The physical release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Switch 2 will be on a game key card and will take up around a third of the console’s storage capacity.
Some Switch 2 physical games are sold as game key cards, which use the card solely as a key to download the full game. Many third-party publishers are opting for this method of release on Nintendo’s new console.
Images of the game box on Square Enix’s store prove Final Fantasy 7 Remake will be another game key card release, while its eShop listing states it requires a download of up to 90GB. As the Switch 2’s storage capacity is 256GB, that means the game will take up approximately 34 percent (though of course you’ll need to account for console system files).
The reported maximum size for a proper game card is 64GB, which is the card size CD Projekt Red opted for with its Cyberpunk 2077 release on Switch 2. But at 90GB, Square Enix‘s game wouldn’t fit.
Indeed, the huge size of games is exactly the reason Nintendo offers game key cards as an option, but this has been heavily criticised by game preservationists. Nintendo even released a survey to gather reactions.
So what’s the alternative solution here? Should Square Enix be to blame for its decision and/or inability to reduce the game size? Or is Nintendo to blame for not offering larger game cards?
Larger game cards would be more expensive for publishers, while a higher console capacity would be more expensive for Nintendo who seems more than happy to let consumers choose to expand storage space through expensive MicroSD Express cards – this now looking pretty essential if you plan on playing triple-A third-party games on the Switch 2.
One developer at Ubisoft did explain why it opted for a game key card with Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2, stating traditional cards “simply didn’t give the performance we needed at the quality target we were going for”. The game was built around the SSDs of release platforms and as such it “relies heavily on disk streaming for its open world environments”.
Perhaps Square Enix has a similar reason.
Still, Square Enix has confirmed the entire Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy is headed to Switch 2. And considering second game Rebirth is 145GB on PS5, there’s no way you’ll be able to play all three games on your Switch 2 in future without opting to expand the memory.
