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The best PS5 external hard drives

in 2024
Best Picks By Marshall Honorof last updated July 19, 2024

The best PS5 external hard drives include

both SSD and HDD models.

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As the library of PS5 games grows so does your

need for one of the best PS5 external hard drives.
While the base PS5 o"ers a respectable 825 GB
internal SSD, only 665 GBs of that is useable
storage, and even the PS5 Slim's larger 1TB capacity
may not be enough for gamers with a large library
of games in their collection.

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If you're fortunate enough to have extremely zippy

internet speeds at home to download games and
don't mind regularly reshu$ing your console's hard
drive, you could keep your additional games
uninstalled. Otherwise, you might want to seriously
consider investing in an external storage option to
avoid headaches.

There are two bene%ts to owning one of the best

PS5 external hard drives. The %rst is that you can
temporarily store PS5 games there, and then
transfer them back onto your console much quicker
than redownloading them from Sony’s servers. The
second bene%t is that you can play PS4 games
directly from an external drive. This allows you to
save your precious internal SSD space for native
PS5 titles. If you need more convincing, read about
what a di"erence installing a PS5 SSD can make.

Keep in mind that all of these hard drives are also

completely suitable for use with the PS4, and you
can even use the same drive simultaneously across
both consoles.

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1. Samsung Portable SSD T5

 

The best PS5 external hard drive overall

SPECIFICATIONS
Storage Size: 1 TB Storage Type: SSD
USB-C: Yes External Power: No

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View at Amazon (500GB)

REASONS TO BUY
+ Quick transfer times
+ Sleek, compact design
+ Not too expensive

REASONS TO AVOID
- So-so storage size
- Some PS4 transfer slowdown

The best PS5 external hard drive we've tested is the

Samsung Portable SSD T5. This 1TB external drive is
palm-sized, with a sleek design and consistently
quiet operations. What really sells the SSD T5,
however, is just how quickly it gets the job done.
Copying Returnal to the drive took only 7 minutes
— the fastest transfer speed of any drive we tested
— while copying the sizeable Mass E"ect:
Andromeda took only 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Loading up Mass E"ect from the SSD T5 took a
mere 35 seconds, which is a whole four seconds
faster than the PS5’s internal SSD loaded the game.
That's extremely impressive for an external drive.

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Of course, 1TB isn't a limitless storage capacity

these days. But you're still more than doubling the
hard drive space you get from the PS5’s internal
storage (assuming you have a launch model, the
PS5 Slim o"ers extra room as standard). It’s not
enough to hold a whole library. The PS4 game
transfer speeds also aren’t the absolute fastest that
we tested. But those are small sticking points in an
overall excellent accessory.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

2. SanDisk Extreme Portable

SSD
 

The best budget PS5 external hard drive

SPECIFICATIONS
Storage Size: 500 GB Storage Type: SSD
USB-C: Yes External Power: No

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REASONS TO BUY
+ Small pro%le
+ Rapid transfer speeds
+ Inexpensive

REASONS TO AVOID
- Not much space
- Short cables

The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is a %ne choice if

you're looking for a storage solution that will run
you less than $100. As expected, you'll get more
room to play with if you opt for an HDD model, but
you really should pick an SSD model, particularly if
you plan to transfer PS5 games back and forth
often — or if you plan to load PS4 games directly
from the drive. This sleek little machine o"ers 500
GB of storage. It’s admittedly not a ton of space, but
it’s enough for about blockbuster 10 titles, or lots
more mid-budget and indie fare.

