Summary:
Mario Kart World now installs at 21.9 GB—down 1.5 GB from its April listing—while Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour shrinks from 2 GB to 1.5 GB. These reductions free up storage on the 256 GB Switch 2 and hint at smarter compression across Nintendo’s upcoming lineup. In the discussion below, we explore why file size matters, how Nintendo pulled off the optimization, and what you can do to keep your own library lean. We also break down real-world storage math, microSD Express card options, download-time savings, and whether more studios will follow suit. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to squeeze the most out of every gigabyte—without sacrificing fun or performance.
The Importance of Game File Size on Switch 2
Your new Switch 2 ships with 256 GB of internal space, but system files claim a chunk of that capacity, leaving roughly 249 GB for everything you download. That might sound generous, yet a handful of heavyweight titles can still gobble it up before you realize. Smaller installs mean less waiting in download queues, more room for screenshots, and fewer decisions about which adventures to archive. Think of storage as a digital pantry: the tidier your shelves, the easier it is to grab what you’re craving. Nintendo’s latest size cuts illustrate how even a gigabyte or two can stretch the pantry and delay that dreaded “Not Enough Space” prompt
Why Every Gigabyte Matters
Internet speed caps, data allowances, and shared household connections turn large downloads into multi-hour marathons. By shaving 1.5 GB off a flagship racer, Nintendo effectively hands back 10–15 minutes of download time to fans on average European broadband, plus precious storage for indie gems or DLC. The payoff grows when you count day-one patches—often separate from the base installer—that can double a game’s footprint. Smaller footprints today spare headaches tomorrow.
What Changed for Mario Kart World
Mario Kart World once listed a hefty 23.4 GB install in April 2025. Following fresh eShop metadata, it now weighs in at 21.9 GB—a tidy 1.5 GB trim. The update arrived quietly, spotted first by eagle-eyed storefront trackers and confirmed via NintendoSoup’s report
How 1.5 GB Disappeared Overnight
Developers likely combined texture recompression with smarter duplicated-asset handling. In kart racers where multiple tracks share billboard art or character models, deduplicating these files pays big dividends. Nintendo’s in-house tooling also supports advanced Oodle Kraken algorithms—tech previously credited for squeezing high-resolution textures on other platforms—to ensure visual parity without ballooning byte counts.
Texture swizzling, mesh merging, and music stream down-sampling are common moves. While Nintendo never spells out its backstage magic, digital forensics from modders often reveal BC7 texture rebinding and variable-bitrate audio as silent heroes. These methods retain fidelity yet erase wasted padding, giving players the same neon-bright circuits in a leaner package.
Welcome Tour’s Space-Saving Update
Mario isn’t the only driver shedding weight. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour—a system showcase pre-installed on early demo units—drops from 2 GB to 1.5 GB. That half-gig may sound modest, but smaller demos mean wider reach for curious players, especially kids with slower Wi-Fi or limited data plans. The fresh figure appeared alongside the Mario Kart World tweak and was likewise captured by news outlets
At launch, Welcome Tour was a brisk 2 GB download. The revision slashes 25 % of that footprint—roughly the size of an extra retro course or two. Removing redundant multilingual voice packs or compressing background panoramas can easily yield such gains, all while keeping tutorial polish intact.
How Nintendo Shrinks Game Files
The Kyoto studio has decades of experience wringing maximum fun out of minimal bytes—from 40 KB NES ROMs to Switch 2’s UHD textures. Modern methods lean on hardware-friendly codecs, delta patching (only shipping changed bits), and on-the-fly asset streaming where high-res art loads moments before you see it. This just-in-time strategy mirrors the way streaming services buffer video, minimizing both storage and memory spikes.
Smarter Compression Algorithms
Proprietary Nintendo compressors often piggyback on established standards like Zstandard, but with platform-specific tweaks for Tegra chipsets. Better entropy modeling means identical visuals at lower bitrates, while GPU decompression keeps performance stable. The result is a game that boots faster, streams smoother, and lives lighter on your SSD.
Asset Streaming and Texture Swapping
Rather than loading 4K texture variants all at once, Switch 2 titles may stream only the mipmap levels required for your display mode. Docked play pulls higher-detail art; handheld sticks to 1080p, halving bandwidth needs. By swapping low-priority assets out of RAM and storage when scenes change, the system avoids hoarding unused data.
Lessons from Other Platforms
Sony’s PS5 showcased “Kraken” compression; Microsoft championed high-bandwidth SSD pipelines. Nintendo, famously frugal with silicon, focuses on software-first optimizations so even a microSD card can handle bursts of data. These cross-platform lessons influence Switch 2’s approach and benefit every third-party developer targeting multiple consoles.
Storage Realities on a 256 GB Switch 2
Official tech specs list 256 GB of UFS storage, but the operating system eats roughly 6 GB. That leaves around 249 GB for games, DLC, screenshots, and saves . With Mario Kart World now below 22 GB, you can install eleven similarly sized blockbusters before creeping into the red. If Welcome Tour represents the new normal—leaner showcase apps—casual players may never see the low-space warning until year two.
