The best Nintendo Switch accessories

One of the Switch’s undeniably weak points is battery life. We’ve never managed more than three hours of Zelda time while using the system as a portable, which isn’t much good if you’re on a long flight.

Luckily, Nintendo planned around this by letting the Switch charge by USB-C, which means it’s compatible with a whole range of third-party power banks, some of which hold enough charge to power the Switch’s battery several times over.

One recommendation is the Anker Powercore+, but your preference will depend on capacity, ports, size, and more, so check out our full guide to power banks for the Switch to find the right one for you.

If you want a power bank without having to carry around a seperate accessory, Venom’s Power Pack and Stand may be of interest. Unlike the Power Bank featured above, the Power Pack clips directly on to the body of your Nintendo Switch and provides it with an extra 10,000mAh of battery power – more than enough to get you through long car journeys and flights.

And, as it’s a power bank, Venom decided to include a standard USB-A charging point for convenience. Now you can charge your Nintendo Switch and smartphone at the same time!

As well as providing more power for your console, the battery pack also features sturdy legs to prop it up in tabletop mode. The two stands on the pack are much more sturdy than the slightly flimsy stand built into the Switch, with less risk of falling if placed on an uneven surface. 

It’s a bit bulky overall, but we think it’s worth it for the benefits that it provides. 

Here’s an accessory that should be a pretty easy sell: a carry case for when you’re using the Switch as a portable.

While the console is designed to be used on the go, Nintendo doesn’t include any sort of protective case as standard. That means that if you want to travel with it, you risk scratching up the screen or damaging it with knocks and falls.

We’re fans of Snakebyte’s soft neoprene Carry: Bag. It’s just the right size to fit the Switch with Joy-Con controllers attached, and has a front zip section to store a few game cartridges too.

The Switch comes with 32GB of onboard storage, but by the time you include the operating system and your first few games – and updates – that space can fill out fast. That’s why we recommend picking up a microSD card to expand your storage.

The console supports some giant SD cards, but we think the sweet spot for price & storage right now is probably a 64GB card, like this speedy microSDXC card from Samsung, which should store more than enough games to keep you busy for a few years.

If you want to check out a few more options – including some with more or less storage capacity – check out our round-up of the best microSD cards out right now.

Nintendo’s official Pro Controller is one of the most straightforward Switch accessories around. Its appeal is pretty obvious: it’s a traditional gamepad to use with the otherwise untraditional console.

The Pro Controller is ideal for anyone who finds the Joy-Cons uncomfortable, even in the included grip, and wants to use a pad that’s more similar to the Xbox One and PS4 controllers – especially for extended sessions.

The price point may seem high just for a gamepad, but bear in mind that not only does it include motion controls, HD rumble, and Amiibo support, it also has a best-in-class 40-hour battery life, and can connect to a PC or Mac to control games on there.

For a little bit more you can also pick up a version with either a Splatoon 2 or Xenoblade Chronicles 2 design.

One big advantage that the Switch has over other consoles is that it’s multiplayer-friendly out of the box, as in many games each player can use a single Joy-Con, allowing two people to play without buy extra gamepads.

Still, some times you might want to have a few more people round for Mario Kart chaos, or might want to enjoy multiplayer for games like Arms that require a pair of Joy-Cons for each player.

In that case, you’ll want to grab extra controllers. You get plenty of options here – you can buy pairs of controllers or you can buy left and right controllers individually. Just remember that they are different – two left controllers won’t make a pair.

Since launch Nintendo has also added more colour options. In addition to the original neon red, neon blue, and grey, you can now buy Joy-Cons in a pair of two neon yellow controllers, or a pair with one in neon green and one in neon pink.

Why buy a carry case when you can buy a carry case and a screen protector and a game card case and a microfibre cloth and… you get the point.

There are plenty of accessory kits around for the Switch, but we’ve tested out Snakebyte’s and been impressed. It includes a hard-shell carry case (different to the neoprene Snakebyte case mentioned elsewhere in this list), and a selection of other useful add-ons.

