FF7 Remake on Switch 2 Uses a ‘Game Key Card’ and Eats 90GB — Get a microSD Ready

Square Enix’s “Physical” FF7 on Switch 2 Isn’t Really Physical – and That’s the Point

This caught my attention because it blurs the line between physical and digital in a way that matters to players who actually buy cartridges. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 as a “game key card,” which means the card is basically a license – you still have to download the full game. And that download? Up to 90 GB, around 34% of the console’s 256 GB internal storage. One game, over a third of your drive, gone.

• FF7 Remake Intergrade’s physical release on Switch 2 is a download-only “game key card.”
• You’ll need up to 90 GB – roughly one-third of the 256 GB internal storage.
• Nintendo’s current cartridge capacity tops out at 64 GB, pushing publishers to downloads.
• If you care about owning games or going offline, this is a red flag for preservation.

Breaking Down the Announcement

Let’s strip the marketing: Square Enix confirmed the physical version uses a key card. No data-rich cart, no hybrid “partial on cart, rest download” compromise — just a code on a piece of plastic. The storage math explains why. Nintendo’s highest-capacity game cards currently cap at 64 GB. Some big-name releases have squeezed within that limit, but FF7 Remake Intergrade hitting roughly 90 GB simply doesn’t fit. So the publisher offloads the problem to your SSD and your internet connection.

Preservation folks aren’t wrong to bristle. Editions like this are “physical in name only.” If servers go dark in ten years, the card won’t guarantee playability. For collectors who buy physical specifically to avoid the fragility of storefronts and bandwidth, this isn’t what they signed up for.

The Real Story: Storage Economics, Not Magic

There are two obvious paths here, neither cheap. Square Enix could spend time and money optimizing assets and compression to punch the file size down. Or Nintendo could provide larger, pricier cartridges. It looks like both parties chose option three: spend neither, and ask players to absorb the cost with microSD — specifically, the faster microSD Express cards the platform now supports. Those aren’t exactly bargain-bin yet.

This isn’t an isolated case, either. Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws is also shipping as a key card on Switch 2, citing performance targets and cart limits. The pattern is clear: third-party AAA on Switch 2 will routinely turn “physical” boxes into download tokens when file sizes balloon past 64 GB.

What Gamers Need to Know (and Buy)

• Plan for storage now. If FF7 Remake is 90 GB, expect similar or bigger footprints from other AAA ports. A 512 GB or 1 TB microSD is a realistic starting point.
• Speed matters. If Nintendo recommends microSD Express for best results, cheap UHS-I cards may bottleneck installs or streaming assets. Don’t overspend, but don’t bargain-bin a storage-heavy library either.
• Offline expectations: a key card means you can’t just pop in and play off the cart. A full download is required, and a re-download could be necessary if you ever clear space.
• Housekeeping will be a thing. With a handful of 70-120 GB games, you’ll be juggling installs unless you expand storage aggressively.

The Trilogy Problem

Square Enix confirms the entire FF7 Remake trilogy is coming to Switch 2. On PS5, Rebirth already weighs in at around 145 GB. Even if the Switch 2 versions are trimmed, installing all three episodes simultaneously on internal storage is a fantasy without a hefty microSD. Realistically, expect key cards for the next entries and repeat-download headaches to stay the norm on this platform.

That doesn’t mean it’s doom and gloom. If the ports hold up, the idea of taking Midgar, the Junon parade, and everything else on the go is legitimately awesome. But the cost of portability here isn’t just visual compromises — it’s storage, time to download, and trust in server availability years down the line.

The Gamer’s Perspective: Who Actually Cares?

I hear the sentiment loud and clear: “I bought a Switch 2 for Nintendo’s own games; I have a PS5 for third-party.” If that’s you, this is background noise. You’ll play Nintendo exclusives on cart or internal storage and keep your big-budget third-party fixes elsewhere. But for the crowd hoping Switch 2 would be a true all-in-one box for AAA, this is a reality check. Portable FF7 comes with a storage tax, and publishers are passing that tax onto players.

Personally, I’m excited to replay FF7 Remake on a handheld that can do it justice — but I’m also side-eyeing any box that says “physical” when it’s really a download voucher. If companies want us to believe in physical again, they have to meet us halfway with bigger carts or smarter data strategies, not plastic IOUs.

TL;DR

FF7 Remake Intergrade on Switch 2 ships as a “game key card” and demands up to 90 GB — about a third of the console’s internal storage. Expect the rest of the trilogy to follow suit, so plan on buying a fast, sizeable microSD if you want Midgar in your backpack. The portability is real; the physical isn’t.