In case your PlayStation 5 library is beginning to burst on the seams, upgrading with among the finest SSDs on your PlayStation 5 could make an enormous distinction. Fashionable PS5 video games are huge, and whereas the console’s inside storage is speedy, it fills up quick — particularly for those who're juggling large titles like Name of Obligation, Spider-Man 2, or Ultimate Fantasy XVI. A appropriate SSD offers you extra space with out sacrificing load occasions or efficiency, so you possibly can spend much less time managing your library and extra time gaming.
Many SSDs are simple to put in and carry out simply as quick because the PS5’s built-in storage. You’ll need to search for drives that meet Sony’s specs, together with Gen4 speeds and a built-in heatsink (or the power so as to add one). Whether or not you’re after tons of storage on your digital assortment or simply desire a efficiency increase for next-gen titles, we’ve rounded up the highest SSD choices to swimsuit each want and price range.
Learn extra: These are the perfect SSDs in 2025
Desk of contents
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Greatest SSDs for PS5 in 2025
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How we take a look at PS5 SSDs
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PS5 SSD FAQs
Greatest SSDs for PS5 in 2025
How we take a look at PS5 SSDs
I’ve examined a lot of the SSDs really useful on this record, both for PS5 or pc use. I additionally purchased and used our prime choose in my very own PS5.
PS5 SSD FAQs
How a lot PS5 storage do I would like?
The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Professional can settle for inside drives with between 250GB and 8TB of storage capability. In the event you already personal a PS5, likelihood is you may have an affordable concept of how a lot storage you want on your recreation library. In the event you’re shopping for an SSD with a brand new PS5 or PS5 Professional, or shopping for for another person, it’s harder to inform what you would possibly want for a high-performance expertise.
PS5 video games are smaller on common than their PS4 equivalents, usually taking over between 30GB and 100GB, with some notable (and very talked-about) exceptions. In the event you’re a fan of the Name of Obligation collection, putting in Black Ops 6and Warzone 2.0 can eat as much as 240GB. In different phrases, a full Name of Obligation set up will take up greater than one-third of the PS5’s inside storage. In the event you’re not a CoD fan, although, likelihood is you’ll be good to retailer between six to 10 video games on a daily PS5 internally earlier than working into issues.
You additionally want to contemplate your web pace. In the event you reside in an space with gradual broadband, the “you possibly can simply obtain it once more” rationale doesn’t actually work. At my previous residence, a 100GB obtain took me round eight hours, throughout which period it was troublesome to concurrently watch Twitch or, say, publish articles about upgrading PS5 SSDs. Protecting video games round on the off-chance you’ll need to play them sooner or later is sensible.
Off the bat, there's mainly no level in going for a 250GB PS5 SSD. Economically, 250GB drives aren’t that less expensive than 500GB ones — and virtually, that actually isn’t lots of area for contemporary video games to reside on. 500GB drives generally is a first rate possibility, however after years of declining costs, I feel the candy spot for most individuals is to go for a high-capacity 1TB or 2TB drive, which ought to run you at most $200. The latter will greater than double the PS5 Professional’s storage with out breaking the financial institution.
Until you’re rolling in money and need to flex, 4TB and 8TB fashions ought to principally be averted, as you’ll find yourself paying extra per gigabyte than you’ll with a 1TB or 2TB drive.
Whereas the 825GB PS5 solely supplies 667GB of storage, that’s largely as a result of storage being reserved for the working system and caching. In the event you set up a 1TB PS5 SSD, you'll have, inside a margin of error, 1TB of storage accessible for video games. Out of the field, the PS5 Professional presents 1.86TB of storage for video games, although you possibly can eke out extra for those who delete the pre-installed Astro’s Playroom (gasp).
Since neither the PS5 Slim nor PS5 Professional function up to date CPU structure, all of our suggestions will work with no matter PS5 mannequin you personal.
Are you able to play PS5 video games on an exterior SSD?
Exterior laborious drives are likely to value lower than inside SSD counterparts (and there’s a superb probability you would possibly personal one already). Sadly, there are restrictions on what you are able to do with them. An exterior SSD connects to your PS5 by way of USB, and is simply appropriate for taking part in PlayStation 4 video games, or storing PS5 titles. That’s helpful if in case you have something however the perfect high-speed web — it’s sooner to maneuver a PS5 recreation out of “chilly storage” on an exterior drive than it’s to re-download it — or need to hold your PS4 library readily available.
