released, Nintendo decided to improve on this, leading them to release the 64 GB version of the console. Now with the 64 GB, users can store more games and have enough space to hold their favorite games irrespective of their sizes. 

With the 64 GB console, your console will be able to hold about 10 to 15 games as long as you make sure to optimize your internal storage and not install high-storage games like “Dragon Quest Heroes II” which takes up about 32 GB of your storage. 

The 64 GB Nintendo Switch gives users the ability to install high-storage games on their consoles without bothering about storage. With the 64 GB console, you’ll be able to install games like “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” which takes up about 13.4 GB of space, and also be able to install other average-storage games and low-storage games without the internal storage being filled up immediately. 

Although the storage usage and amount of games the 64 GB console will be able to hold is highly dependent on the sizes of the games installed, you should still be able to squeeze in about 10 games into the console. 

However, if you optimize your console’s storage and you’re not installing high-storage games, you’ll be able to install even over 15 games to your console before the space gets filled. 

Usually, most gamers prefer to play physical games over digital games but if you prefer your games to be installed directly to your Nintendo Switch, it’s advisable to get the 64 GB console as it allows you to install more games to your console without worrying about the cons that come with playing physical games. 

While the 64 GB allows you to install 10 to 15 games directly to your console, the top games out there are high-storage games that may easily use up the 64 GB storage in an instant. To avoid this, gamers who use the Nintendo Switch console get a micro SD card with higher storage capacity to be able to play high-storage games and also enjoy their Nintendo Switch. 

This also helps the console to operate faster and prevents it from hanging due to the games installed and the storage capacity almost being used up. 

Keep in mind that when your console’s internal storage is full, you will need to move some of your games to an external storage or a micro SD card or even delete some games to free up the space. 

If you don’t want to lose your games and the progress you’ve had in them, you can move the games to a micro SD card after you’ve got one; however, you need to make sure that the SD card has enough space to hold your games. If you’re looking to store more games on your console, it’s advisable to get a 128 GB SD card storage, or to be on the safer side, get a 1 TB SD card. 

What Size Of SD Card Should You Get? 

If you’re using a 32 GB Nintendo Switch, the best choice of SD Card for you to get is at least 128 GB just like the Gigastone High-Speed Micro SD which you can get on Amazon or any tech Ecom store. With this SD card size, you’ll have enough storage to hold a few more games that takes up different amounts of storage. This usually helps when if you’re one of those gamers that don’t buy physical games and will rather prefer digital ones. 

With enough space on your console, you’ll be able to hold and play a lot of your favorite games without bothering about your console’s internal storage running out while downloading your favorite games. 

If you get SD cards with a smaller amount of storage, you’ll need to constantly delete, archive, and reinstall games you barely play to free up space on your device. However, if you have abundant space on your device, you’ll be able to install and keep the games you barely play without worrying about downloading and reinstalling the games whenever you want to play. 

Deleting, reinstalling, and archiving can be a very tedious process especially if you like to go back to a particular game after missing it in a while. Gamers who use plenty of physical games in addition to their internal storage instead of digital ones can get away with using a 64 GB card or a 128 GB card. 

However, if you plan to use a small number of physical cartridges, you can also try out the 64 GB card since it’ll be used with your 32 or 64 GB Nintendo Switch internal storage. 

On the other hand, if you’re one of those gamers that buys a lot of games and doesn’t plan to use the cartridges, then you may want to use a bigger card. In this case, you can try the 128 GB or the 256 GB card which provides abundant space to allow you to store multiple games on your console. 

With this size, you won’t have to go through the stress of uninstalling and then reinstalling any of your favorite games since you’ll be able to hold all of those games in your storage. 

If you also play games a lot and use multiple games, you’ll need to increase your storage capacity because your console requires enough storage to process all of the games that you play and run on the game.

When you hold a lot of games on your Nintendo Switch and you play them frequently, the processing speed will deteriorate due to caches stored in your store which may lead to your console becoming slow with time. To avoid this you’ll need to constantly clear the cache in your storage or purchase a higher space SD card like the 512 GB SD card which you can get on Amazon.

If you’re ever in a situation where you need multiple SD Cards for your game, you’ll need to use a computer to move the game files from one SD card to another. This process may not be an easy one depending on the number of files you’ll have to transfer from the first SD card to the other however, it’s a process that can be done. For a better experience and to avoid the back and forth, it makes more sense to get a card with a lot more space so you can keep all of your game files in one place.