If your PlayStation 5 library starts to break at the seams, the best SSD upgrade with PlayStation 5 can make a huge difference. Modern PS5 games are huge, and while the console has a fast internal storage, it fills up quickly – especially if you’re juggling large titles like Call of Duty, Spider-Man 2, or Final Fantasy XVI. Compatible SSDs can give you more space without sacrificing load time or performance, so you can spend less time managing your library and more time playing.
Many SSDs are easy to install and execute, just as fast as the built-in storage of the PS5. You need to look for drives that meet Sony specifications, including Gen4 speeds and a built-in radiator (or add an add feature). Whether you are pursuing a lot of storage for your digital collection or just wanting to improve the performance of next-generation titles, we have a summary of top SSD options that suit all your needs and budgets.
Read more: These are the best SSDs of 2025
Table of contents
Best SSDs for PS5 in 2025
pirate
capacity: Up to 8TB | Sequential read performance: 7,100MB/s | Sequential writing performance: 6,800MB/s | connect:M.2
The Corsair MP600 Pro LPX has put it on the top of our list, becoming the best PS5 SSD, and being the complete package. It is fast, offers excellent performance and reads up to 7,100mb/s. It also comes with a pre-installed supplier and a five-year warranty.
Most importantly, the MP600 is affordable. After it comes on sale for $190, you can usually find that the 1TB version sells for as low as $80, while the 2TB model fluctuates between $110 and $150. The 4TB and 8TB models are not very bargaining. The MP600 is not the fastest NVME on this list either. But, as far as boring choices are concerned, it’s hard to beat.
- Built-in radiator
- Affordable
- Not the fastest GEN4 model
$100 at Amazon
Crucial
capacity: Up to 4TB | Reading Performance: 7,300MB/s | Writing performance: 6,800 MB/S | connect:M.2
If you want to save some money by installing your own radiator, the crucial T500 is a great option. Reading speeds up to 7,300mb/s, which exceeds Sony’s technical requirements, and you often find 1TB models for as little as $60. The critical version also comes with a radiator, so it’s worth adding the Corsair MP600 and the critical T500 to the price watch list and which model to buy when you’re ready to upgrade the PS5.
- Quickly
- With or without supply
$89 for Amazon
Sabrent
capacity: Up to 8TB | Sequential read performance: 7,000mb/s | Sequential writing performance: 6,600MB/s | connect:M.2
Of all SSDs on this list, Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is the most interesting one. It comes with a unique radiator that you can replace the metal cover of the storage slot. Sabrent claims this design improves cooling performance. As a result, expect your expenses to be higher than the models with a universal radiator, with the 1TB version priced at about $110 and the 2TB model priced at between $220 and $280.
- PS5 specific radiator design
- Not as fast as other options
- Expensive relative to other drives
$117 on Amazon
Samsung
capacity: Up to 4TB | Reading Performance: 1,050MB/s | Writing performance: 1,000mb/s | connect: USB 3.0
As I explained below, you can’t run PS5 games from an external drive – but you can use one game to store all the games you aren’t currently playing, including older PS4 games.
One of my favorite portable drives is the Samsung T7. It can write files at 1,000 MB/s. If you plan to use the drive exclusively for home use, you can save money by buying a regular model instead of a sturdy shield variant. I’ve been using the T7 drive for years to store my own photos, music and games, but they haven’t let me down yet. The latest model Samsung T9 has a reading/writing speed of up to 2,000mb/s.
- Affordable
- Reliable
- Available rugged variants
- Unable to play PS5 games from external drives
$98 on Amazon
How we test PS5 SSD
I’ve tested most of the SSDs recommended on this list, whether for PS5 or computer use. I also purchased and used our top pick in my own PS5.
PS5 SSD FAQ
How much PS5 storage do I need?
The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro can accept internal drives with 250GB to 8TB of storage capacity. If you already have a PS5, you’ll most likely have a reasonable idea of how much storage space your game library needs. If you are buying an SSD with a new PS5 or PS5 Pro or for someone else, it’s hard to tell the high-performance experience you might need.
PS5 games are on average smaller than their PS4 equivalents, usually occupying between 30GB and 100GB, and have some notable (very popular) exceptions. If you are a fan of the Call of Duty series, please install Black Ops 6 and WARZONE 2.0 You can eat up to 240GB. In other words, a full Call of Duty installation will account for more than one-third of the PS5’s internal storage. However, if you are not a COD fan, you will most likely store 6 to 10 games on your regular PS5 inside before you run into problems.
You also need to consider your internet speed. If you live in a slow broadband area, the reason “you can download it again” doesn’t really work. In my old home, the 100GB download took me about eight hours, and it was difficult to watch twitches at the same time or publish articles about upgrading the PS5 SSD. Keep the scope of the game, it makes sense that you want to play at some point.
