If you own a Steam Deck, then you already know how awesome it is to have your entire gaming library in the palm of your hand. And if you don't own one, well unfortunately they are still sold out! In genera, Handheld gaming PCs are great, but, there’s one small catch - the storage. The base model of the Steam Deck comes with just 64GB of storage, which can fill up fast. Even the 1TB OLED version can run out of space quickly once you start loading it up with AAA titles. That’s why investing in an SD card for your Steam Deck is worthwhile if you want to upgrade your storage capacity. Our overall top pick is the SanDisk Extreme 1TB card and it's absolutely worth every penny.
TL;DR - These are the Best SD Cards for Steam Deck:
The Steam Deck is compatible with SDXC SD cards, meaning you can expand your storage significantly with the right card. SDXC cards come in a wide range of capacities, from 64GB all the way up to 1TB or more, so you can choose the size that best suits your needs. If you’re someone who likes to have a lot of games installed at once, opting for a higher-capacity card makes sense. On the other hand, if you only need a bit of extra space for a few favorite titles, a 128GB or 256GB card might do the trick, saving you some money.
But it’s not just about capacity. When shopping for an SD card for your Steam Deck, pay attention to read speeds. SD cards come with different read speeds, which affect how quickly your Steam Deck can load games and transfer data. For the best gaming experience, you'll want to go for a card with a high read speed, ideally 100MB/s or higher. This ensures that your games load smoothly, reducing waiting times and keeping your gameplay as seamless as possible. To help you pick the right SD card for your Steam Deck, we’ve picked out the best (and fastest) options for you to start storing your favorite game titles.
1. SanDisk Extreme microSDXC
Best SD Card for Steam Deck
SanDisk Extreme microSDXC
Go big or go home with the SanDisk Extreme SD card. This Class 10 A2-rated SD card comes in varying sizes, from 64GB to 1TB. If you want to be able to store more than just a few games on your Steam Deck, it’s worth investing in a 1TB card. This will give you ample room to enjoy all of your favorite titles.
With its 160MB/s read speeds, you’ll be able to install and load games on your Steam Deck, fast. Although we assume it will remain in your console, if you do remove the SD card to insert it in another device, or store it in your bag, there’s the added reassurance it won’t get damaged thanks to it being temperature-proof, waterproof, shockproof, and X-ray proof.
2. Lexar Play microSDXC
Best High Capacity SD Card for Steam Deck
Lexar Play microSDXC
The Lexar Play SD card is another great option for the Steam Deck, and has similar specs to our top pick the SanDisk Extreme. One thing you'll quickly notice is that compatible SD cards for the Steam Deck aren't exactly cheap.
Overall, this is the biggest downside for most of them. If price is starting to become an issue, I'd definitely suggest opting for a 512GB SD card rather than the 1TB; often enough these sit around 60ドル-80 instead.
3. SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDXC
Fastest SD Card for Steam Deck
SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDXC
On the topic of smaller and cheaper SD cards, the SanDisk Extreme Pro 400GB is another decent alternative to the larger Extreme 1TB. If you're looking for a quick and easy storage solution, especially if you're only on the 64GB Steam Deck model, this is well worth your consideration.
4. Lexar Professional 1066x microSDXC
Best Value SD Card for Steam Deck
Lexar Professional 1066x microSDXC
The Lexar Professional is another great value for money SD card, rocking 512GB of storage at a reasonably affordable price. It even offers the same rapid speeds as some of the more expensive SD cards on the market, so there's plenty of bang for your buck when it comes to this performing in the Steam Deck.
5. Samsung EVO Select microSDXC
Best Budget SD Card for Steam Deck
Samsung EVO Select microSDXC
Investing in the Samsung EVO Select microSDXC means you get 512GB of storage for around 50,ドル which is pretty good value for money. The trade-off, however, is slower read speeds, but this shouldn't cause too much of a headache.
Samsung offers a generous 10-year limited warranty, and its EVO Select SD card is waterproof, temperature-proof, X-ray proof, drop-proof, and so on, for added durability.
How to Choose a Steam Deck SD Card
A key point I want to drive home here is that you shouldn't be driving out and picking up any old SD card and slotting it into your Steam Deck. There are some really important factors you need to consider, including size, speed, affordability, and overall compatibility.
You'll want to get an SDXC card, these are the fastest microSD around, and the type we've been recommending for your Steam Deck. Sure, you can find some older and larger SD cards, memory-wise, but these just won't suit the read, load, and install times you'll need. For a quick reference to what SD Card will work for Steam Deck, I'd suggest looking for 'A2' on any cards your considering.
Another thing to consider is the fact Steam Deck is limited to UHS-I, which can run read speeds at 100MB/s. This is the fastest we can go. So at any stage, your Steam Deck will absolutely run faster using the internal storage.
That being said, we'd still recommend using an SD card alongside. That's because you won't need to burden your precious SSD drive with less demanding titles, like indie or just older games, for example, instead opting to keep them on the SD drive. Just don't expect new games to run at blistering speeds when running off of your SD card. Put simply, SD cards are ideal for storage over performance.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.