The very best SSDs for PS5 in 2025

When Sony first released the PlayStation 5, it wasn’t doable to increase the console’s storage. Fortunately, that modified with a software update that the corporate pushed out lower than a 12 months later. And with how massive some sport installs have change into lately, it’s a very good factor, too: the PS5’s built-in 667GB of area could have been ok within the system’s first 12 months, however now, the default drive is totally limiting.

The excellent news is a regular PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD can resolve your entire PS5 storage woes. If that mess of acronyms has you recoiling, don’t fear: you’ll see that it’s not all that sophisticated. And if all you wish to know is what the perfect PS5 SSDs are, we’ve obtained them proper on the high.

Learn extra: These are the best SSDs in 2025

Finest PS5 SSDs in 2025

Essential

Capability: As much as 4TB | Learn efficiency: 7,300MB/s | Write efficiency: 6,800 MB/s | Connection: M.2

If you wish to save a bit of cash by putting in your personal heatsink, the Crucial T500 is a superb possibility. With learn speeds of as much as 7,300MB/s, it surpasses Sony’s technical necessities, and you may ceaselessly discover the 1TB mannequin on sale for as little as $60. Essential additionally provides a model with a heatsink, so it’s value including each the Corsair MP600 and Essential T500 to a value watch record and shopping for whichever mannequin is cheaper if you’re able to improve your PS5.

Execs

• Quick
• Accessible with or with out heatsink

$88 at Amazon

SABRENT

Capability: As much as 8TB | Sequential learn efficiency: 7,000MB/s | Sequential write efficiency: 6,600MB/s | Connection: M.2

Of all of the SSDs on this record, the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is probably the most fascinating. It comes with a singular heatsink that you just set up rather than the storage growth slot’s steel cowl. Sabrent claims this design improves cooling efficiency. Because of this, anticipate to pay greater than you’ll for a mannequin with a generic heatsink, with the 1TB variant coming in at round $110 and the 2TB mannequin costing between $220 and $280.

Execs

• PS5-specific heatsink design

Cons

• Not as quick as different choices
• Costly relative to different drives

$130 at Amazon

SAMSUNG

Capability: As much as 4TB | Learn efficiency: 1,050MB/s | Write efficiency: 1,000MB/s | Connection: USB 3.0

As I clarify under, you possibly can’t run PS5 video games from an exterior drive — however you should utilize one to retailer any video games you aren’t enjoying for the time being, together with older PS4 video games.

Certainly one of my favourite transportable drives is the Samsung T7. It may write information at a speedy 1,000 MB/s. In case you plan to make use of the drive completely for at-home use, it can save you cash by shopping for the common mannequin as a substitute of the ruggedized Protect variant. I’ve been utilizing T7 drives to retailer my photographs, music and video games for years, they usually have but to fail me. The most recent mannequin, the Samsung T9, boasts learn/write speeds of as much as 2,000MB/s.

Execs

• Reasonably priced
• Dependable
• Rugged variant accessible

Cons

• Can’t play PS5 video games from exterior drive

$90 at Amazon

How we check PS5 SSDs

I’ve examined a lot of the SSDs beneficial on this record, both for PS5 or laptop use. I additionally purchased and used our high decide in my very own PS5.

How a lot PS5 storage do I would like?

The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro can settle for inside drives with between 250GB and 8TB of storage capability. In case you already personal a PS5, likelihood is you have got an affordable concept of how a lot storage you want ​​in your sport library. In case you’re shopping for an SSD with a brand new PS5 or PS5 Professional, or shopping for for another person, it’s tougher to inform what you may 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 case you’re a fan of the Name of Obligation collection, putting in Black Ops 6 and 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 case you’re not a CoD fan, although, likelihood is you’ll be good to retailer between six to 10 video games on an everyday PS5 internally earlier than working into issues.

You additionally want to think about your web velocity. In case you stay in an space with gradual broadband, the “you possibly can simply obtain it once more” rationale doesn’t actually work. At my outdated dwelling, a 100GB obtain took me round eight hours, throughout which era it was tough to concurrently watch Twitch or, say, publish articles about upgrading PS5 SSDs. Maintaining video games round on the off-chance you’ll wish to play them in some unspecified time in the future 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 basically isn’t loads of area for contemporary video games to stay on. 500GB drives is usually 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.

