When Sony first PlayStation 5 releasedIt was not possible to expand the console’s storage. Thankfully, that changed with a software update The company pulled it out less than a year later. And given how large some game installs have become in recent years, that’s also a good thing: the PS5’s built-in 667GB of space might have been good enough in the system’s first year, but now, the default drive is downright limited.
The good news is that a standard PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD can solve all your PS5 storage problems. If the jumble of acronyms is bothering you, don’t worry: you’ll see it’s not that complicated. And if you want to know what the best PS5 SSDs are, we’ve ranked them at the top.
Read more: These are the best SSDs in 2025
Best PS5 SSDs in 2025
Capacity: Up to 8TB Sequential read performance: 7,100MB/s | Sequential write performance: 6,800MB/s | relationship: M.2
Corsair MP600 Pro LPX It tops our list for the best PS5 SSD because of the complete package it is. It is fast, offers excellent performance and read speeds of up to 7,100MB/s. It comes with a pre-installed heatsink and a five-year warranty.
The best part is that the MP600 is affordable. Launching at $190, you can regularly find the 1TB version on sale for as low as $80, while the price of the 2TB model fluctuates between $110 and $150. The 4TB and 8TB models are nothing short of a bargain. The MP600 isn’t even the fastest NVMe on this list. However, as far as no-fuss options go, it’s hard to beat.
- built-in heatsink
- affordable
- Not the fastest Gen4 model
Important
Capacity:Up to 4TB | read display: 7,300MB/sec | write display: 6,800 MB/sec | relationship: M.2
If you want to save some money by installing your own heatsink, vital t500 Is a great option. With read speeds of up to 7,300MB/sec, it exceeds Sony’s technical requirements, and you can often find 1TB models on sale for less than $60. Crucial also offers a version with a heatsink, so it’s worth adding both the Corsair MP600 and Crucial T500 to the price watch list and buying whichever model is cheaper when you’re ready to upgrade your PS5.
- Fast
- Available with or without heatsink
Sabrant
Capacity: Up to 8TB Sequential read performance: 7,000MB/s | Sequential write performance: 6,600MB/s | relationship: M.2
Of all the SSDs on this list, sabrant rocket 4 plus Most interesting. It comes with a unique heatsink that you install in place of the metal cover of the storage expansion slot. Sabrent claims this design improves cooling performance. As a result, expect to pay more for models with generic heatsinks, with the 1TB variant coming in at around $110 and the 2TB model costing between $220 and $280.
- PS5-specific heatsink design
- Not as fast as other options
- Expensive compared to other drives
SAMSUNG
Capacity:Up to 4TB | read display: 1,050MB/s | write display: 1,000MB/sec | relationship: USB 3.0
As I explain below, you can’t play PS5 games from an external drive – but you can use it to store any games you’re not currently playing, including old PS4 games.
one of my favorite portable drives Samsung T7It can write files at a speed of 1,000 MB/s. If you plan to use the drive exclusively for home use, you can save money by purchasing the regular model instead of the Rugged Shield version. I’ve been using T7 drives to store my photos, music, and games for years, and they have yet to fail me. Latest Model, Samsung T9Claims read/write speeds of up to 2,000MB/s.
- affordable
- reliable
- Rugged variant available
- Can’t play PS5 games from external drive
How we test PS5 SSDs
I’ve tested most of the SSDs recommended on this list for PS5 or computer use. I also purchased and use our top pick on my PS5.
How much PS5 storage do I need?
playstation 5 and playstation 5 pro Can accept internal drives with storage capacity between 250GB and 8TB. If you already have a PS5, chances are you have a fair idea of how much storage you need for your game library. If you’re buying an SSD with the new PS5 or PS5 Pro, or are buying one for someone else, it’s more difficult to tell what you might need for a high-performance experience.
PS5 games are smaller on average than their PS4 counterparts, typically taking up between 30GB and 100GB, with a few notable (and very popular) exceptions. If you are a fan of the Call of Duty series, install black ops 6 And warzone 2.0 Can consume up to 240GB. In other words, a full Call of Duty install will take up more than a third of the PS5’s internal storage. However, if you’re not a COD fan, chances are you’ll be good to store six to 10 games internally on a regular PS5 before you run into problems.
You also need to consider your internet speed. If you live in an area with slow broadband, the “you can download it again” argument doesn’t really work. At my old home, it took me about eight hours to download 100GB, during which time it was difficult to simultaneously watch Twitch or, say, publish articles about upgrading PS5 SSDs. It makes sense to keep games that you might want to play occasionally for no occasion.
In fact, there’s basically no point in going for a 250GB PS5 SSD. Financially, a 250GB drive isn’t much cheaper than a 500GB drive – and in practice, that’s not really much room for modern games to live. A 500GB drive might be a good option, but after years of falling prices, I think the best option for most people is to choose a higher capacity 1TB or 2TB drive, which will run you about $200 at most. The latter will more than double the PS5 Pro’s storage without breaking the bank.
