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How to fix long load times, laggy and unresponsive downloadable games on Switch OLED

When playing a downloadable game on your Nintendo Switch OLED system, you may experience long load times, lag or general unresponsiveness. To fix these issues, you can check out this troubleshooting guide at Seeking Tech.

1. The first step we recommend taking is to restart your Nintendo Switch OLED.

  • In order to do so, press and hold the power button on the system for around three seconds. Afterwards, select Power Options and then Restart.
  • If your system is unresponsive, press and hold the power button for 12 seconds to force a shut down. You can then press the power button again to turn your system back on.

2. You can also try checking if the software data for the game is corrupted. In order to do so, you can take the following steps:

  • From the Home menu, go to System Settings.
  • On the left column, scroll down and then select Data Management.
  • On the right side of the same screen, select Manage Software.
  • Select the game you are having issues with.
  • Finally, select Check for Corrupt Data.

3. You can also try deleting and then reinstalling the problematic game. To do so, you need to do the following:

  • Go to System Settings from the Home menu.
  • Select Data Management from the left column.
  • Select Manage Software on the right side.
  • Select the problematic game.
  • Select Archive Software to delete the game.
  • Go back to the Home menu and select the icon of the game you previously deleted to redownload and reinstall the game again.

4. Furthermore, you can try updating the software version of the game. To do so manually, you need to take the following steps:

  • Hover over the game icon.
  • With the game highlighted, press the + or – button on your Nintendo Switch OLED controller.
  • Select Software Update.
  • Select Via the Internet.
  • 5. You can also try updating the firmware of your Switch OLED system, which you can do manually by doing the following:
  • Go to System Settings from the Home menu.
  • Select System from the left column.
  • Select System Update on the right side.

6. The long load times, lag or general unresponsiveness issues when playing downloadable games on the Nintendo Switch OLED may be related to the microSD card.

If your problematic game is installed on a microSD card, then try reformatting the card. To do so, you need to take the following steps:

  • In the Home menu, go to System Settings.
  • Select System on the left side.
  • On the right side, select Formatting Options.
  • You may have to enter the Parental Controls PIN to continue.
  • Select Format microSD Card.
  • Select Continue.
  • Select Format.

7. You can also try removing the microSD card from the Nintendo Switch OLED system.

To do so, you need to do the following:

  • Turn off your system.
  • Open the adjustable stand.
  • Press down on the microSD card and then slide it out from the slot.
  • After removing the microSD card, you can either redownload the game on another microSD card or directly on the internal storage of your Switch OLED system.