The 10 Best PS5 Storage Options: Never Run Out Of Space Again
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
The PS5 is an amazing console by itself, but it's even better when you add extra storage. Although the PS5 officially has 825GB of storage, only 667.2GB is free for games. With huge games like Red Dead Redemption 2 (120GB) or ARK: Survival Evolved (250GB), available storage on the PS5 can quickly disappear. There are a few ways to free up storage space on your PS5, or you can simply upgrade your overall storage by adding an extra internal M.2 SSD or an external SSD.
The best PS5 storage options are speedy, large in size, and compatible with the PlayStation 5's powerful system. If you're interested in an internal M.2 SSD, you'll want to consider looking for high read/write speeds, ideally above 6,000 Mbps (megabits per second) for read speed and above 7,000 Mbps for write speed. External SSDs won't offer read/write speeds quite this fast and are mainly suitable for PS4 games.
Then, you should weigh your budget against how much future storage you might potentially need. A 4TB SSD will cost a lot, but it'll be a while until you hit max storage capacity. You'll also need to make sure the SSD you choose will fit inside the PS5's M.2 slot and that the heat sink is properly sized.
To help you avoid the time-consuming research process, we've done it for you! We've rounded up the 10 best PS5 storage options, including premium and budget tiers, as well as a few external drive options.
How We Selected Products
When searching for an SSD — whether for your PS5 or a computer — it's a smart idea to first check out historically reliable brands. This doesn't mean an upcoming brand can't make an amazing product, but in the world of computer parts, certain brands have developed a reputation for consistently delivering top-tier products. A few major SSD brands on this list include Western Digital, Samsung, Corsair, and Crucial.
Of course, we don't blindly select products from reliable brands. We checked out real-world applications from professional reviewers and other individual users that put each SSD through its paces, testing whether the read/write speeds advertised by the manufacturer are actually true.
A great SSD also comes in a variety of sizes to accommodate different storage needs and budgets. Some of the storage options we chose for the PS5 offer a 500GB capacity (if you typically play smaller games and are just looking to double your PS5's built-in storage) or as much as 4TB of extra storage.
An SSD going inside your PS5 also needs an effective heatsink, so we analyzed that as well among reviews when selecting products. On a similar note, the SSD slot inside the PS5 can only fit specific SSD sizes (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110), so we verified that every one of these options is an appropriate size and paid attention to how well people said each SSD fit inside their console.
Best Overall: Corsair MP600 PRO LPX
The Corsair MP600 PRO LPX M.2 SSD offers incredibly fast read/write speeds of 7,100 Mbps and 6,800 Mbps, respectively. Your PS5 games will load quickly and smoothly with PCIe Gen4 technology, and even large game files will download in no time.
This 2280-size SSD fits snugly into your PS5's SSD slot and comes equipped with a pre-installed heat spreader made with aluminum. A heatsink generally does a better job of cooling, but the heat spreader on this Corsair SSD disperses heat well enough to prevent throttling your gaming experience.
On Corsair's website, the MP600 PRO LPX M.2 SSD is priced at $79.99 for 1TB of storage and $279.99 for 4TB. There are 500GB and 2TB options as well.
Runner Up: Kingston FURY Renegade
The Kingston FURY Renegade PCIe M.2 SSD was made for the PS5 with its integrated aluminum heatsink. This heatsink is in addition to the SSD's graphene aluminum heat spreader, so your drive will certainly stay cool during peak performance.
Then, Kingston's FURY Renegade SSD sports cloning software and a 2280 form factor that works perfectly on the PS5. It also has fast read/write speeds of 7,300 Mbps and 6,000 Mbps, respectively.
You can buy the 1TB FURY Renegade SSD on Kingston's website for $117.99, where you can also check out the other sizes: 500GB, 2TB, and 4TB.
Best Budget: XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade
The XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade M.2 SSD features PCIe Gen4 technology and a 2280 size to fit perfectly inside your PS5's SSD slot. It boasts a max read speed of 7,400 Mbps and a max write speed of 6,800 Mbps.
The S70 Blade comes with a heatsink to regulate high temperatures while playing performance-intensive games on your PS5. Your PS5 firmware needs to be updated to version 21.02-04.00.00.42 or higher in order to work with this SSD.
Purchase the XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade SSD with 1TB of storage for only $54.99 on Amazon. Other storage capacities available include 512GB, 2TB, and 4TB.
Budget Runner Up: Crucial P5 Plus with heatsink
Crucial's P5 Plus M.2 SSD offers extra PS5 storage at a highly affordable price, but you won't experience read/write speeds as high as those on pricier M.2 SSDs. This SSD has a sequential read speed of 6,600 Mbps and a sequential write speed of 5,000 Mbps.
