New Nintendo Switch 2 file sizes for Elden Ring, Metal Gear Solid, Xenoblade, FFXIV and other ports show why buyers should plan storage before choosing physical or digital.
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The 50GB class is no longer an outlier on Switch 2
The latest Nintendo Switch 2 file sizes put Elden Ring Tarnished Edition at 50.0GB and Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 at 21.9GB on Nintendo’s newer hardware, according to Nintendo Everything, which says the figures were pulled from eShop listings across North America, Europe, and Japan. That same listing wave also puts Lou’s Lagoon at 14.2GB, Brigandine Abyss at 6.6GB, Funguys Swarm at 2.1GB, and Quest of Dungeons at just 79MB.
The immediate tension for Switch 2 buyers is simple: ports that once sounded like convenient handheld additions are beginning to look like storage commitments. Elden Ring at 50GB sits in the same neighborhood as several other large Switch 2 downloads reported in recent eShop rounds, including Madden NFL 27 at 49.9GB, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition at 45.8GB, Lies of P at 32.5GB, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered at roughly 61.5GB.
Those numbers do not make every digital purchase risky, and eShop file sizes can change before or after launch. But they do change the first question buyers should ask. The decision is no longer only about whether you prefer a cartridge or a download icon. It is about whether a game is truly on the card, whether it uses a Game-Key Card or required download, how big the upgrade path is, and whether your Switch 2 microSD Express plan has room for the ports you actually want to keep installed.
The biggest storage strainers are obvious, and they are mostly ports
The heaviest confirmed or storefront-listed Switch 2 downloads in the provided roundups are not small misses around the 10GB mark. They are full console-style installs. Shane the Gamer reported Nintendo’s US storefront listing Final Fantasy XIV Online at 117.2GB for Switch 2, matching Square Enix’s quoted figure in that report. The same article notes that Notebookcheck had identified Final Fantasy VII Rebirth at over 102GB before FFXIV appeared, with Kingdom Hearts Collection [I～III] sitting above both at 131GB.
That puts FFXIV in a different buying category from a typical boxed adventure or weekend indie. It is an online RPG with years of accumulated content, and Shane the Gamer attributes the bulk partly to expansions and bundled content differences between editions, while noting the base installer size remains the same regardless of edition. If you plan to make Switch 2 your main FFXIV machine, this is the type of download that can dictate the rest of your library planning.
Oblivion Remastered is the next practical stress test in the supplied material. Shane the Gamer reported eShop listings at 61.5GB, with RPG Site and Tech Times separately cited in that report at 61.4GB. Bethesda Softworks and Virtuos have set the Switch 2 launch for August 11, according to the same report, with the game priced at $49.99 and a $9.99 Deluxe upgrade available. The key buyer detail is physical: Shane the Gamer reports that the physical Deluxe Edition ships as a full cartridge rather than a Game-Key Card, meaning owners will not need a day-one download just to boot it from the box.
Below that, the 45GB to 50GB band is getting crowded. Nintendo Everything lists Elden Ring Tarnished Edition at 50.0GB. Shane the Gamer, citing Nintendo Everything and other reporting, puts Madden NFL 27 at 49.9GB ahead of its August 13 launch. Nintendo Life says Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is estimated at 45.8GB on Nintendo’s eShop. These are the games that can make a 256GB planning baseline feel small after a handful of purchases, especially once updates, DLC, captures, and save data join the picture.
Platform versions can behave in strange ways
One of the most useful details in Nintendo Everything’s new list is also one of the strangest: Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 is listed at 21.9GB on Switch 2, while the Switch version is listed at 50.2GB. The eShop listings cited by Nintendo Everything do not explain the difference, so it would be a mistake to assume the Switch 2 version has less content, better compression, a different delivery setup, or any specific technical cause. The confirmed fact is the discrepancy in the listings.
That discrepancy is a reminder that Switch 2 download sizes cannot be guessed from platform hierarchy alone. Newer hardware does not automatically mean a larger listed install. The reverse can also happen. Nintendo Life reports that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was 13.2GB on Switch, while the Switch 2 Edition is estimated at 45.8GB. Nintendo Life also reports that the first Xenoblade entry on Switch 2 is 33.7GB and the third game’s Switch 2 listing is 42.5GB.
Lou’s Lagoon shows the same problem at a smaller scale. Nintendo Everything lists the Switch 2 version at 14.2GB and the Switch version at 4.1GB. For an indie-leaning audience, that is the kind of number that deserves attention. A bright, friendly-looking adventure can still land as a mid-sized install if the Switch 2 build carries different assets or packaging. The listings do not say why Lou’s Lagoon expands so sharply between platforms, so the only safe reader guidance is to check the exact platform page before buying.
The opposite end is wonderfully tidy. Quest of Dungeons is listed at 79MB on Switch 2 by Nintendo Everything. That sort of footprint is part of why compact indies still matter on Nintendo hardware: they are easy to keep installed, easy to revisit, and easy to recommend without asking a player to reshuffle half a storage card.
Xenoblade shows how upgrades can complicate a clean purchase plan
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is the cleanest example of a familiar Nintendo decision becoming a storage question. Nintendo Life says the Switch 2 Edition is out digitally on July 30, 2026, with a physical release following on October 1, 2026. According to Nintendo Life, the Switch 2 Edition supports 60fps gameplay, 4K resolution in TV mode, full HD in handheld, new outfit designs, a new mode, and a new rare blade. Existing Switch owners who want to move up need to purchase the upgrade pathway, according to the same report.