Except you’re rolling in money and wish to flex, 4TB and 8TB fashions ought to principally be prevented, as you’ll find yourself paying extra per gigabyte than you’ll with a 1TB or 2TB drive.

Whereas the 825GB PS5 solely gives 667GB of storage, that’s largely because of storage being reserved for the working system and caching. In case you set up a 1TB PS5 SSD, you will have, inside a margin of error, 1TB of storage accessible for video games. Out of the field, the PS5 Professional provides 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 onerous drives are inclined to value lower than inside SSD counterparts (and there’s a very good likelihood you may personal one already). Sadly, there are restrictions on what you are able to do with them. An exterior SSD connects to your PS5 through USB, and is just appropriate for taking part in PlayStation 4 video games, or storing PS5 titles. That’s helpful when you have something however the perfect high-speed web — it’s sooner to maneuver a PS5 sport out of “chilly storage” on an exterior drive than it’s to re-download it — or wish to maintain your PS4 library available.

Because of the limitations right here, you don’t want the highest-performing mannequin, though it’s best to go for SSDs over HDDs for improved switch speeds and cargo occasions. Any primary transportable drive from a good model will do, with the Essential X9 Professional and Samsung T7 being choices we’ve tried and may advocate.

Which SSD playing cards are appropriate with the PS5?

The official answer to this query is an “M.2 Socket 3 (Key M) Gen4 x4 NVME SSD.” However even inside that seemingly particular description, there are extra elements to think about. The principle necessities Sony has laid out for compatibility come down to hurry, cooling and bodily dimensions.

For velocity, Sony says drives ought to be capable of 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 that does not 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, isn’t value taking. Simply because we haven’t discovered points but doesn’t imply there gained’t be video games that may very well be problematic sooner or later. The value distinction between these marginally slower Gen4 drives and those that meet Sony’s spec isn’t large, and also you may as nicely cowl all of your bases.

Barely extra sophisticated than velocity is cooling and dimension. Most new SSDs are going to be simply fantastic; 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 broad and 80mm lengthy, so no drawback there.

It ought to be famous that the system can match a 25mm-wide drive, however that width should embrace the cooling resolution. Talking of, Sony says SSDs require “efficient warmth dissipation with a cooling construction, similar to a heatsink.” The utmost top supported by Sony’s slot is 11.25mm, of which solely 2.45mm will be “under” the drive.

This beforehand meant a number of 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 revealed this information in 2021, most NVMe makers, together with Samsung, have come out with PlayStation-specific fashions that meet these necessities. That stated, if you wish to avoid wasting cash, naked drives are sometimes cheaper and it’s trivial to discover a cooling resolution that can work for the PS5.

The one element in an NVMe SSD that basically 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 prone to be on high, as producers understand it must be positioned there to raised dissipate warmth.

So, head to your PC element vendor of selection and decide up mainly something that meets the beneficial dimensions. 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 suggestion is that this $6 copper heatsink, which attaches to the PS5 SSD with sticky thermal interface materials. It really works simply fantastic, and in performing stress exams on a PC, we couldn’t discover something steel that didn’t maintain temperatures below management. Whenever you’re looking, simply ensure that the answer you go for measures not more than 25mm broad 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 final thing: When purchasing for a PS5 NVMe, there’s no motive to purchase a Gen5 mannequin over a extra inexpensive Gen4 mannequin. As issues stand, Sony’s console can’t benefit from the brand new customary, and although Gen5 drives are backward appropriate, they’re costlier than their Gen4 counterparts. Simply purchase the quickest and highest-capacity Gen4 mannequin you possibly can afford.

Easy methods to set up an SSD into your PS5

In case you want steering on how to install your new NVMe into your PS5 or PS5 Professional, we have now 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 be aware: Earlier than making an attempt so as to add extra storage through a PS5 SSD, guarantee that you’ve got Sony’s latest software installed.