Nintendo Switch Game Sizes Revealed, Zelda Breath Of The Wild Tops 13GB

Nintendo refuses to engage in a spec war with Microsoft or Sony in the console arena. Otherwise, we would expect the company's upcoming hybrid Switch console to deliver more than just 32GB of internal storage. That's not much, though the good news for gamers is that the Switch's storage is expandable via microSD. A good thing too, because fans of digital media will find themselves short on space after installing a handful of games.

Each Switch console has a total of 32GB of storage. After accounting for the OS, users are left with less than 26GB for local content, such as downloadable games. For anyone wondering how many digital titles will fit, Nintendo updated its website in Japan with the download sizes of several launch titles. One of them specifically mentions needing a microSD card, as the built-in storage isn't enough.


Here's a look:

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 13.4GB
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 7GB
• Snipperclips: Cut it Out, Together! - 1.6GB
• Disagaea 5 - 5.92GB
• Puyo Puyo Tetris - 1.09GB
• I Am Setsuna - 1.4GB
• Dragon Quest Heroes I-II - 32GB
• Nobunaga's Ambition - 5GB

Installing just the first four games requires nearly 28GB of storage space, or about 1GB more than the Switch provides. And Dragon's Quest Heroes I-II alone consumes more than the built-in storage has room for. All tallied, the above games collectively take up 67.41GB of storage, or more than two times the storage available to users.

What this means is that you'll probably want to invest in a carrying case for game cartridges rather than go the digital route. Games for the Nintendo Switch do not require installation—it's not clear if they take up small chunks of local storage for housekeeping chores, but even they do, it would be a nominal portion.


The other point of interest here is whether the Switch will play nice with the majority of microSD cards out there. It was revealed last month that Nintendo partnered with Hori to sell branded microSD cards for the hybrid console. The listings we saw at the time had inflated price tags compared to the competition.