PS5 storage support, SSD and HDD memory drives can be added to your PlayStation 5 to boost the amount of memory storage - meaning more games, files, movies and so on! The increasing size of games these days means that expanding memory is more a necessity than a luxury after a while, and the PS5 storage isn't particularly remarkable to begin with. So with that in mind, how do you increase your console memory, and what SSD/HDD will you need to do so? What's even the difference between them? We'll explain everything you need to know about this below.
PS5 compatible SSD for internal upgrades
Sony have released an official explanation and requirements for what kind of SSD is needed to expand your memory accordingly (assuming you don't use the lesser HDD), the full details of which can be found here. However, here are some important factors to take into consideration:
- Interface: PCI-Express Gen4x4 supported M.2 NVMe SSD (Key M)
- Storage: 250 GB–4 TB
- Supported sizes: 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110
- Size (including heat-dissipation mechanism)
- Width: up to 25 mm
- Length: 30/40/60/80/110 mm
- Thickness: up to 11.25 mm (up to 8.0 mm from above the board, up to 2.45 mm from below the board)
- Sequential read speed: 5500 MB/s or faster is recommended
- Socket type: Socket 3 (Key M)
Clearly there's a lot of technical details to keep in mind, but don't worry: we've started compiling a list of potential candidates and external options over on our PS5 SSD guide.
PS5 external hard drive support
As we've talked about on our guide to the best PS5 external hard drives, from day one, you could plug any external hard drive into your PS5 and use it for additional storage. You can even take your old PS4 external hard drive and then just plug it straight into PS5. It'll recognize all your games and then queue up any patches or updates they might need - handy that.
I personally bought a brand new SSD - a 1TB Samsung option - to set up as a dedicated PS5 drive, and internally we've also tried a number of HDD drives, including those already stuffed with PS4 titles, so can confirm it's a seamless transition.
Until a recent system update in April 2021 you could only store PS4 games on an external PS5 hard drive, but that has now thankfully been fixed and you can now move PS5 games over too. You can only play PS4 games direct from an external storage solution though, you'll have to move PS5 games back onto the external SSD on PS5 as even today's best SSDs for gaming aren't quite up to the spec of the PS5's as far as giving you all those next-gen benefits go.
What you can do though is make sure you head to the settings menu > Storage > Extended Storage and set all PS4 games to automatically install to the external drive (if you've got one connected), to make sure you're using all that internal space for pure PS5 gaming. If you have any spare space though, we've found PS4 games load much faster when played directly on the PS5.
For more information check out the below:
PS5 review | How to eject a PS5 disc | Transfer games to PS5 hard drive | How to use a PS4 controller with PS5 | Where is the PS5 power button | PS5 standby mode explained | Upcoming PS5 games | How to download PS4 saves on PS5 | PS5 deals | Best PS5 headsets
