You can plug in an SSD up to 8TB with your PS5

Best answer: Just like the PS4, the PS5 supports external hard drives and SSDs up to 8TB, so that’s the maximum amount of storage you can have in addition to its built-in SSD. It’s unknown whether the same limitations will be in place once Sony expands its internal storage options.

Why do I need more storage on my PS5?

Every PS5 comes packed with an 825GB internal SSD, and only about 667GB of that is usable for your games. When games can reach 50GB to even 100GB each, that only leaves room for a handful. And if you happen to buy smaller games around 20GB, you’re still looking at a few dozen that you can store at any one time. If you play games frequently, you likely have more games than that. Since it can be a hassle to continually delete and redownload games, you’ll want to pick up some extra storage.

Does the PS5 support internal SSDs?

Though Sony will be adding expanded internal storage support for the PS5 at some point, it doesn’t currently support it. PS5 storage is a bit complicated at the moment because you can only use external USB devices, and even then, you can’t play PS5 games off of them, not even on the best SSDs for PS5. When it comes to PS5 games specifically, an external device really is just storage.

PlayStation 4 games, however, can both be stored and played off of an external hard drive or SSD connected to your PS5.

What size SSD should I buy for my PS5?

Any SSD connected to your PS5 must have a minimum capacity of 250GB or a maximum capacity of 8TB. Any size in between should work, and most people tend to buy either 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB drives for their storage. Just make sure that it supports at least SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps and connects through USB 3.0 or later.

Can I use an external hard drive with my PS5?

Yup. Even though PS5 games need an internal SSD at the moment, you can still use your old PS4 HDDs on PS5 to play backward-compatible PlayStation 4 games. It’s not always ideal because they’ll load slower, but it does save up your internal storage for the games that actually need it. Again, the same capacity limits apply.

Our pick

Seagate Desktop 8TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0

$200 at Amazon

The most bang for your buck

Seagate is a reliable brand frequently used for gaming, and its 8TB HDD is compatible with PS5 through its USB 3.0 connection. Just plug it in, format it, and you’re ready to store all of your games. This shouldn’t fill up anytime soon.

Less is more

Samsung T7 Portable SSD (500GB)

$80 at Amazon
$100 at Best Buy

Faster speeds for your games

While you can’t play PS5 games off of an external SSD, you can store PS4 and PS5 games on one, freeing up your internal storage for next-gen titles that need it. 500GB is a lot less storage than 8TB, but SSDs are dramatically more expensive than HDDs.