The big draw is not necessarily the available storage

space, but rather the transfer speed. The Extreme
Portable SSD moved Returnal from the PS5 in only 7
minutes and 12 seconds, while Mass E"ect
Andromeda took only 2:06. Furthermore, Mass
E"ect Andromeda took only 36 seconds to load,
which is faster than the PS5’s internal SSD.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

3. WD Black P50  



A stylish, expensive PS5 external hard drive

SPECIFICATIONS
Storage Size: 1 TB Storage Type: SSD
USB-C: Yes External Power: No

TODAY'S BEST DEALS

View at Amazon (4TB)

REASONS TO BUY
+ Fast transfer speeds
+ Stylish design
+ Loads PS4 games quickly

REASONS TO AVOID
- Expensive
- Not optimized for PS5

The WD Black P50 comes from a much-trusted and

highly dependable manufacturer, Western Digital.
So, it's no surprise to see this model rated among
the best PS5 accessories you can buy. This SSD
features 1 TB storage space, as well as a slick,
durable design and, most importantly, the transfer
speeds are zippy. It had the fastest PS4 transfer
speeds of any storage drive we tested, as well as
the second-fastest PS5 speeds. The P50 copied
Returnal from the PS5 in only 7 minutes and 2
seconds, and Mass E"ect Andromeda in a best-in-
class 2:04. Mass E"ect Andromeda also loaded up
in 36 seconds, three seconds faster than when
booted up from the PS5's internal storage. Now
those are some super-fast speeds.

Granted, the P50 is extremely expensive as these

things go, o"ering similar storage to other SSDs at
approximately twice the price. That’s arguably
because WD designed the hardware with PCs in
mind; indeed, you can get better performance if
you hook the P50 up to a computer. But if you’ve
got the money, it’s one of the best PS5 external
hard drives you can buy.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

4. WD Black P10  



A PS5 external hard drive with tons of

space

SPECIFICATIONS
Storage Size: 5 TB Storage Type: HDD
USB-C: No External Power: No

TODAY'S BEST DEALS

View at Amazon (4TB)

View at Amazon (5TB)

REASONS TO BUY
+ Lots of space
+ Solid design
+ Reasonable price

REASONS TO AVOID
- Middle-of-the-road transfer speed
- Doesn’t load PS4 games that fast

The WD Black P10 is probably the best traditional

HDD for external PS5 storage. As such, it strikes an
enviable balance between price and performance.
While the P10 isn’t exactly cheap, it also doesn’t cost
all that much money for a whopping 5 TB of storage
space. That’s enough for dozens of big-budget titles,
or hundreds of smaller ones. It’s entirely
conceivable that a P10 could last you for the PS5’s
entire lifespan.

As long as you’re not absolutely married to SSD

speeds, the P10 has very few drawbacks. It copied
Returnal in a respectable 11:41, and Mass E"ect
Andromeda in 8:30 — both very good times for an
HDD. However, it took 53 seconds to load Mass
E"ect, so you may not want to play PS4 games
directly from this drive. At least copying them
doesn’t take too long.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

5. G-Technology ArmorAtd
 

A durable PS5 external hard drive with
USB-C

SPECIFICATIONS
Storage Size: 4 TB Storage Type: HDD
USB-C: Yes External Power: No

TODAY'S BEST DEALS

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REASONS TO BUY
+ Tough, durable design
+ Connects via USB-C
+ Decent transfer speeds

REASONS TO AVOID
- Not designed with consoles in mind
- Slow PS4 load times

The G-Technology ArmorAtd was the biggest

surprise I encountered while evaluating the best
PS5 external hard drives. At %rst, I thought I had
received it by mistake. The ArmorAtd isn’t a console
hard drive; it’s one of those “rugged” hard drives
that can withstand shock, water, dust and so forth.
But despite being designed for a construction site,
the ArmorAtd is not only generous with storage
space and surprisingly a"ordable, it’s also darn
good at transferring data.