The file-size reporting around Xenoblade also needs careful handling. Nintendo Life attributes a 45.8GB estimated file size to Nintendo’s eShop and notes that the size is subject to change before and after release. Shane the Gamer also reports 45.8GB from Nintendo’s Australian eShop listing. Fingerlakes1, by contrast, describes “fresh datamines and recent eShop updates” putting the Switch 2 Edition at 48GB and goes further by claiming uncompressed 4K textures, studio-quality audio, and bundled Torna content as reasons for the increase.
The safer number for buyers is 45.8GB, because two supplied reports tie it directly to Nintendo storefront listings. The 48GB figure may be a rounded figure or based on a different reading, but the source material provided here does not resolve that conflict. The asset and audio explanations in the Fingerlakes1 article are also not corroborated by the Nintendo Life excerpt, so they should be treated as unconfirmed explanation rather than established fact.
For a player with the original Switch version, the practical question is whether the digital upgrade saves meaningful storage compared with buying the standalone Switch 2 Edition. The supplied material does not give a complete official breakdown from Nintendo, though Shane the Gamer cites RPG Site reporting a 30.7GB upgrade pack listing. If you are upgrading, check the eShop page for the upgrade itself, not only the standalone game page. Those can be different storage commitments.
microSD Express is becoming part of the platform cost
GamerHeadlines frames Switch 2 storage around the system’s support for microSD Express, the newer and faster memory-card format. The outlet describes Switch 2 as officially supporting microSD Express and notes that the format promises read speeds beyond 800MB/s, while also warning that price per gigabyte remains higher than traditional microSDXC.
That matters because the large Switch 2 download sizes are clustering around a predictable set of games: live-service RPGs, remasters, sports releases, soulslikes, and upgraded open-world or JRPG ports. GamerHeadlines reported Lies of P at 32.5GB in an August 2 eShop size roundup, while Big Walk was about 4.2GB. Nintendo Everything’s newest list adds Elden Ring at 50.0GB and Lou’s Lagoon at 14.2GB. Shane the Gamer’s other roundup adds Oblivion Remastered at 61.5GB and Madden NFL 27 at 49.9GB.
Using GamerHeadlines’ reported 256GB internal-storage figure as a rough planning baseline, Final Fantasy XIV Online at 117.2GB would take roughly 46 percent of that space by itself. Oblivion Remastered, Elden Ring, and Madden together would exceed 160GB before counting system data, patches, screenshots, save data, or anything already installed. That is not a theoretical edge case for a player who wants the big third-party ports alongside Nintendo’s own releases.
The brighter side is that Switch 2 download sizes are not uniformly huge. Big Walk at 4.2GB, Funguys Swarm at 2.1GB, Brigandine Abyss at 6.6GB, and Quest of Dungeons at 79MB show there is still plenty of room for smaller, crafted experiences that do not demand a storage audit. If your library skews indie, puzzle, arcade, cozy, or compact platforming, a smaller microSD Express card may stretch much further. If your library skews RPG ports and online games, storage becomes part of the launch-year budget.
What to check before choosing physical or digital
The first check is the exact eShop file size for your region and platform. Nintendo Everything says its newest numbers came from North American, European, and Japanese eShop listings, and those listings are the closest planning tool buyers have before release. Do not rely on the Switch version to estimate the Switch 2 version. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 is listed much larger on Switch than Switch 2, while Lou’s Lagoon and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 move sharply upward on Switch 2.
The second check is whether a physical copy is a full cartridge, a Game-Key Card, or a box that still requires a large download. The supplied sources give one clear positive example: Shane the Gamer reports that Oblivion Remastered’s physical Deluxe Edition is a full cartridge and does not require a day-one download just to boot. For Elden Ring Tarnished Edition, Madden NFL 27, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2, Lou’s Lagoon, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s October physical release, the provided excerpts do not establish the same cartridge details. Wait for the store page, box art, publisher listing, or retailer description if that distinction affects your purchase.
The third check is whether you are buying a standalone Switch 2 game or an upgrade path. Nintendo Life confirms Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has an upgrade pathway for existing Switch owners, with the Switch 2 Edition also sold digitally and physically. An upgrade can be cheaper or more convenient, but it does not automatically mean the download will be small. Look for the install size on the upgrade listing itself.
The fourth check is whether the game is likely to grow. Online games such as Final Fantasy XIV can carry major expansion content, and Shane the Gamer’s reporting emphasizes how accumulated content contributes to its 117.2GB footprint. Single-player ports can also grow through updates and DLC, but the sources here do not provide patch-size forecasts for the newly listed games. Leave breathing room rather than filling internal storage to the last gigabyte.
For now, the smart Switch 2 storage plan is split by library taste. Digital-first players chasing FFXIV, Elden Ring, Oblivion, Madden, Xenoblade, and Lies of P should budget for a high-capacity Switch 2 microSD Express card early. Physical buyers should stop treating the box as proof of storage savings and verify the cartridge type. Indie-first players get the best news of the week: the eShop still has plenty of tiny and mid-sized gems, and the smallest games may become the easiest discoveries to keep close.