The perfect SSDs for PS5 in 2025

When Sony first released the PlayStation 5, it wasn’t attainable to increase the console’s storage. Fortunately, that modified with a software update that the corporate pushed out lower than a yr later. And with how huge some recreation installs have change into lately, it’s an excellent factor, too: the PS5’s built-in 667GB of house could have been adequate within the system’s first yr, however now, the default drive is completely limiting.

The excellent news is a typical PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD can remedy all your 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 need to know is what the very best PS5 SSDs are, we’ve acquired 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 incessantly discover the 1TB mannequin on sale for as little as $60. Essential additionally provides a model with a heatsink, so it’s price including each the Corsair MP600 and Essential T500 to a value watch checklist and shopping for whichever mannequin is cheaper once you’re able to improve your PS5.

Execs

• Quick
• Out there 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 checklist, the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is probably the most fascinating. It comes with a novel heatsink that you just set up instead of the storage growth slot’s metallic cowl. Sabrent claims this design improves cooling efficiency. In consequence, 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 beneath, you’ll be able to’t run PS5 video games from an exterior drive — however you should utilize one to retailer any video games you aren’t enjoying in the intervening time, together with older PS4 video games.

One in all my favourite transportable drives is the Samsung T7. It might write information at a speedy 1,000 MB/s. For those who plan to make use of the drive completely for at-home use, it can save you cash by shopping for the common mannequin as an alternative of the ruggedized Defend variant. I’ve been utilizing T7 drives to retailer my images, music and video games for years, they usually have but to fail me. The newest mannequin, the Samsung T9, boasts learn/write speeds of as much as 2,000MB/s.

Execs

• Inexpensive
• Dependable
• Rugged variant out there

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 advisable on this checklist, both for PS5 or pc use. I additionally purchased and used our high choose in my very own PS5.

How a lot PS5 storage do I want?

The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro can settle for inside drives with between 250GB and 8TB of storage capability. For those who already personal a PS5, chances are high you’ve an inexpensive concept of how a lot storage you want ​​to your recreation library. For those who’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. For those who’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. For those who’re not a CoD fan, although, chances are high you’ll be good to retailer between six to 10 video games on an everyday PS5 internally earlier than operating into issues.

You additionally want to contemplate your web pace. For those who reside in an space with sluggish broadband, the “you’ll be able to simply obtain it once more” rationale doesn’t actually work. At my previous dwelling, a 100GB obtain took me round eight hours, throughout which period it was tough to concurrently watch Twitch or, say, publish articles about upgrading PS5 SSDs. Retaining video games round on the off-chance you’ll need to play them in some unspecified time in the future is smart.

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 lots of house for contemporary video games to reside 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.

Until you’re rolling in money and need to flex, 4TB and 8TB fashions ought to largely 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 attributable to storage being reserved for the working system and caching. For those who set up a 1TB PS5 SSD, you will have, inside a margin of error, 1TB of storage out there for video games. Out of the field, the PS5 Professional provides 1.86TB of storage for video games, although you’ll be able to eke out extra when you 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 exhausting drives are inclined to value lower than inside SSD counterparts (and there’s an excellent probability 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 by way of USB, and is simply appropriate for enjoying PlayStation 4 video games, or storing PS5 titles. That’s helpful if in case you have something however the very best high-speed web — it’s quicker 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.

As a result of 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 instances. Any fundamental transportable drive from a good model will do, with the Essential X9 Professional and Samsung T7 being choices we’ve tried and might suggest.

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 further components to contemplate. The primary necessities Sony has laid out for compatibility come down to hurry, cooling and bodily dimensions.

For pace, Sony says drives ought to be capable to deal with sequential reads at 5,500MB/s. Early testing confirmed that the PS5 would settle for drives as sluggish as 4,800MB/s, and that video games that faucet into the SSD commonly — reminiscent of 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, when you don’t have already got that drive mendacity round, is just not price taking. Simply because we haven’t discovered points but doesn’t imply there received’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 big, and also you may as effectively cowl all of your bases.

Barely extra sophisticated than pace is cooling and measurement. 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 shall be 22mm huge and 80mm lengthy, so no downside there.

It needs 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, reminiscent of a heatsink.” The utmost peak supported by Sony’s slot is 11.25mm, of which solely 2.45mm will 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 revealed 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 resolution that may work for the PS5.

The one part in an NVMe SSD that basically requires cooling is the controller, which with no heatsink will fortunately sear a (very small) steak. Most SSDs have chips on just one facet, however even on double-sided SSDs, the controller is prone to be on high, as producers comprehend it must be positioned there to raised dissipate warmth.

So, head to your PC part vendor of alternative and choose up mainly something that meets the advisable dimensions. search time period is “laptop computer NVME heatsink,” as these shall 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 fantastic, and in performing stress assessments on a PC, we couldn’t discover something metallic that didn’t hold temperatures below management. While you’re looking out, simply be sure 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 final thing: When purchasing 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 benefit from 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’ll be able to afford.

The best way to set up an SSD into your PS5

For those who want steering on how to install 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 simple, however our how-to can assist you when you’re caught. Simply make notice: Earlier than making an attempt so as to add extra storage by way of a PS5 SSD, guarantee that you’ve Sony’s latest software installed.