The ones most likely to prove useful are the screen protector, cleaning cloth, and cartridge case, which we’ve already gotten plenty of use out of. There are also detachable thumbstick caps if that’s your thing, and a pair of in-ear headphones – they’re probably not as good as whatever other headphones you might own, but might be handy if you don’t have a wired pair.

The case is big enough to contain the Switch and Joy-Cons, along with all of the included accessories – perfect for taking your Switch on the go.

Speaking of charging, you’ll get a lot of benefit from picking up one or two extra USB-C cables. Keep one in your rucksack and one in the office and you’ll be able to charge your Switch anywhere you find a USB port, taking the pressure off the limited battery life.

We’re fans of this rugged nylon-braided cable from Syncwire, which is tough enough to survive getting dragged around in your bag, but there are loads on the market. Check out our ranking of the best USB-C cables for more options.

Nintendo has come under some (light) criticism for its game cases for the Switch, which seem distinctly over-sized for the minuscule cartridges. You don’t want to be lugging them around with you, so some more compact cartridge storage might not be a bad idea.

We haven’t had the chance to test it ourselves, but Hori’s Nintendo-approved cartridge case looks like a solid bet. It holds up to 24 Switch carts (which is, realistically, more than you’re ever likely to buy) along with two MicroSD cards for downloaded games.

You can get it in clear or black (though, confusingly, even the black version is transparent – it’s just a little darker). And at £8.99/$9.99, you can’t complain too much about the price.

More of a luxury than a necessity, you might still want to consider picking up a pair of Nintendo’s official Joy-Con Wheels.

Released to coincide with Mario Kart 8: Deluxe Edition, these are essentially just plastic wheels, and anyone who was burned by the similar steering wheel accessory for the Wii might be tempted to steer clear.

We’d recommend giving them a second look though. They’re small enough to be portable, but big enough to be much more comfortable to hold than a Joy-Con on its own, especially thanks to the larger shoulder buttons – essential for any serious Karter.

Even better, you get two of them in a pack, and they don’t cost much, so it’s a small investment for a big upgrade if you expect to play a lot of Mario Kart or other racing games.

Gioteck’s Duo Grips do essentially the same thing as Nintendo’s Joy-Con Wheels, but offer a traditional controller shape instead of a steering wheel. 

You slot a Joy-Con into the middle of the plastic casing, which then locks into place, giving you larger hand grips and shoulder buttons for games that use a single Joy-Con per player. 

While the Duo Grip is more comfortable than using a Joy-Con on its own, it’s worth clarifying that this is still not quite the same experience as a typical controller – the pad is still relatively thin and narrow, and in a way the design exacerbates the Joy-Con’s awkward button placement. 

Still, at just £14.99 for a pair, it’s an inexpensive way to get at least a minor improvement on the single Joy-Con setup.

It might be more expensive than the Snakebyte accessory kit, but Speedlink has an alternative depending on what you need.

The kit contains seven different items for your Nintendo Switch console including a handy 3m USB-C cable, screen protect with squeegee for application and a high-quality cleaning cloth.

There’s no console carry case, but there is a game cartridge case, and in-ear headphones with an in-line microphone. 

Last but not least are non-slip analog-stick caps which come in two pairs – red and black – so you can either choose which you prefer or put them on a second set of Joy-Cons.

Speedlink’s Caddy Pro is the ideal option to keep your new Switch Lite safe when not in use, and provides a handy way to keep your charger and games together too. Featuring a combination of a shock-resistant, hardwearing shell and soft inner padding, your Switch Lite should remain scuff-free during your travels.

It’s held into place via straps to stop it moving around, and the cartridge holder doubles up as a handy screen protector too. You’ll also find two large customisable compartments for the AC adapter and any other Switch accessories you might own, allowing you to fit everything you need into a small, portable case. 

If you feel like you need something more, you can also pick up the SpeedLink Nintendo Switch Lite tempered glass screen protector at 7,99 € (around £6.81).