Nintendo Switch Games with Insane Install Sizes!

Summary

TSUKIHIME: A Piece Of Blue Glass Moon surpasses other visual novels on the Switch with a hefty 23 GB storage requirement.
Resident Evil: Revelations 2’s 24.22 GB size showcases its scale and scope, greater than its predecessor.
Mortal Kombat 1’s Nintendo Switch port is criticized for being a bloated 47.52 GB with technical issues.

On the Nintendo Switch, a console with many highly-optimized games, it’s important to note that most of these games might need extra storage beyond the console’s built-in memory to be played.

On Nintendo Switch, a versatile platform with a large user base, developers and publishers are eager to adapt their games due to its unique hybrid design. While this brings many beloved titles from different eras, it can sometimes lead to inefficient optimization or oversized files for certain genres, stretching the console’s relatively limited capabilities.

To keep things fresh and up-to-date, we’ve chosen to focus on the most recent (and usually the biggest) versions of games that are released annually, rather than including multiple iterations of these games in our list.

8. TSUKIHIME: A Piece Of Blue Glass Moon | 23GB

The Ground-Up Remake Of Type-Moon’s Acclaimed Visual Novel

Released: June 26th, 2024
Developer(s): Type-Moon
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
Genre(s): Visual Novel

Regardless of being a visual novel with adult content, TSUKIHIME, initially released in 2000, was indeed a major success. This success led to adaptations in anime and manga. In 2024, the remake titled TSUKIHIME: A Piece Of Blue Glass Moon made its way onto modern gaming consoles, bringing this bloody high-school visual novel into the present day.

Although it primarily emphasizes storytelling, music, and 2D graphics, Type-Moon’s remake of ‘Near Side of the Moon’ from the original takes up a significant 23 GB of storage on Nintendo Switch. Given that many visual novels on Nintendo’s system can be compressed into sizes in the single digits, and considering TSUKIHIME: A Piece Of Blue Glass Moon only offers half of the original TSUKIHIME experience, it’s surprising how large Type-Moon’s school-themed interactive fiction remains.

7. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 | 24.22GB

A Visually Striking Sequel To The Once 3DS-Exclusive Horror Subseries

Discussing the unique past of “Resident Evil: Revelations,” which was initially exclusive to Nintendo’s 3DS handheld, and its sequel bypassing eighth-generation Nintendo hardware entirely, the 2017 release of “Resident Evil: Revelations 2” on the Nintendo Switch appeared to be a significant milestone for that console.

In essence, Resident Evil: Revelations 2 doesn’t directly advance the storylines introduced in its prequel, but it does maintain the episodic structure and dynamic shooting mechanics from the original, enhancing the third-person horror experience. Interestingly, while Resident Evil: Revelations (with its enhanced textures from the 2013 re-release) occupies about 12GB of storage on the Nintendo Switch, Resident Evil: Revelations 2 requires a whopping 24.22 gigabytes. This stark difference in storage space required suggests that the sequel has significantly expanded its scope and scale compared to the original game.

6. L.A. Noire | 28.14GB

An Expansive Remaster Of A Rockstar Games Period Piece

Although Grand Theft Auto 5, Rockstar Games’ top-selling open-world game, isn’t present in Nintendo Switch’s extensive library, it doesn’t mean that Nintendo hasn’t managed to accommodate any of their software on the hybrid console.

First created by Team Bondi and distributed by Rockstar Games, the game L.A. Noire gained both critical and financial success upon its debut in 2011 due to its motion-capture-enhanced interrogations and third-person crime-solving mechanics. With its 2017 re-release featuring enhanced high-definition textures and an upgraded lighting system, the action-adventure game set in Los Angeles became available on Microsoft’s and Sony’s eighth-generation consoles as well as Nintendo’s hybrid hardware.

Given that the total storage space needed for all three open-world games in Rockstar’s 2021 remastered collection, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, amounts to a manageable 25 GB, it’s clear that L.A Noire’s 28.14 gigabytes requirement for its 2017 re-release signifies the richness of content included in that particular title.

