How to Expand Your PS5 Storage: External and Internal Solutions

There’s nothing worse than being excited to play a new PS5 game, only to find out you don’t have enough storage space to download it. Even if you have a physical disc, you still need to download the game to your PS5’s memory, and that space can fill up quickly, especially with large titles. When this happens, you have two options: delete games you’ve already installed or expand your storage. Thankfully, the latter is now easier and more affordable than ever before.

Expanding Your PS5 Storage with External Drives

Since the PS5 is backward compatible with most PS4 games, you’re likely going to be using your new console to catch up on some older favorites. That’s where external drives come in handy. You just need to buy a compatible drive and format it to work with your PS5.

Here’s how to set up external storage:

1.

Buy a Compatible Drive:

Look for an external drive that meets these requirements:
* SuperSpeed USB 5Gbps or later
* Minimum 250GB, maximum 8TB capacity
*

Important:

Not all drives are guaranteed to work, so double-check compatibility.
2.

Connect and Format:

Plug the drive into your PS5 via a USB port. Go to

Settings > Storage > Extended Storage

and select the option to format it as

exFAT

.
3.

Make it the Primary Storage (Optional):

If you want to primarily install PS4 games to your external drive, simply toggle the slider to the right of

Always Install PS4 Games to Extended Storage

.
4.

Move Existing Games:

To move PS4 games from your internal drive to the external drive, go to

Console Storage > Games and Apps > Items You Can Move

. Select the games you want to transfer and click

Move

in the bottom-right corner.
5.

Note:

Keep in mind that your external drive needs to be plugged into your PS5 to access any games or apps installed on it.

Internal Storage Upgrade: A More Powerful Option

For a more significant storage upgrade, you can install an SSD directly into your PS5. This will provide faster loading times for all your games, both PS4 and PS5 titles. We’ve created a detailed walkthrough on how to do this, which you can find [here](link to your walkthrough).

Recommended External Drives

There are many external hard drives that will work with your PS5, but here are a few we highly recommend:

*

WD 2TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive, USB 3.0

*

Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim 2TB Portable External Hard Drive, USB 3.0

*

Seagate Expansion Portable 4TB External Hard Drive Desktop HDD, USB 3.0

*

WD 8TB My Book Desktop External Hard Drive, USB 3.0

*

SanDisk 1TB Extreme Portable External SSD – Up to 550MB/s – USB-C, USB 3.1

Choosing the Right Drive for You

The best external drive for you will depend on your budget and how many PS4 games you have or plan to play. A 2TB drive is a good starting point for a decent collection, but you might need more space if you’re a hardcore gamer.