Unless you’re rolling in cash and want to flex, the 4TB and 8TB models should mostly be avoided, as you’ll pay more per gigabyte than a 1TB or 2TB drive.
While the 825GB PS5 only offers 667GB of storage, this is mainly due to storage being reserved for the operating system and caching. If you install a 1TB PS5 SSD, you will have 1TB of storage available for games, within the margin of error. Out of the box, the PS5 Pro offers 1.86TB of storage for games, although you can get more if you remove the pre-installed Astro’s Playroom (gasp).
Since neither the PS5 Slim nor the PS5 Pro feature the updated CPU architecture, all of our recommendations will work with any PS5 model you own.
Can you play PS5 games on an external SSD?
External hard drives tend to cost less than internal SSD counterparts (and there’s a good chance you already have one). Unfortunately, there are restrictions on what you can do with them. An external SSD connects to your PS5 via USB, and is only suitable for playing PlayStation 4 games, or storing PS5 titles. This is useful if you have anything but the best high-speed internet – moving a PS5 game out of “cold storage” to an external drive is faster than downloading it again – or you want to manage your PS4 library. Want to keep doing it.
Due to the limitations here, you don’t need the highest performing model, although you should opt for an SSD instead of an HDD for better transfer speeds and load times. Any basic portable drive from a reputable brand will do, the Crucial X9 Pro and Samsung T7 are options we’ve tried and can recommend.
Which SSD cards are compatible with PS5?
official reply The answer to this question is “M.2 Socket 3 (key M) Gen4 x4 NVME SSD.” But even within that seemingly specific description, there are additional factors to consider. The main requirements that Sony has set for compatibility include speed, cooling and physical dimensions.
As for speed, Sony says the drive should be able to handle sequential reads at 5,500MB/s. Early testing revealed that the PS5 will accept drives as slow as 4,800MB/s, and games that regularly tap into SSDs – e.g. Ratchet and Clank: Crack Apart – There will be no problem. Almost the only thing the PS5 will outright reject is anything that doesn’t match the Gen4 x4 specification.
However, in our opinion, using a drive slower than specification is a risk not worth taking if you don’t already have that drive. Just because we haven’t found any issues yet, doesn’t mean there won’t be games in the future that could be problematic. The price difference between these slightly slower Gen4 drives and drives that meet Sony’s specifications isn’t huge, and you can cover all your bases.
Slightly more complex than motion is cooling and shaping. Most new SSDs will be just fine; The PS5 can fit 22mm-wide SSDs of virtually any length (30mm, 40mm, 60mm, 80mm or 110mm, to be exact). Most drives you get will be 22mm wide and 80mm long, so no problem.
It should be noted that the system can fit 25mm-wide drives, but that width must include a cooling solution. Speaking of, Sony says that SSDs require “effective heat dissipation with a heatsink-like cooling structure.” The maximum height supported by Sony’s slot is 11.25 mm, of which only 2.45 mm can be “below” the drive.
Previously, this meant that some of the most popular heatsynched Gen4 SSDs, including Corsair’s MP600 Pro LP, would not fit into the PS5’s storage expansion slot. Since Engadget first published this guide in 2021, most NVMe manufacturers, including Samsung, have come out with PlayStation-specific models that meet those requirements. That said, if you want to save some money, bare drives are often cheaper and it’s trivial to find a cooling solution that will work for the PS5.
The only component in an NVMe SSD that really needs cooling is the controller, which will happily find a (very small) stack without a heatsink. Most SSDs only have chips on one side, but even on a double-sided SSD, the controller is likely to be on the top, because manufacturers know it needs to be located there to better dissipate heat.
So, go to the PC component vendor of your choice and basically pick up anything that meets the recommended dimensions. A good search term is “laptop NVMe heatsink”, as these will be designed to fit the limits of gaming laptops, which are even more restrictive than the PS5. They are also generally cheaper than those labeled as “PS5 heatsink”.
One recommendation is this $6 copper heatsinkWhich connects to the PS5 SSD with sticky thermal interface material. It works just fine, and when stress testing the PC, we didn’t find any metal that kept temperatures under control. When you’re searching, make sure the solution you’re going for is no more than 25mm wide or 8mm tall (including thermal interface material) and has a simple method of installation that won’t cause any headaches.
One last thing: When shopping for a PS5 NVMe, there’s no reason to buy the Gen5 model over the more affordable Gen4 model. As things stand, Sony’s console can’t take advantage of the new standard, and although Gen5 drives are backward compatible, they’re more expensive than their Gen4 counterparts. Simply buy the fastest and highest capacity Gen4 model you can afford.
How to Install an SSD in Your PS5
If you need guidance How to Install Your New NVMe to Your PS5 or PS5 Pro, we have a separate guide detailing all the steps here. Installation is pretty straightforward, but if you’re stuck our method may help. Just note: Before attempting to add more storage via the PS5 SSD, make sure you have Sony’s latest software installed,
