The best SSD for PS5 in 2023: Top M.2 solid state drives

The Corsair MP600 Pro checks all the boxes we look for in a PS5 SSD. It’s a reliable NVMe M.2 solid state drive with a read speed that exceeds Sony’s recommended minimum and it carries a reasonable price tag. It also offers the most options for expanding your PS5 SSD storage, with sizes starting at 500GB and going up to 8TB. 

Like all of our picks, this SSD comes with a heatsink preinstalled and fits easily into the console’s expansion slot. The read and write speeds of the Corsair MP600 rank just below the very best performing SSDs for PS5, but its specs are more than enough to deliver fantastic performance with speedy load times. And the affordable price point, especially for the 1TB option, makes it our top choice for most people looking to upgrade their PS5 storage.

The Crucial P5 Plus M.2 SSD provides great value for its available capacity. Its list price starts at $80 for a 1TB drive but it’s often on sale for just under $60, which makes it the least expensive 1TB model on our list. The 2TB option is also affordable, with frequent sale prices around $120 and as low as $108.  

While its listed speeds lag a bit behind the competition, this SSD’s 6,600 MB/s read speed is still far beyond the recommended 5,500 MB/s for playing PS5 games. Sadly, the largest available size is 2TB; we would love to see a larger 4TB model as a low-priced alternative to some of our other picks.

Samsung’s 990 PRO is the best SSD for PS5 if you want one of the absolute fastest drives you can get for your console. It narrowly edges out the competition thanks to its lightning-fast read speed of 7,450 MB/s and a similarly impressive 6,900 MB/s write speed. 

These specs will translate to incredibly snappy load times, but it’s important to keep in mind that the real-world performance difference between this card and our other picks will be minimal when actually playing, downloading, and transferring games. Yes, you’ll likely get an extra couple seconds here and there, but all PS5 M.2 SSDs are fast in their own right. Still, this is the pick to go with if you want to rest easy knowing you’re truly yielding the most efficient performance you can get. 

The Samsung 990 Pro is a bit pricier than similar sized drives but it’s far from the most expensive on the market, especially considering its great performance.

The XPG Gammix S70 Blade is one of the only PS5-ready SSDs we found that has 4TB of storage for less than $300; most 4TB drives are priced at $350 or higher. 

While the PS5 can support up to 8TB SSDs, those drives cost $750 to $800, so we can’t recommend buying an 8TB PS5 SSD until their prices drop.

While the S70 Blade reports a maximum read speed of 7,400 MB/s, the SSD is actually limited to about 6,100 MB/s with the PS5. While that’s a noteworthy difference on paper, it still beats the recommended speed of 5,500 MB/s and you’re not likely to see much of an actual speed difference during real-world applications.

While all of our best SSD for PS5 picks have a built-in heatsink, it is possible to buy a separate heatsink for an NVMe M.2 SSD that doesn’t already have one. Sabrent’s affordable option completely replaces the PS5’s expansion bay door. The aluminum heatsink helps absorb extra heat from the SSD and keep the rest of your console cool.

By replacing the PS5’s expansion door, this heatsink avoids size conflicts that could prevent it from fitting inside of the expansion bay with the hard drive. The PlayStation 5 can technically run an expansion SSD with no heatsink attached but Sony recommends using one. 

It should be noted that adding an additional heatsink to a drive that already has one may cause unforeseen issues so you should only use this accessory with a PS5 SSD that does not include a built-in heatsink.

What type of built-in SSD storage does the PS5 come with?

The original PlayStation 5 console comes with an 825GB M.2 NVMe SSD; about 667.2 GB of that space is usable after required software is installed. The new slimmer redesign of the PS5 set for release in November 2023 will come with a slightly higher capacity 1TB solid state drive.

Both digital and disc drive versions of the PS5 contain the same amount of built-in storage.

For more PlayStation 5 coverage check out our best PS5 deals roundup, and our comparisons of the PS4 vs. PS5, PS5 disc vs. digital, and PS5 vs. Xbox Series X. 

What are the internal M.2 SSD PS5 requirements?

To work properly with a PS5, an internal M.2 solid state drive must have a minimum sequential read speed of 5,500 MB/s. The console allows for drives of up to 8TB, with a minimum of 250 GB. The drive must also use a PCI-E Gen 4 interface, which is the standard for most M.2 NVMe SSDs.

The SSD must have a maximum size of 25 x 110 x 11.25 millimeters (WxLxH) to fit inside the PS5 properly. Compatible M.2 solid state drive form factors include 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, and 22110. 

All of our best SSD for PS5 recommendations meet these requirements. 

Does my PS5 SSD need a heatsink?

Sony says that your PS5 SSD needs a heatsink, but it is not technically required to work in the console. However, a heatsink will help keep the drive cool and ensure that it gives the best possible performance, so we recommend making sure your drive has one.

All of the best SSD for PS5 models that we recommend come with a heatsink built in, but it’s also possible to buy a separate heatsink for a drive that doesn’t already have one.

Can I use an external hard drive for PS5 games?

You cannot run PS5 games from an external drive. PS5 games can only be played from an internal M.2 NVMe SSD. However, games released for PlayStation 4 can be installed and played off of an external drive on PS5.

It is also possible to save install data for PS5 games on an external drive so you can transfer it to your internal SSD later without waiting for a longer download from the internet.