This is why I'm keeping a watchful eye on Switch 2 SD card deals this Black Friday

The Nintendo Switch 2 is only compatible with the best microSD Express cards, so if you want more storage, you're gonna eventually have to bite the bullet and grab a whole new SD card.

The problem lies in the price of these new cards, as you're looking at a minimum of $59 for just an extra 256GB, which only doubles the base storage on your handheld. It only gets pricier from there, as you're looking at around the $200 price point if you want 1TB and higher capacity cards.

Discounts on these SD cards do exist, but the savings haven't been anything to write home about, which is I'm keeping an extra watch on them when the Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals drop, and so should you.

MicroSD Express cards have existed before the Switch 2 launched on June 5, 2025, but the tech is still relatively new, which is why it doesn't come cheap. Unlike older Switch SD cards, these new bits of storage are built using integrated PCI Express NVMe interfaces, similar to those of the best SSDs for gaming you can pop into your desktop PC or PS5.

Out of all the Switch 2 compatible cards available today, it's the officially licensed SanDisk and Samsung 256GB microSD Express cards are the cards in particular I'm hoping to see some record-low deals on, and that I recommend you add to your wishlists ahead of time. These launched for $59.99, and provide fast transfer speeds without adding an extra cost for their cute Super Mario aesthetic.

Through my own testing, the Samsung Switch 2 card was able to move the 21.9GB-sized Mario Kart World in 5 minutes and 15 seconds to my handheld's system memory. Additionally, it only took 1 minute 44 seconds to transfer the smaller 7.3GB Super Mario Party Jamboree Switch 2 Edition. Any Black Friday discounts on either card would make them easier to recommend than ever.

Of course, you can always grab the plain cards instead, but the 256GB SanDisk model retails for $67.99 at Amazon right now, which is $20 more than the cute red Super Mario version. Any discounts and savings on that card likely won't make it cheaper than the official Nintendo model once the November savings roll around.

Ideally, it's the 1TB models where I want to see the biggest price drops. The Lexar 1TB Play Pro microSD Express card retails for $219.99 at Amazon, which is not cheap. To put its price into perspective, that's almost half the price of the $449 Switch 2 handheld itself. It has dropped to $157.96 over the year, so it's very likely that it could happen again over Black Friday.

Of course, you don't have to grab any of these pricier cards at all if you don't have a use for them quite yet. The lineup of Switch 2 games is still pretty small, and so 256GB should be plenty if you don't want to store your old and new Switch game library in one place. You can still use older SD cards to take and transfer screenshots, so keeping your older cards until you're ready is a valid (and far cheaper) alternative, no matter if it's Black Friday or not. Personally, I like to keep my devices futureproofed, so I have my eyes set on a 1TB microSD Express card - just don't let my savings find out.

This year's big sales event kicks off on November 28, and will mark the first instance we've had a Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) since the Switch 2 has come to be. Each year has been pretty prosperous for deals on older Switch games and accessories, so I'm hoping that means microSD Express cards will see some juicy savings of their own.

If you're keen to grab a microSD Express card for yourself, or for a loved one you know is getting a Nintendo Switch 2 from Santa for the holidays, be sure to check back with us over November, where we'll be covering all the best Black Friday gaming deals, including any and all savings on compatible microSD Express cards.

• View all microSD Express cards at Amazon
• Samsung microSD Express Card | $59 at Amazon

Check out our guide to the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, including our top picks for the best Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express Cards and the best Nintendo Switch headsets you can buy.