Looking for ways to fit more games on your next-gen PlayStation? Here are your options for expanding the PS5‘s storage.
In a time where digital game downloads, patches, and DLC content can quickly eat up all the storage space on your game consoles, it’s nice to know that you have the option to increase the hard drive capacity by yourself, if you want to.
Sony has always been open to you upgrading your own hard drive, with the PS3 and PS4 giving you relatively easy access to the hard drive bay to replace the internal drive, as well as allowing you to use external storage options. The PS5 has a similar philosophy, but unfortunately, not one you can take advantage of at launch.
How Do I Upgrade Storage On PS5?
Almost a full year after the console’s launch, Sony has finally provided firm details on how you can upgrade the PS5’s internal storage with an extra drive.
It’s worth noting you’ll need an PCIe 4.0 generation NVMe SSD — PCIe 3.0 NVMe drives simply aren’t fast enough. On top of that, the drive needs to have at least 5,500mb/s sequential read speed, and it can only be 30mm, 42mm, 60mm, 80mm or 110mm long.
Only drives with the prefix 22 are supported (this indicates the drives are 22mm long, incidentally), meaning only M.2 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110 drives are compatible.
Here’s the full list of requirements:
Interface: PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD
Capacity: 250GB – 4TB
Cooling structure: Using an M.2 SSD with your PS5 console requires effective heat dissipation with a cooling structure, such as a heatsink. You can attach one to your M.2 SSD yourself, either in a single-sided format, or double-sided format. There are also M.2 SSDs that have cooling structures (such as heatsinks) built in.
Sequential read speed: 5,500MB/s or faster is recommended
Module width: 22mm width (25mm width is not supported)
Form Factor: M.2 type 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110.
These numbers can be found on retail listings for M.2 SSD devices. The first two digits refer to the width, the remaining digits to the length.Socket type: Socket 3 (Key M)
Total size including cooling structure:
In millimeters: smaller than 110mm (L) x 25mm (W) x 11.25mm (H).
In inches: smaller than 4.33in (L) x 0.984 in (W) x 0.442in (H).See below for full requirements.
Length
The following M.2 SSD lengths are compatible with PS5 consoles:
30mm, 42mm, 60mm, 80mm, 110mm (corresponding to the form factor type, per above).Width
A 22mm-wide M.2 SSD module is required.
The total structure (including an added cooling structure) cannot exceed 25mm (0.984in).Height
The total height of the M.2 SSD and its cooling structure (such as a heatsink) – whether built-in or separate – must be less than 11.25mm (0.442in).
The height must also be in the right place, in relation to the M.2 SSD’s circuit board:The size below the board must be less than 2.45mm (0.096in).
The total size above the board must be less than 8mm (0.314in).
A major factor to consider is that not all PCIe 4.0 drives will have heatsinks that support the PS5’s enclosure. You’ll want to check the specifications for each individual drive, but at the moment at least two drives are fully compatible: the WD_Black SN850 and the FireCuda 530.
Along with the physical installation — which requires a Philips-head screwdriver and some disassembly of your PS5 — you’ll also need a beta software update from Sony. Details on how to access that can be found on the official support page here.
Can I Use External Hard Drives With My PS5?
Yes, but only for PS4 games. You can plug in an external USB hard drive of any kind to store and access PS4 game data on your PS5.
You’ll be able to run any PS4 games you have directly off the drive, and even tell the console to install any future PS4 games directly onto said external drive, if you wish. You cannot move PS5 data to an external drive.
Edmond Tran is a long-time video games journalist and the former Australian editor of GameSpot.
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