In the day of virtual games, it's difficult to keep the storage of your consoles where you need it to be. We've been plugging thumb drives into Xbox 360s for more than a decade now, but the industry of external storage has gotten much better since then.
If you're a PS5 enthusiast, you might find yourself running low on storage. Thankfully, this is one of the easiest things you can fix when it comes to console upgrades. Just grab an external drive, connect it to your console, and we're good to go! Here are our choices for the best external hard drives for the PS5.
We'll only be looking at hard drives in this piece! If you prefer an SSD, we recommend using these brands and models as a starting point for your research. You can also check out our favorite external SSDs!
WD_BLACK 5TB P10 Game Drive
Best Hard Drive Overall $85 at Best BuySeagate 5TB Game Drive for PS5
Best PS5 External Drive $150 at Best BuyLaCie Rugged USB 3.1 5TB
Best for Traveling $174 at WalmartToshiba Canvio Gaming 2TB Portable HD
Best Medium Capacity See at AmazonACASIS 500GB 2.5" External Hard Drive
Best Budget Drive See at Amazon- See More
Seagate Expansion 16TB External Hard Drive
Highest Storage Option See at Amazon
Best External PS5 Hard Drives
Best Hard Drive OverallWD_BLACK 5TB P10 Game Drive
More than enough room for everything
If you're looking for something with good capacity and a decent price tag, WD_BLACK has you covered. This hard drive comes at a sizable 5TB to store all your content.
Pros & Cons- 5TB capacity
- Affordable, especially at its size
- From a well-known, trustworthy brand
Western Digital is one of the most well-known names in hard drives for any purpose. If you've built a PC, for example, there's an exceptionally high chance you've seen their products topping lists of recommendations, and with good reason. Their WD_BLACK 5TB hard drive is one of their best products and will provide your PS5 with more than enough storage for average use. It's also available at a great price, especially given how much storage you get for your buck.
Best PS5 External DriveSeagate 5TB Game Drive for PS5
Ideal specifically for the PS5
Do you want a PS5 made specifically for the PS5? Seagate's 5TB Game Drive is an ideal choice for your external hard drive.
Pros & Cons- Fine tuned for the PlayStation 5
- 5TB capacity for massive storage
Are you a bit hesitant to buy an external hard drive that wasn't made specifically for the PS5? If you're in that boat, Seagate is the best brand to look at. The Seagate 5TB Game Drive was made with the PS5 in mind and is fine-tuned to perform well with the console. Its 5TB capacity is stellar for average use and isn't likely to fill up unless you're aiming to do so. While this is pricy for an external hard drive to some, its quality and capacity is more than worth the cost.
Best for TravelingLaCie Rugged USB 3.1 5TB
Great on the go
Do you find yourself constantly putting your PS5 into a carrying case or backpack to take it on the go for a LAN event or traveling? If that's the case, the LaCie Rugged USB 3.1 5TB External Hard Drive is a perfect choice.
Pros & Cons- Built to withstand bumps and shocks
- Ideal for traveling or gaming on the go
- High 5TB capacity
Are you constantly putting your console in a traveling backpack or buckling it into your passenger seat to travel? Maybe you're going to friendly LAN events or bringing it with you to some tournaments. Whatever the case, having an external hard drive that can match the need for safety is critical. We recommend the LaCie Rugged USB hard drive for this purpose. Its capacity matches the examples we've given so far, while also being built to withstand being bumped or dropped, making it great for mobile gaming.
Best Medium CapacityToshiba Canvio Gaming 2TB Portable HD
Solid storage, but not limitless
The Toshiba Canvio Gaming External HDD is a great choice for anyone looking for a medium-capacity hard drive. While 2TB is near limitless for a lot of people, it can still fill up for people with large libraries.
Pros & Cons- Good 2TB capacity
- Affordable price, especially for a 2TB HDD
When you're looking at your storage, it may be surprising to see people filling up hard drives that are five terabytes or more. If you don't need that much storage, why pay for it? The Toshiba Canvio Gaming External HDD is a strong choice for anyone who needs a hard drive that provides great storage without providing unnecessary storage. At 2TB, this is still going to be more than enough to fit even a relatively large gaming library.
Best Budget DriveACASIS 500GB 2.5" External Hard Drive
500GB, but a great price
Looking for storage on a budget? 500GB worth of storage at a low price is a great deal for the ACASIS 500GB 2.5" External HDD.
Pros & Cons- Exceptionally affordable price
- Small drive for easier transportation
- 500GB storage capacity
- 500gb won't store a large number of modern games
Some hard drives aren't focused on providing an incredible amount of storage and instead look at giving you what you need. The ACASIS 500GB 2.5" External HDD is a strong example of this, giving about half a terabyte of storage at an amazing price. Its small form also makes it great for travel, as it's easy to store away! The only issue is the massive size of many modern AAA titles. With so many AAA titles stretching higher than 100GB, you may only be able to fit a few heavy-hitters on this drive.
Highest Storage OptionSeagate Expansion 16TB External Hard Drive
For future-proofing your storage
Do you want to future-proof your PlayStation 5's storage? The Seagate Expansion 16TB External Hard Drive is an excellent choice.
Pros & Cons- Extremely high storage
- Comes from a reputable, well-known brand
- Available in several storage sizes
- High price tag
Are you tired of running out of storage space and want to make sure it never happens again? The Seagate Expansion 16TB External Hard Drive is a great choice to make this happen! It's available in several storage sizes, but we've chosen to highlight the 16TB drive. While this is still immense in storage, it's not so immense that avid gamers with several years worth of games backlogged won't fill it up. While the price tag is high, it ensures you're unlikely to buy another drive.
FAQ
Can I Use Any HDD With My PS5?
Generally, a hard drive is a hard drive. Some are made specifically for the PS5, but this shouldn't have a titanic impact on performance.
Should I Use An SSD Or HDD?
SSDs are faster at the cost of being more expensive. Hard drives normally come in larger sizes, but transfer data slower. For external storage, it's usually fine to go for a hard drive.
Where Can I Find A Good Drive?
We recommend vendors like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. You should also check your local gaming and tech stores to see if they have any on the shelf.
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