Best SSDs for PS5 in 2025
When Sony first released the PlayStation 5it was not possible to expand the console memory. Fortunately, that changed with a software update that the company pushed out less than a year later. And given how big some game installs have gotten in recent years, that’s a good thing, too: the PS5’s built-in 667GB of space might have been good enough in the system’s first year, but now the default drive is absolutely limiting.
The good news is that a standard PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD can solve all your PS5 storage problems. If this jumble of acronyms makes you recoil, don’t worry: you’ll see that it’s not that complicated. And if all you want to know is what the best PS5 SSDs are, we’ve got them right at the top.
Read more: These are the best SSDs in 2025
The best PS5 SSDs in 2025
Corsair
Capacity: Up to 8TB | Sequential Read Performance: 7100MB/s | Sequential Recording Performance: 6800MB/s | Connection: M.2
The Corsair MP600 Pro LPX makes it to the top of our list for the best PS5 SSD because it’s the complete package. It’s fast, offering excellent performance and read speeds of up to 7100MB/s. It also comes with a pre-installed heatsink and a five-year warranty.
Best of all, the MP600 is affordable. Starting at $190, you can routinely find the 1TB variant on sale for as little as $80, while the 2TB model ranges in price between $110 and $150. The 4TB and 8TB models are less affordable. The MP600 isn’t the fastest NVMe on this list either. However, when it comes to hassle-free options, it’s hard to beat.
- Built-in radiator
- Affordable
- Not the fastest Gen4 model
Decisive
Capacity: Up to 4TB | Read the performance: 7300MB/s | Write an implementation: 6800 MB/s | Connection: M.2
If you want to save some money by installing your own radiator, Decisive T500 is a great option. With read speeds of up to 7300MB/s, it beats Sony’s specifications, and you can often find a 1TB model on sale for as little as $60. Crucial also offers a heatsink version, so it’s worth adding both the Corsair MP600 and Crucial T500 to a price watch list and buying the cheaper model when you’re ready to upgrade your PS5.
- quickly
- Available with or without radiator
SABRENT
Capacity: Up to 8TB | Sequential Read Performance: 7000MB/s | Sequential Recording Performance: 6600MB/s | Connection: M.2
Of all the SSDs on this list, Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is the most interesting. It comes with a unique heatsink that you install in place of the metal cover of the memory expansion slot. Sabrent claims this design improves cooling. As a result, expect to pay more than you would for a model with a common heatsink, with the 1TB variant costing around $110 and the 2TB model costing between $220 and $280.
- PS5 specific heatsink design
- Not as fast as other options
- Expensive compared to other devices
SAMSUNG
Capacity: Up to 4TB | Read the performance: 1050MB/s | Write an implementation: 1000MB/s | Connection: USB 3.0
As I explain below, you can’t run PS5 games from an external drive — but you can use one to store any games you’re not currently playing, including older PS4 games.
One of my favorite portable devices is Samsung T7. It can write files at a speed of 1000 MB/s. If you plan to use the device exclusively for home use, you can save money by purchasing a regular model instead of the rugged Shield variant. I’ve been using T7 drives to store my photos, music and games for years and they haven’t failed me yet. The latest model, Samsung T9boasts read/write speeds of up to 2000MB/s.
- Affordable
- Reliable
- Healthy option available
- I can’t play PS5 games from an external device
How we test the PS5 SSD
I’ve tested most of the SSDs recommended on this list for either PS5 or PC use. I also bought and used our top pick on my own PS5.
How much PS5 storage do I need?
PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro can accept internal drives with between 250GB and 8TB of storage capacity. If you already own a PS5, chances are you have a reasonable idea of how much storage space you need for your game library. If you’re buying an SSD with a new PS5 or PS5 Pro, or buying for someone else, it’s harder to say what you might need for a high-performance experience.
PS5 games are on average smaller than their PS4 equivalents, typically taking up between 30GB and 100GB, with some notable (and very popular) exceptions. If you are a fan of the Call of Duty series, install Black Ops 6 and Warzone 2.0 it can eat up to 240GB. In other words, a full installation of Call of Duty will take up more than a third of the PS5’s internal memory. However, if you’re not a CoD fan, you’ll probably be fine storing between six to 10 games on a regular PS5 internally before running into issues.
You should also consider your internet speed. If you live in an area with slow broadband, the “you can just download it again” rationale doesn’t really work. In my old home, a 100GB download took me about eight hours, during which time it was difficult to simultaneously watch Twitch or, say, post articles about upgrading a PS5 SSD. It makes sense to keep the games around if you happen to want to play them at some point.
In general, there is no point in choosing a 250GB PS5 SSD. Economically, 250GB drives aren’t much cheaper than 500GB drives — and in practice, that’s really not much space for modern games. 500GB drives can be a decent option, but after years of falling prices, I think the best place for most people is to go for a high-capacity 1TB or 2TB drive, which should set you back $200 at most. The latter will more than double the PS5 Pro’s storage without breaking the bank.
