How Many Games Can a Nintendo Switch Hold? A Complete Guide!

Do you know how many games can a Nintendo Switch hold? Before you decide on purchasing a Nintendo Switch, read this guide first!

I will be giving you details that wouldn’t drown you with all the technical information like all other guides out there.

The number of games your Nintendo Switch can hold will depend on the storage and the size of the games you’ll download and install. A Switch with 32 GB storage can hold 5 to 7 games, while those that have 64 GB of storage can hold anywhere between 9 and 15 games.

What Determines the Number of Games Your Switch Can Hold?

Prior to discussing the number, it’s important to note and understand how a Nintendo Switch holds and stores games. 

So, let me give you two of the most important factors: storage and game size.

Understanding the Storage Capacity of Your Nintendo Switch

The storage capacity of your Nintendo Switch, of course, is the determiner of how much data your device can hold.

This includes games and game progress (saves), images, videos, and other file types compatible with your Nintendo Switch.

The internal memory of the Nintendo Switch can either be 32 GB or 64 GB. However, you have the option to install or add a microSD chip or card to expand its overall memory or capacity.

NOTE: By default, all games and game saves will be stored under the internal memory. If you want to transfer data from the internal storage to the microSD card, you need to do it manually. 

I’ll get to the part about how you can do that later.

Understanding Different Game Sizes

How many games can a Nintendo Switch hold in its internal memory? To know this, you’ll need to understand different game sizes and requirements.

Being someone born before the era of digital games, I had a little-to-no idea about the sizes of these games.

I thought what I had was more than enough – at least that’s what people around me told me.

In theory, you can fit anywhere between 1 and 200 games inside your Nintendo Switch’s internal storage, given that the games are less than 1 GB.

However, as time progressed, the quality and space or storage requirement of these games and programs increased, too.

To help, let me give you an idea of some of the most popular games and sizes with their storage requirements.

• APEX Legends – 24.8 GB
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 6.7 GB
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – 31.5 GB
• Attack On Titan 2: The Final Battle – 17.8 GB

NOTE: When you purchase your Nintendo Switch, all the built-in software, as well as the operating system already consumes or takes up 11 GB of space or storage.

Having both these factors in mind, it will now be easy for you to understand how many games you can fit into your Nintendo Switch’s internal storage.

Having about 21 GB of storage left when you purchase your Nintendo Switch, how many games would still fit?

You might be surprised, but it’s always better that you know it truthfully, so you don’t get disappointed.

Without a microSD card, you’ll be able to squeeze in 5 to 7 games in your 32 GB Nintendo Switch console.

If you have a 64 GB Nintendo Switch, however, you can work between 9 and 15 games.

From 32, all built-in software sums up to around 11 GB, right? So, if that’s the case, I’m left with 20+ more GB of storage… Why am I only limited to 5 to 7 games?

Storage of Other Media

Unless you’re using your Nintendo Switch purely for gaming, you can see and extend it to up to 8, even 9 games (considering that they’re all under 10 GB).

What I mean by this is that there are other forms of media and files present that consume storage, too.

These include:

• Images and Photos
• Screenshots
• Downloaded Files
• Videos
• GIFs

OS Updates and Game Saves

Nintendo developers never stop improving their software. And so, that results in the constant need to update the software – and yes, that consumes space, too.

The changes might not be as big and drastic, but it’s still space – it’s still storage.

Not to mention the saves and overwrites you do on every milestone you hit in the game, that takes up space, too!

Now, tracing it a few inches back, you might be wondering, why there’s a mention of a microSD card.

Is it possible to attach and install an SD card into the console?

Using a MicroSD Card Instead of the Internal Storage

Yes, definitely.

In fact, many people automatically purchase a microSD card when they get their hands on their new console.

This is because of the fact that they know how little and fragile the internal storage of a Nintendo Switch is.

Depending on your usage, you can purchase a microSD card to supplement your Switch’s internal memory.

TIP: You can install a microSD card that can go up to 2 TB in size. One tip I can give you if you’ll already make use of a microSD card is to maximize and use 2, even 1 TB for it.

Can You Transfer Games and Files From Your Internal Storage to microSD?

The big question still remains: is it possible to transfer and move games, or any other types of files to your microSD chip or card from your internal storage?

The quick and easy answer is yes, you can!

Transferring your games and game saves from your storage to your microSD card is actually a recommendation by experts as it can clear your internal storage, maximizing its speed and efficiency.

Moving games and files from your internal storage to your microSD chip or card include:

• You’ll have more space for games and other files
• It gives you fast loading and buffering speeds
• It’s portable – you can load your saved game from another Switch
• Your storage consumption will greatly be reduced

How to Transfer Files From Internal Storage to microSD?

Here is the process of moving or transferring your games and files from your Nintendo Switch’s internal storage to the microSD card extension:

1. Turn your Nintendo Switch on.
2. On the home screen, select System Settings.
3. From there, tap on Settings Menu > Data Management.
4. Then, select Move Data Between Console/microSD Card.
5. Choose the games and files you want to move > Move Data.
6. Wait for a few seconds to a minute as this is the standard timeframe for moving.

If you ever find your internal storage full of data that you’re unable to download and install new apps, programs, games, or even media anymore, move the files from your internal storage to your microSD!

Your Nintendo Switch can hold between 5 and 7 games (for 32 GB), and up to 15 games (64 GB) even if you don’t have a microSD installed or added.

Bottom Line

The key factor in understanding this more would be the size of the games, knowing how many games can a Nintendo Switch hold is not something that will be similar across all Nintendo Switches.

You’ll find devices that have more than 20 games, while those that only have 2 to 3 games.

The number of files or the amount of data will depend on what you play, what programs are available, and what you regularly use.