Nintendo Switch Digital Game File Sizes
Probably the most annoying aspect of this generation of gaming on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One is that games bought at retail on disc still have to install every single piece of data on the hard drive. Previous consoles would just install small data packs on the hard drive, which would take up a fraction of the space required by the full game. Since game sizes have ballooned out of control on those systems, it’s not uncommon for the base game to come in at 30 GB or higher and then for there to be patches and add-ons that push the games even higher (over 100 GB in the case of the new Call of Duty).
The Nintendo Switch thankfully avoids this problem by running games directly off of the cartridge (Game Card), with no need to install beefy files to the internal memory. That’s a great thing for those keeping their gaming collections with physical media. However, if you’re planning on going all digital with the Switch, the system’s internal 32 GB of storage won’t cut it for long. Here are the official game sizes on Nintendo of Japan’s site, from smallest to largest:
- Puyo Puyo Tetris (1.09 GB)
- I Am Setusna (1.4 GB)
- Snipperclips (1.6 GB)
- Super Bomberman R (4 GB)
- Nobunaga’s Ambition (5 GB)
- Disgaea 5 Complete (5.92 GB)
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (7 GB)
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (13.4 GB)
- Dragon Quest Heroes I & II (32 GB)
Right off the bat for those wanting to play Dragon Quest Heroes I & II digitally, a micro SD card will be required as the space needed exceeds the available internal storage (the OS takes up some of that 32 GB). Keep in mind that the storage required could vary for North American versions of the games as the file sizes are often slightly different due to localization.
The Nintendo Switch will support up to 2 TB of storage space via micro SD cards, although that size isn’t yet available. If you do plan on staying mostly digital on the system, you might want to look into getting a 200 GB card at Amazon. It’s been hovering around $70 for the past month or so, and I bought one even though I’m sticking with Game Cards for the most part. I figured there will be instances where I can only download a game or perhaps I’ll want to digitally import a few and of course there’s Virtual Console stuff that’s sure to come out. At that price I couldn’t pass up the extra beefy storage space.
For additional accessories be sure to stop by our Accessory Buyer’s Guide. It has a ton of different options for your new Switch!
[Source: Nintendo]
Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.