On bats, there is basically no necessary 250GB PS5 SSD. Economically speaking, a 250GB drive is no much cheaper than a 500GB drive, and in fact, life in modern gaming is not actually a lot of space. A 500GB drive may be a good choice, but after years of price drop, I think the best option for most people is to opt for a high-capacity 1TB or 2TB drive, which should make you up to $200. The latter will more than double the storage space of the PS5 Pro without breaking the bank.
Unless you are paying cash and wanting to bend, you should avoid 4TB and 8TB models, as you end up paying more per GB model than you would have to use a 1TB or 2TB drive.
While the 825GB PS5 only offers 667GB of storage, this is mainly due to storage being reserved for the operating system and cache. If you have 1TB PS5 SSD installed, you can use 1TB of storage space available for gaming in the room for error. Out of the box, the PS5 Pro provides 1.86TB of storage for the game, although you can delete more if you delete the preinstalled Astro Playroom (GASP).
Since neither the PS5 Slim nor the PS5 Pro features update the CPU architecture, all our suggestions can be used with any PS5 model you have.
Can you play PS5 games on an external SSD?
External hard drives tend to cost less than their internal SSD counterparts (and most likely you already have one). Unfortunately, what restrictions can you do with them. The external SSD is connected to the PS5 via USB and is only available for PlayStation 4 games or to store PS5 titles. If you have the best high-speed internet, that would be useful – moving PS5 games out of an external drive is faster than re-downloading, or wishing to have the PS4 library on hand.
Due to the limitations here, you don’t need the highest performing model, although you should choose an SSD that exceeds HDD to improve transfer speed and loading time. Any basic portable drive from a reputable brand can do it, and the crucial X9 Pro and Samsung T7 are the options we try and can recommend.
Which SSD cards are compatible with PS5?
The official answer to this question is “M.2 Socket 3 (Key M) GEN4 X4 NVME SSD”. But even in seemingly specific descriptions, there are other factors to consider. The main requirements for Sony’s layout for compatibility reduce speed, cooling and physical dimensions.
For speed, Sony says the drive should be able to process sequential readings at 5,500MB/s. Early tests show that the PS5’s drive will be slower than 4,800mb/s and will regularly hit SSD games – for example Ratchet & Clank: Rift Valley – No problems are caused. The only thing that PS5 rejects completely is the rejection that doesn’t match the Gen4 X4 specifications.
However, we think the risk of using a drive is slower than specs, and if you haven’t taken a walk yet, it’s not worth taking. Just because we haven’t found a problem yet, it doesn’t mean there will be no game that will likely be in trouble in the future. These slightly slower Gen4 drives don’t differ significantly from Sony-compliant price, so you might as well cover all the basics.
More complex than speed is cooling and size. Most new SSDs will be great. The PS5 can fit exactly 22mm wide SSDs (30mm, 40mm, 60mm, 80mm or 110mm). The vast majority of drives you find will be 22mm wide and 80mm long, so there is no problem.
It should be noted that the system can fit a 25mm wide driver, but this width must include a cooling solution. Speaking of which, Sony says, the SSD requires “effective cooling using cooling structures such as radiators.” The maximum height supported by the Sony slot is 11.25mm, of which only 2.45mm can be “below” the drive.
Previously, this meant that some of the most popular Heatsinken4 SSDs, including Corsair’s MP600 Pro LP, were not suitable for the PS5’s storage expansion slot. Since Engadget first released this guide in 2021, most NVME manufacturers, including Samsung, have proposed PlayStation-specific models that meet these requirements. That said, if you want to save some money, exposed drives are usually cheap, and finding a cooling solution for PS5 is trivial.
The only component that really needs cooling in an NVME SSD is the controller, which will happily bake (very small) steak without a radiator. Most SSDs have chips on only one side, but even on a double-sided SSD, the controller may be on top, as manufacturers know it needs to be placed here to dissipate heat better.
So head to the PC component seller of your choice and basically pick up anything that matches the recommended size. A good search term is “Laptop NVME HeatSink” because they are designed to fit the scope of gaming laptops, which are more restrictive than the PS5. They are also usually cheaper than those marked “PS5 HeatSinks”.
One suggestion is this $6 copper heating link, which attaches to the PS5 SSD with a sticky thermal interface material. It works fine and when stress tests are performed on a PC, we can’t find any metal that can’t control the temperature. When searching, just make sure that the solution you are using is no more than 25mm wide or 8mm (including thermal interface material) and has a simple installation method that will not cause any headaches.
One last thing: When buying a PS5 NVME, there is no reason to buy a Gen5 model with a more affordable Gen4 model. On the surface, Sony’s consoles can’t take advantage of the new standard, and although Gen5 drives are backward compatible, they are more expensive than Gen4’s drives. Just buy the fastest, largest GEN4 model you can afford.
How to install SSD in PS5
If you need guidance on how to install a new NVME into a PS5 or PS5 Pro, we have a separate guide detailing all the steps here. Installation is very easy, but if you get stuck, our how to do it can help. Just note: Before trying to add more storage via the PS5 SSD, make sure you have Sony’s latest software installed.
