Lexar Play Pro MicroSD Express Memory Cards for Nintendo Switch 2 Are on Sale for October Prime Day

Most importantly for gamers, the new Nintendo Switch 2 console only accepts MicroSD Express memory cards as a compatible storage format. According to Nintendo, “inserting a MicroSD card that has been previously used on a Nintendo Switch console into a Nintendo Switch 2 console will not allow you to save or load digital games or save data.”

We rated the Lexar Play Pro as the best MicroSD Exress card for the Nintendo Switch 2. The Play Pro boasts speeds of up to 900MB/s read and 600MB/s write, which is as much as 10X faster than Micro SD and even faster than most SATA solid state drives. It’s also backward compatible with MicroSD card readers, so you can still use it on any device that doesn’t officially support the MicroSD Express standard (although you will also be throttled back to legacy speeds). The best thing about this Lexar brand is that capacity goes all the way up to 1TB. Most other brands only have capacities up to 512GB. Amongst the brands that do offer 1TB, Lexar definitely has the best deal right now.

Still too pricey? Walmart has cheaper house brand models.

Onn is Walmart’s privately owned house brand, so you won’t find this memory card sold anywhere else. This card is sold at the prices we normally see, however for the vast majority of time they’re out of stock; it’s only during its Prime Week Sale has Walmart started restocking its inventory. The Onn MicroSD Express card is not as fast as the Lexar Play Pro, but it still works perfectly fine on the Switch 2 console with no noticeable impact in gameplay or loading times.

If you don’t yet own a Switch 2, now might be a good time to get one. It’s now in stock everywhere, including Amazon, without any invitation required. Nintendo also recently raised prices on Switch 2 accessories and warned that the console itself might see a price hike in the near future. Check out our Nintendo Switch 2 review, in which Tom Marks aptly describes the new console as “a vital but unexciting upgrade to a console I already love.”

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.