Unless you’re strapped for cash and want to be flexible, the 4TB and 8TB models should mostly be avoided, as you’ll end up paying more per gigabyte than you would with a 1TB or 2TB drive.
While the 825GB PS5 only provides 667GB of storage, this is largely due to storage being reserved for the operating system and caching. If you install a 1TB PS5 SSD, you’ll have, within the margin of error, 1TB of storage available for games. Out of the box, the PS5 Pro offers 1.86TB of storage for games, although you can get more out of it if you delete the pre-installed Astro’s Playroom (haha).
Since neither the PS5 Slim nor the PS5 Pro have an updated CPU architecture, all of our recommendations will work with whatever PS5 model you own.
Can you play PS5 games on an external SSD?
External hard drives usually cost less than internal SSDs (and there’s a good chance you already own one). Unfortunately, there are limits to what you can do with them. An external SSD connects to your PS5 via USB and is only suitable for playing PlayStation 4 games or storing PS5 titles. This is useful if you have anything but the best high-speed internet — it’s faster to move a PS5 game from “cold storage” to an external drive than to download it again — or you want to keep your PS4 library close at hand.
Because of the limitations here, you don’t need the highest-performance model, although you should opt for an SSD over an HDD for improved transfer speeds and boot times. Any mainstream laptop from a reputable brand will do, with the Crucial X9 Pro and Samsung T7 being options we’ve tried and can recommend.
Which SSD cards are compatible with the PS5?
The official answer of this question is “M.2 Socket 3 (Key M) Gen4 x4 NVME SSD.” But even within that seemingly specific description, there are additional factors to consider. The main requirements that Sony has set for compatibility come down to speed, cooling and physical dimensions.
For speed, Sony says the drives should be able to handle sequential reads at 5500MB/s. Early tests have shown that the PS5 will accept drives as slow as 4800MB/s and that games that are regularly included in SSDs – such as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart — will cause no trouble. Pretty much the only thing the PS5 will outright reject is one that doesn’t match the Gen4 x4 spec.
However, in our opinion, using a device slower than the specification is a risk not worth taking if you no longer have that device. Just because we haven’t found issues yet doesn’t mean there won’t be games that could be problematic in the future. The price difference between these slightly slower Gen4 drives and those that meet Sony’s specs isn’t huge, and you can cover all your bases.
Slightly more complicated than speed is cooling and size. Most new SSDs will be fine; The PS5 can accommodate 22mm wide SSDs of any length (30mm, 40mm, 60mm, 80mm or 110mm to be exact). Most of the devices you’ll find will be 22mm wide and 80mm long, so no problem.
It should be noted that the system can accommodate a device with a width of 25 mm, but this width must include the cooling solution. Speaking of which, Sony says that SSDs require “effective heat dissipation with a cooling structure, such as a heatsink.” The maximum height supported by the Sony slot is 11.25 mm, of which only 2.45 mm can be “under” the device.
Previously, this meant that some of the most popular Gen4 SSD heatsinks, including Corsair’s MP600 Pro LP, wouldn’t fit in the PS5’s storage expansion slot. Since Engadget first published this guide in 2021, most NVMe manufacturers, including Samsung, have come out with PlayStation-specific models that meet these requirements. However, if you’re looking to save some money, clean discs are often cheaper, and it’s trivial to find a cooling solution that works for the PS5.
The only component in an NVMe SSD that really requires cooling is the controller, which without a heatsink will happily sear a (very small) steak. Most SSDs only have chips on one side, but even with double-sided SSDs, the controller will likely be on top, as manufacturers know it needs to be positioned there to better dissipate heat.
So head to your computer component retailer of choice and pick up anything that fits the recommended dimensions. A good search term is “laptop NVME cooler” as these will be designed to fit within the confines of gaming laptops which are even more restrictive than the PS5. They’re also usually cheaper than those labeled as “PS5 radiators”.
One recommendation is this Copper radiator for $6which attaches to the PS5 SSD with a sticky thermal interface material. It works well, and when running PC stress tests we couldn’t find anything metallic that wouldn’t keep temperatures under control. When looking, just make sure the solution you choose measures no more than 25mm wide or 8mm high (including thermal interface material) and has a simple installation method that won’t cause headaches.
One last thing: When shopping for PS5 NVMe, there’s no reason to buy a Gen5 model over a more affordable Gen4 model. As it stands, Sony’s console can’t benefit from the new standard, and while Gen5 devices are backwards compatible, they’re more expensive than their Gen4 counterparts. Just buy the fastest Gen4 model with the highest capacity you can afford.
How to install an SSD in your PS5
If you need guidance on how to install your new NVMe in your PS5 or PS5 Pro, we have a separate guide detailing all the steps here. Installation is pretty easy, but our guide can help if you get stuck. Just keep in mind: Before you try to add more storage via the PS5 SSD, make sure you have The latest Sony software is installed.
English