As with other Crucial SSDs, the P5 Plus comes with the company's proprietary Storage Exclusive and free cloning software and features Micron Advanced NAND and PCIe Gen4 NVMe technology. Then, an integrated heatsink and adaptive thermal protection will keep your SSD cool and prevent throttling.
From the Crucial website, you can pick up a 1TB P5 Plus SSD for only $69.99 right now. Other storage capacities include 500GB and 2TB.
Best Premium: Seagate FireCuda 530
Seagate is one of the most reliable SSD brands you can go for, but the products can be a bit pricey. The FireCuda 530 M.2 PCIe Gen4 SSD offers impressive performance with sequential read/write speeds of 7,300 Mbps and 6,000 Mbps, respectively.
Designed by both EKWB and Seagate, the custom-built heatsink will keep throttling to a minimum, so you have a smooth gaming experience. Seagate notes that the FireCuda 530 with a heatsink exceeds the standard 2280 dimensions, but it still fits well inside PS5 consoles.
Buy Seagate's FireCuda 530 SSD with a 1TB capacity for $99.99 from Amazon. Or, opt for one of the other storage capacities: 500GB, 2TB, or 4TB.
Best Officially Licensed: WD_BLACK SN850
Western Digital makes stunning SSDs, and the WD_BLACK SN850 M.2 SSD is no different. This 2280-size SSD is officially tested and certified for PS5 consoles, with storage capacity options of 1TB or 2TB.
With PCIe Gen4 and NVMe technologies, the SN850 SSD can reach read speeds up to 7,000 Mbps and write speeds up to 5,300 Mbps. This SSD comes with a built-in heatsink to keep your drive cool during even the most stressful, performance-intensive games.
You can purchase a 1TB WD_BLACK SN850 SSD directly from Western Digital's website for $104.99. The 2TB variant costs $154.99.
Best Samsung: 990 Pro with heatsink
The 990 Pro M.2 SSD from Samsung features PCIe Gen 4 technology for better speed and overall performance. You'll experience sequential read/write speeds up to 7,450 Mbps and 6,900 Mbps, respectively.
This 2280-size SSD is equipped with Samsung's proprietary nickel-coated controller that delivers smart thermal control with minimal fan noise. With Samsung Magician tools, you can monitor the drive's health, set up LED color preferences, and protect and back up your data.
Buy Samsung's 990 Pro SSD with a heatsink and 1TB of storage for $84.99 right now from Best Buy, or splurge on the 2TB option.
Best Heatsink Solution: SABRENT Rocket 4 Plus with PS5 heatsink
SABRENT's Rocket 4 Plus M.2 SSD offers impressively speedy performance and a top-tier heatsink solution. This 2280-size SSD can reach read/write speeds up to 7,000 Mbps and 6,600 Mbps, respectively.
The SSD's shining feature is its heatsink made with high-quality aluminum that's designed to replace the PS5's native SSD cover. Ultimately, this allows for better cooling than other internal SSD options, so if you play games that demand high performance, this is your best option for reducing throttle.
Snag the SABRENT Rocket 4 Plus SSD with 1TB of storage for $89.99 from Amazon. Other storage capacity options include 500GB, 2TB, or 4TB.
Best Overall External Drive: Crucial X8
Crucial's X8 external SSD is a great way to add storage to your PS5 console for PS4 games. You can store PS5 games on an external SSD, but you won't be able to run PS5 games through the external drive because it's just not powerful enough.
External SSDs aren't that much pricier than external HDDs, so it's worth investing in this speedier option. The X8 SSD features read speeds up to 1,050 Mbps and an anodized aluminum design that's drop-proof up to 7.5 feet, as well as resistance to extreme temperatures, shock, and vibration.
Buy the Crucial X8 external SSD with 1TB of storage for $59.99 from Amazon. There are also 2TB and 4TB options.
Best High-Speed External Drive: WD P40
If you have a vast library of PS4 games or excess PS5 games, an external drive can be an essential PS5 accessory. From an external drive, you can only run PS4 games, but you can use the drive to temporarily store PS5 game files and quickly move them over when you want to play that game.
The WD_BLACK P40 external drive offers high speeds of up to 2,000 Mbps and storage capacities of 500GB, 1TB, or 2TB. All of this speedy performance is packed into a shock-resistant, portable design that can withstand drops up to two meters.
Purchase a 1-terabyte WD_BLACK P40 external SSD from Western Digital's website for $109.99.