Sony has finally announced the PS5 SSD beta update that lets you increase its painfully small storage space by installing an off-the-shelf M.2 module. But before you go out and buy a new SSD, you want to make sure it’s actually compatible as an expansion drive.
There are a few things to consider when buying an SSD for PS5: Only NVMe PCIe 4.0 drives with a 5,500MB/sec or faster sequential read speed are going to work. You also want to make sure that your extra SSD will actually fit inside the PS5’s expansion slot, especially considering that you’ll need a potentially bulky heatsink to keep temperatures in check.
Instead of having to check specs and measurements, we’ve picked out the best PS5 SSDs that are guaranteed to work. Trust us, there’s nothing worse than spending the money and time to install a drive and then have your PS5 spit out an error message. Without further ado, here are the best PS5 SSDs. If you're browsing in the UK, click here to see all the best PS5 SSDs in the UK.
TL;DR – These are the Best PS5 SSDs:
1. WD_Black SN850
Best PS5 SSD
Western Digital’s WD_Black SN850 is the best SSD you can pick up as your PS5’s second SSD drive. It rises above its competitors with a 5,300MB/s sequential write speed. What’s more, with a 7,000MB/s read speed that exceeds the bandwidth Sony has put on the secondary drive slot, you’ll never have to worry about running into load times.
Better yet this drive comes with a pre-installed heat sink so you won’t have to worry about installing one yourself or having to find a third-party option. This drive isn’t just great for the PS5, we also recommend it as the best SSD for gaming overall on our more PC-focused SSD roundup.
2. Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus
Best Budget PS5 SSD
Who says you have to spend a fortune on a PCIe 4.0 SSD? The Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus often comes in at a lower list and retail price than bigger-name drives from WD and Samsung, and yet it offers just as much speed. In fact, you’re getting a 7,000MB/s read speed and 5,300MB/s write speed.
Sabrent isn’t cheaping out by making its drives with QLC or PLC NAND either – you’re getting the same TLC type NAND you would find on our top SSD picks. If you’re looking for a fast, reliable PCIe 4.0 drive, you can’t do much better than this. The only thing this drive lacks is a heatsink, but you can easily pick up a third-party part for as little as $10.
3. Crucial P5 Plus
Best Ultra Cheap PS5 SSD
The Crucial P5 Plus isn't nearly as blisteringly as our two other top PS5 SSD picks but it's way more than fast enough to meet Sony's requirements. With a 6,600MB/s sequential read speed, it's 1,100MB/s faster than the PS5's own internal storage. This drive's sequential write speed is no slouch either at 5,000MB/s, so it keeps up with almost all of its competitors.
What's more, the drive's come at a more approachable $179 price and it's currently the most affordable SSD you can use to expand your PS5's storage space. Just know this low price doesn't include a heatsink, so you'll need to buy an aftermarket option.
4. Samsung 980 Pro
Best Runner-Up PS5 SSD
The WD_Black SN850 just edged out the Samsung 980 Pro for the best PS5 SSD, but second best ain’t bad. This PCIe 4.0 drive still reads at an outstanding 7,000MB/s and writes at 5,000MB/s. Both figures will likely outpace the total throughput Sony has designed into the PS5’s secondary SSD slot.
The Samsung 980 Pro is also unique in that its 3D TLC NAND memory is arranged in a V-shape, which helps it write at twice the speed and offers better performance in the long run. This could come in handy if you’re recording a lot of gameplay clips and images to share later. Again you’ll need to pick up an aftermarket heatsink to keep its operating temperatures manageable.
5. Seagate FireCuda 530
Best High-Performance PS5 SSD
For an SSD that can fly in your PS5, the Seagate FireCuda 530 is ready to go. This drive comes in a variety of capacities from 500GB to 4TB, letting you go for a size that suits your needs, whether that’s just a minor expansion or a huge game library. The drive uses dependable 3D TLC NAND flash memory that has impressive durability, letting you completely rewrite the drive over 1,200 times, which likely won’t be a problem for a largely static game library that’s not constantly being rewritten.
The drive offers read speeds up to 7,300MB/s, meeting Sony’s requirements. Better still, Seagate itself is confirming compatibility with PS5. Not that it’s as relevant, but the drive also offers dazzling 6,900MB/s sequential write speeds. Helping the drive keep up that splashy performance is a heatsink designed in partnership with EKWB, which is behind some great liquid coolers.
6. WD_Black P50 Game Drive
Best External PS5 SSD
The WD_Black P50 Game Drive is a great way to add even more storage space to your PS5, especially if you find yourself playing a lot of older games. You can’t run PS5 games off of it (only PS4 games will work) but with the latest update, you can shuttle them back and forth between the internal drive and an external so that you don’t have to delete them when you run low on space and redownload them when you want to play again.
The WD_Black P50 Game Drive is a fast external SSD that’s designed specifically for gaming, including an aluminum shell to help keep it cool without a noisy fan. This is a great option for storing and playing your entire PS4 library while you reserve the PS5’s internal storage for new games.
Heatsink for 2280 Model M.2
You can save money, or better yet luck out on availability, if you buy a compatible PS5 SSD without a heatsink, but if you install it without a heatsink, you're asking for trouble. These are the best PS5 SSD heatsinks:
Best PS5 SSDs in the UK
Heatsink for 2280 Model M.2 in the UK
What to Look for in a PS5 SSD
Before you go buying any SSD to install into the PS5 you should know your drive will need to meet a minimum speed requirement, and only certain drives will physically fit in the console. First up, Sony officially recommends users only install a NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD with a sequential read speed of 5500MB/s or faster.
Additionally, the physical space of the secondary M.2 SSD slot is fairly narrow and shallow at 110 x 25 x 11.25mm or 4.33 x 0.984 x 0.442 inches. While that’s not a problem for most M.2 SSDs, Sony has saidy any installed drive will require a heatsink to dissipate any additional heat. Many of these compact SSDs don’t come with an integrated heatsink.
The good news is there are plenty of aftermarket options and you just need to check if they will fit. Sony also has a helpful graphic on its PS5 SSD compatibility page to give you a better visualization of the requirements.
Lastly understand that while these SSDs fit into Sony's requirements, Sony says it cannot guarantee compatibility, basically absolving itself of any responsibility if you run into issues by stating "SIE cannot guarantee that all M.2 SSD devices meeting the described specifications will work with your console and assumes no responsibility for the selection, performance or use of third-party products."
How This List Was Made
To determine which currently available SSDs meet Sony's requirements, I searched retailers for M.2 SSDs meeting SIE's criteria. The above list is a small sampling.
- Interface: PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD
- Capacity: 250GB – 4TB
- Sequential read speed: 5,500MB/s or faster
- Form Factor: M.2 type 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 or 22110
- Socket type: Socket 3 (Key M)
- Total size including cooling structure (L x W x H): < 110mm x 25mm x 11.25mm (4.33in x 0.984 in x 0.442in)
Additionally, we've reached out to some manufacturers for clarification on which of their current line of M.2 SSDs are compatible with the PS5.
