Best PS5 SSD: ranked and reviewed by our testing experts
We've tested the best options SSD for PS5 and these are our top recommendations for storage expansion
The best SSD for PS5 expansion can double your PlayStation 5 storage, which can fill up fast. We’ve narrowed down what’s available on the market to give you our top five recommendations based on our SSD testing.
To be on this list, the PS5 SSD has to meet Sony’s solid-state drive specs and compatibility requirements and offer a price that won’t make you flinch. This buying guide will help you pick because you can’t just buy any off-the-shelf NVMe SSD for the PS5, as there’s a chance it won’t work with the PlayStation 5.
The good news is that all of the PS5 SSD recommendations listed below are 100% compatible with both of Sony’s consoles – PS5 Disc vs PS5 Digital – so you don’t have to worry about accidentally picking up the wrong SSD.
Recent PS5 restock seekers will find an SSD is a must-have purchase within the first six months of owning Sony’s console. But why is that the case? Well, the PS5 only has 667GB of internal usable storage, so it fills up fast, especially if you download a few PS Plus free games. You’ll quickly tire of having to delete games to make space for new releases, so picking up an NVMe SSD is one of the best PS5 accessories you can buy today.
You can expand the PS5’s storage by 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, or even 4TB, and the installation process is relatively straightforward. Check out our PS5 SSD install guide for step-by-step instructions. 🪛
PS5 SSD specs and requirements
📝 Format must be a PCIe Gen 4.0 (x4) M.2 NVMe SSD
📖 Read speed must be 5500MB/s or faster
🔥 A heatsink is required
✅ Maximum size: 110 x 25 x 11.25mm with a heatsink installed
🙅♂️ External SSDs and hard drives can’t run PS5 games – they aren’t fast enough
1. WD Black SN850
➕ Exceeds all of Sony’s speed requirements
➕ Usually discounted
➖ 2TB model is pricey
The WD Black SN850 is popular among PlayStation 5 owners, which isn’t a surprise. Not only does it exceed the PS5 SSD requirements outlined by Sony, but it’s also a favorite of PlayStation 5 lead system architect Mark Cerny. How’s that for a seal of approval?
So far, in 2022, WD Black SN850 comes in three capacities: 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB. There’s no 4TB PS5 SSD from WD just yet. The sweet spot for value is the 1TB model, which should provide plenty of extra room to store the best PS5 games. It’s often on sale, too, so we’d avoid paying MSRP unless you’re in desperate need of space.
With super-fast read/write speeds up to 7000/5300MB/s, PS5 titles will load just as fast as Sony’s official drive, and the built-in heatsink means performance won’t be affected when things get a little hot under the hood.
Word of warning: WD Black has recently released a new WD Black SN850 NVMe SSD for PS5, which is “officially licensed for PlayStation 5 consoles”. However, it isn’t worth the extra $10 markup, so we’d opt for the standard SN850
WD Black SN850 1TB as low as $149:
WD Black SN850 2TB as low as $259:
2. Samsung 980 Pro
➕ Incredible performance
➕ Proprietary heatsink
➖ Sometimes more expensive than the WD Black PS5 SSD
Update: Both the Samsung PS5 SSD at 1TB and 2TB went up by $10 recently, so it’s gotten more expensive, while the WD Black PS5 SSD has dropped in price. So we’ve switched the ranking.
Samsung was onto a winner with its 980 Pro SSD, but it required users to install a third-party heatsink as per Sony’s requirements.
That may have been too much of a hassle for many, so Samsung has wisely created a version of the Samsung 980 Pro with a proprietary heatsink installed, making it one of the best PS5 SSDs you can buy.
Samsung’s drive has read/write speeds of 7,000/6400MB/s, meaning it’s quicker at reading data than the excellent WD Black SN850. However, it’s sometimes more expensive than other PS5-compatible SSDs on the market, so price check it below before you make a purchase:
Samsung SSD 980 Pro (1TB) at $144.99:
Samsung SSD 980 Pro (2TB) at $299:
3. Seagate Firecuda 530
➕ The fastest SSD on this list
➕ 4TB capacity available
➖ Always in high demand
Seagate has been in the data storage game since the 70s, so it’s fair to say it’s a brand you can trust.
The Seagate Firecuda 530 is yet another quality product from the storage specialists and is one of the few drives with a 4TB option available. That’ll set you back up to $750, but it’s there if you never want to worry about storage for the rest of the console generation.
Our PS5 games 2022 list suggests you might need more storage space soon 👀
The Seagate Firecuda 530 also has a blazing-fast read speed of 7300MB/s, making it the fastest drive on this list, and a custom heatsink that ensures the SSD stays cool when under heavy load.
Seagate Firecuda 530 1TB as low as $169:
Seagate Firecuda 530 2TB as low as $299:
4. Gigabyte AORUS Gen4 7000s
➕ Uses the latest SSD tech
➕ Blazing fast speeds
➖ No 500GB option
The Gigabyte AORUS Gen4 7000s combines excellent performance with a great price point, which is why it’s often out of stock. It meets all of Sony’s requirements, so it’ll slot easily into the PlayStation 5’s open SSD bay.
I’ve personally tested the Aorus NVMe Gen 4 7000s and can confirm it works flawlessly. The PS5 shows a read speed of 6559MB/s when installed, which exceeds Sony’s recommended minimum read speed of 5500MB/s.
1TB as low as $169:
2TB as low as $299:
5. Corsair MP600 Pro LPX
➕ Competitively priced
➕ Super-fast read speeds
➖ Not as aesthetically pleasing as other SSDs
Another PS5 SSD that’s easy to recommend is the Corsair MP600 Pro LPX. Its robust build quality and excellent heatsink mean your speeds will never throttle when the SSD heats up.
It’s also a perfect fit for the PS5, and with impressive read and write speeds of 7100/6800MB/s, your games will load incredibly fast. Thankfully it’s priced competitively, making it a great buy if your preferred drive isn’t available.
1TB as low as $129:
2TB as low as $249:
We’ll keep this page updated, as the best PS5 SSD deals may change over time, and you’ll need that extra money for other things in the PS5 pipeline. Sony’s new virtual reality headset, PSVR 2, is the next big PS5 accessory on the horizon. Check out our PSVR 2 pre-order page and all the PSVR 2 games confirmed so far.
Updated: September 5, 2022
I got the Corsair 1TB a few weeks ago. It is so unbelievably fast, so I moved all my load-heavy games to it. It's hilarious how quickly Horizon: Forbidden West loads. I used to hate waiting for Zero Dawn on my PS4 Slim. But it's a night and day difference on the PS5 with the Corsair. Within, like, 15 seconds of selecting the icon from the PS5's home menu, I'm Aloy.
Oh, and it was an easy installation. We should credit Sony for creating an awesome console that is a joy to work with. I love the plastic base and the way you can hide the screw so as not to lose it. I have to put my ps5 away every time, but I dont mind the process--the only issue is the weight and size; everything else, even how quickly it turns off, is lightyears ahead of my experience with the PS4
Hey I have been trying to use your link for the Samsung SSD 980 Pro (1TB), but it keeps sending me to the 2TB one. I just would like to use your link to help out as you ask!