Because of the limitations right here, you don’t want the highest-performing mannequin, though you must go for SSDs over HDDs for improved switch speeds and cargo occasions. Any fundamental moveable drive from a good model will do, with the Essential X9 Professional and Samsung T7 being choices we’ve tried and may suggest.
Which SSD playing cards are appropriate with the PS5?
The official reply to this query is an “M.2 Socket 3 (Key M) Gen4 x4 NVME SSD.” However even inside that seemingly particular description, there are further components to contemplate. The principle necessities Sony has laid out for compatibility come down to hurry, cooling and bodily dimensions.
For pace, Sony says drives ought to have the ability to deal with sequential reads at 5,500MB/s. Early testing confirmed that the PS5 would settle for drives as gradual as 4,800MB/s, and that video games that faucet into the SSD recurrently — similar to Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart — would trigger no points. Just about the one factor the PS5 will outright reject is one which doesn't match the Gen4 x4 spec.
In our opinion, although, utilizing a drive slower than the specification is a danger that, for those who don’t have already got that drive mendacity round, is just not value taking. Simply because we haven’t discovered points but doesn’t imply there gained’t be video games that might be problematic sooner or later. The worth distinction between these marginally slower Gen4 drives and those that meet Sony’s spec isn’t enormous, and also you would possibly as effectively cowl all of your bases.
Barely extra difficult than pace is cooling and dimension. Most new SSDs are going to be simply high quality; the PS5 can match 22mm-wide SSDs of just about any size (30mm, 40mm, 60mm, 80mm or 110mm, to be exact). The overwhelming majority of drives you discover can be 22mm huge and 80mm lengthy, so no downside there.
It ought to be famous that the system can match a 25mm-wide drive, however that width should embody the cooling answer. Talking of, Sony says SSDs require “efficient warmth dissipation with a cooling construction, similar to a heatsink.” The utmost peak supported by Sony’s slot is 11.25mm, of which solely 2.45mm may be “beneath” the drive.
This beforehand meant among the hottest heatsinked Gen4 SSDs, together with Corsair’s MP600 Professional LP, wouldn’t match inside the PS5’s storage growth slot. Since Engadget first printed this information in 2021, most NVMe makers, together with Samsung, have come out with PlayStation-specific fashions that meet these necessities. That mentioned, if you wish to avoid wasting cash, naked drives are sometimes cheaper and it’s trivial to discover a cooling answer that can work for the PS5.
The one element in an NVMe SSD that actually requires cooling is the controller, which with out a heatsink will fortunately sear a (very small) steak. Most SSDs have chips on just one aspect, however even on double-sided SSDs, the controller is more likely to be on prime, as producers comprehend it must be positioned there to higher dissipate warmth.
So, head to your PC element vendor of alternative and choose up mainly something that meets the really useful dimensions. A very good search time period is “laptop computer NVME heatsink,” as these can be designed to slot in the confines of gaming laptops, that are much more restrictive than a PS5. They’re additionally usually cheaper than those labeled as “PS5 heatsinks.”
One advice is that this $6 copper heatsink, which attaches to the PS5 SSD with sticky thermal interface materials. It really works simply high quality, and in performing stress exams on a PC, we couldn’t discover something metallic that didn’t hold temperatures beneath management. Whenever you’re looking, simply be certain that the answer you go for measures not more than 25mm huge or 8mm tall (together with the thermal interface materials) and has a easy technique of set up that’s not going to trigger any complications.
One last item: When searching for a PS5 NVMe, there’s no purpose to purchase a Gen5 mannequin over a extra reasonably priced Gen4 mannequin. As issues stand, Sony’s console can’t reap the benefits of the brand new normal, and although Gen5 drives are backward appropriate, they’re dearer than their Gen4 counterparts. Simply purchase the quickest and highest-capacity Gen4 mannequin you possibly can afford.
How you can set up an SSD into your PS5
In the event you want steering on the best way to set up your new NVMe into your PS5 or PS5 Professional, now we have a separate information detailing all of the steps right here. Set up is fairly easy, however our how-to may help you for those who're caught. Simply make notice: Earlier than trying so as to add extra storage by way of a PS5 SSD, guarantee that you’ve got Sony’s newest software program put in.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ps/best-ssd-for-ps5-130004175.html?src=rss