The ArmorAtd was one of the faster HDDs we

tested, moving Returnal in 12:55 and Mass E"ect
Andromeda in 7:47. Like other HDDs, it didn’t load
Mass E"ect Andromeda all that quickly, taking 58
seconds to Resume a game from the main menu.
It’s also too big, bulky and garish to sit comfortably
in an entertainment center — but that’s not really
what it was designed for, anyway.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

6. Seagate Last of Us II  



A PS5 external hard drive with a fun design

SPECIFICATIONS
Storage Size: 2 TB Storage Type: HDD
USB-C: No External Power: No

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REASONS TO BUY
+ Striking design
+ Quick PS4 transfer speeds
+ Designed with PlayStation systems in mind

REASONS TO AVOID
- Slow PS5 transfer speeds
- More expensive than non-branded gear

Sony doesn’t have any o!cial PlayStation external

drives, but the Seagate Last of Us II hard drive is
about as close as you’ll get. This decent HDD o"ers
2 TB storage, as well as a stylish front design with a
logo from The Last of Us, Part II. The branded logo
arguably adds a good $10 or $15 to the price, but
it’s de%nitely more aesthetically pleasing than the
sea of plain black boxes we evaluated.

Transfer speeds are OK: moving Returnal took a

somewhat sluggish 13:49, while copying Mass E"ect
Andromeda took a much brisker 6:12. Andromeda
took 53 seconds to load, which was pretty fast
among HDDs — and pretty slow compared to SSDs,
including the PS5’s internal drive. While the Seagate
Last of Us II drive isn’t impressive, per se, it’s not
bad, as branded gear goes.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

7. Seagate Expansion  


A spacious, power-hungry PS5 external

hard drive

SPECIFICATIONS
Storage Size: 6 TB Storage Type: HDD
USB-C: No External Power: Yes

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REASONS TO BUY
+ Tons of storage space
+ Fast transfer times
+ Long cables

REASONS TO AVOID
- Requires external power
- Large and bulky

If you need a lot of storage space and power outlets

are not an issue, consider the Seagate Expansion 6
TB drive. This device is hefty in more ways than one:
It o"ers 6 TB storage, but it’s also quite large and
heavy. In fact, this external HDD requires its own
electrical outlet; it’s too much of a power-hog for a
USB connection.

Still, 6 TB is an awful lot of storage space, and the

Seagate Expansion puts its extra power to good
use. This was the fastest HDD that we tested,
moving Returnal from the PS5 in 9:15, and Mass
E"ect Andromeda in 4:46. It also loaded Mass E"ect
Andromeda the fastest of any HDD we tested: 52
seconds. That’s still a far cry from the PS5 internal
SSD’s load time of 39 seconds, though, so you
should use the Expansion primarily for long-term
storage.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

8. WD My Passport  


A PS5 external hard drive that's not too

expensive

SPECIFICATIONS
Storage Size: 4 TB Storage Type: HDD
USB-C: No External Power: No

TODAY'S BEST DEALS

Check Amazon

REASONS TO BUY
+ Smart design
+ Good amount of space
+ Not that expensive

REASONS TO AVOID
- Slow transfer and load times
- Other WD devices perform much better

While we recommend a handful of WD external

drives on this list, the WD My Passport is not one of
them. This device looks promising enough, with an
elegant rectangular design, a small pro%le and 4 TB
of storage space. However, it was surprisingly slow,
compared to the other HDDs we tested: 13:06 to
move Returnal and 12:09 to move Mass E"ect
Andromeda. It also took 62 seconds to load
Andromeda, the only external drive we tested that
took more than a minute.

The My Passport comes with the WD pedigree, and

you can get it in a variety of colors, so it’s not all
bad. It’s also not terribly expensive, particularly
compared to some of the SSDs we recommend on
this list. Still, just about every comparably priced
HDD we tested was faster. If you want to grab WD
gear for your PS5, stick to the company’s gaming
lineup.

(Image credit: Future)

9. Toshiba USB 3.0 Hard Drive



A lackluster PS5 external hard drive

SPECIFICATIONS
Storage Size: 1 TB Storage Type: HDD
USB-C: No External Powers: No

TODAY'S BEST DEALS

Check Amazon