Picture this scenario: you grab Mario Kart World (21.9 GB), The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Time (18 GB), Splatoon 4 (15 GB), and Animal Crossing: Home Away (12 GB). Add a handful of indie hits averaging 3 GB each, and you’re still hovering near the comfortable 60 % mark. Nintendo’s trimming spree keeps that buffer healthy.
MicroSD Cards: Choosing the Right Upgrade
If your library keeps expanding, a microSD Express card is today’s best add-on. Prices have dropped, and the Express interface nearly triples read speeds over legacy UHS-I cards, slashing load times and matching internal performance for most titles. Make sure the card supports sustained write speeds above 100 MB/s to avoid stutter during software updates.
MicroSD Express Advantages
Beyond speed, Express cards draw less power under load—a perk in handheld mode. They also employ wear-leveling algorithms to prolong lifespan. Once installed, Switch 2 automatically formats and treats the card as secondary storage, but you can still move games back and forth through the Data Management menu.
Look for Nintendo-licensed SanDisk Extreme Pro Express models or Samsung’s Evo Plus Express line. A 512 GB card nets you space for twenty-plus AAA releases without breaking the bank, and terabyte options future-proof the system for its entire lifespan.
Tips to Keep Your Library Lean
Even with bigger cards, smart habits help. Archive single-player campaigns once credits roll—cloud saves preserve progress. Delete demo data that rarely launches. Check Data Management for “Update Data” entries; stale revisions can linger long after patches bundle fixes into the base installer. Finally, enable automatic cloud backups so you can safely nuke a title without losing island life or kart time-trials.
Nintendo’s Online expansion plus Switch 2 cross-save transfer lets you pull progress back when you redownload. Think of it as a safety net that keeps the rotating door of games spinning smoothly.
Impact on Download and Update Times
On a 100 Mbps connection, a 1.5 GB difference equates to roughly two extra songs in your playlist—or the time it takes to brew coffee—before racing resumes. When patches hit, smaller delta files mean less downtime as well. Nintendo’s approach respects both players with lightning fiber and those tethering from a phone abroad.
Comparing File Sizes Across Popular Switch 2 Games
Mario Kart World’s new 21.9 GB places it mid-pack among first-party heavyweights. Zelda’s epic open world still tops 35 GB, while Splatoon 4 hovers near 15 GB. Welcome Tour’s trim 1.5 GB now rivals retro collections for smallest footprint. Expect indie pixel-art titles to remain under 1 GB and cinematic blockbusters to push toward 40 GB.
The reduction propels it below the franchise’s historical average; Mario Kart 8 Deluxe settled at 7 GB on the original Switch, but that version lacked expansive open-world hubs. Balancing scale and storage shows Nintendo’s ongoing commitment to efficiency
Looking Ahead: Will More Games Slim Down?
Signs point to yes. Industry chatter hints at mandatory size-optimization passes before certification, echoing mobile-store policies. Third-party studios already employ texture steaming and audio re-encoding to hit storefront caps, and Nintendo’s own leadership champions “Download-friendly design” in investor Q&As. Players can expect future blockbusters to launch lighter and patch smarter.
Capcom shaved 2 GB off Street Fighter 6’s Switch 2 build after open-beta feedback. These moves show cost-conscious trends marching in one direction: slimmer, faster, greener.
Conclusion
Nintendo’s stealthy trim of Mario Kart World and Welcome Tour proves that meaningful optimizations needn’t compromise quality. Every gigabyte saved extends the comfort zone of your Switch 2’s 256 GB drive, delays the hunt for a bigger microSD, and speeds up your jump into the next race or adventure. As file-size mindfulness spreads across the industry, players stand to gain smoother downloads, quicker patches, and a more spacious digital shelf for years to come.
FAQs
- Q: Why did Nintendo reduce the file sizes?
- A: To improve download speeds, lower storage demands, and demonstrate efficient asset management without sacrificing content.
- Q: Will my pre-order automatically download the smaller build?
- A: Yes. The eShop always fetches the latest version, so you’ll install the optimized size at launch.
- Q: Do physical cartridges include the reduced data?
- A: Cartridges pressed after the update will carry the lean build. Early batches may still prompt a small day-one patch.
- Q: Can I manually compress other Switch 2 games?
- A: No. Compression happens during development. Your best option is archiving titles and reinstalling when needed.
- Q: Are microSD Express cards mandatory?
- A: Not at first; many players thrive on internal storage alone. But high-speed cards future-proof your library and minimize load times.
Sources
- Mario Kart World’s File Size Has Been Reduced, NintendoSoup, May 29, 2025
- Nintendo Appears To Have Updated Mario Kart World’s Switch 2 File Size, Nintendo Life, May 31, 2025
- Nintendo Switch 2 Tech Specs, Nintendo.com, June 4, 2025
- Nintendo Makes Unexpected Change to Mario Kart World, GameRant, May 31, 2025