5. Apex Legends | 30GB

Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall-Inspired Free-To-Play Battle Royale FPS

As a devoted fan, I can’t help but sing the praises of Respawn Entertainment’s free-to-play first-person shooter (FPS), which has been a captivating fixture on Nintendo’s versatile hybrid console since its 2021 debut. With an impressive roster of 25 unique Legends, this game offers an exhilarating blend of Battle Royale and Arena Shooter gameplay that’s reminiscent of the iconic Titanfall series. It’s no wonder why it continues to hold its ground as a solid choice for gamers seeking high-octane action on Nintendo Switch.

By adopting elements from EA’s acclaimed first-person shooter series, Titanfall, and offering a fresh perspective on the popular Battle Royale genre, as seen in games like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone, Apex Legends has established a distinct identity. This identity is evident on advanced PC systems and the handy Nintendo Switch Lite worldwide. With a six-year lifespan that shows no signs of ending, and its focus on regular updates and refinements to its gameplay, the 30GB download size for Apex Legends remains reasonable even today.

4. EA Sports FC 25 | 32.41GB

The Latest Entry In EA’s Often-Criticized Soccer Series

It’s clear why EA Sports FC 25 requires a significant amount of storage space on Nintendo’s hybrid console, given that it features over 17,000 individual players developed collaboratively by EA Vancouver and EA Romania, who are known for their work with the previous FIFA franchise.

Despite frequent criticisms from both critics and gamers about Electronic Arts’ sports sequels for lacking innovation, another point of contention is the increasing game size. This is particularly challenging for players, as evidenced by the 31.83 GB space requirement for EA Sports FC 24 in 2024. Interestingly, this install size on the Switch is only surpassed by its sequel, offering fans of ‘The World’s Game’ a whopping 32.41 gigabytes of portable gameplay.

3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition | 40.08GB

An Award-Winning RPG That Finds A Unique Place On The Switch

2015’s award-winning game, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, continues to impress with its innovative gameplay, even though it’s not a new release. It’s remarkable, then, that CD Projekt Red’s masterpiece has found its way onto the less powerful Nintendo Switch system, making this move still significant.

Although the Nintendo Switch may be an excellent choice for playing the open-world third installment featuring Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt), it’s important to note that the 2019 port requires more than 40 gigabytes of storage space for play. Given that the main game offers about 100 hours of gameplay, and the Nintendo Switch’s Complete Edition encompasses all DLC content, the large file size becomes understandable.

2. Mortal Kombat 1 | 47.52GB

A Disappointingly Unoptimized Port Of The Soft-Reboot On The Hybrid Console

Although it’s known for its intense, 2.5D melee-oriented fights and brutal nature, the seemingly outdated technology of the Nintendo Switch has led to the release of Mortal Kombat 1 that, from a technical perspective, is a massive technical issue. Despite its graphical and gameplay flaws, WB Games’ latest version of Mortal Kombat on Switch successfully delivers all its content to the hybrid console, resulting in a significantly larger file size.

In a disappointing turn, despite Mortal Kombat 11 (2019 version for Nintendo Switch) having a massive file size of 47.52GB compared to its predecessor’s 33.27GB, the game has failed to live up to expectations due to some technical issues within the software.

1. NBA 2K24 Kobe Bryant Edition | 60.57GB

An Aged Sports Title that Retains The Series’ Largest Storage Requirement On Switch

Despite NBA 2K24 having a massive file size, many gamers still chose to buy it for the Nintendo Switch in 2024, demonstrating that its popularity wasn’t hindered by its large digital footprint.

The game NBA 2K24 Kobe Bryant Edition was transferred to Nintendo’s dual-purpose console and requires approximately 60.57 gigabytes of storage. This basketball title for 2023 surpasses its predecessor, NBA 2K23, in terms of storage space required for a download on the Nintendo Switch. While NBA 2K23 needed a relatively small yet still substantial – approximately 55.63GB – amount of space to play, and its successor NBA 2K25 needing 59.87 GB, the annualized sports series from 2K now holds one of the largest storage demands among Nintendo Switch games to date.

2025-02-27 09:35