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The PS5 comes with 1TB of onboard storage, but it’s not super challenging to fill up the entire drive–even if you don’t own a ton of games. Thankfully, a recent firmware update added support for select M.2 SSDs, so users can expand their storage space with relative ease. This is different from Microsoft’s approach with the Xbox Series X|S, which uses a proprietary storage card for internal memory expansion, courtesy of Seagate. Sony’s aim is to give you more freedom to decide which drive suits you best.
To use an M.2 SSD with the PS5, it needs to have a heatsink. Some consumer drives come with a heatsink already attached, while others necessitate buying a heatsink separately (they are cheap). While Sony hasn’t released an official list of all compatible M.2 SSDs, there is a list of recommendations on Sony’s official page for the update.
PS5 M.2 SSD requirements
All SSDs will need to adhere to the following specifications for compatibility with the PS5:
Interface: PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSDSequential Read Speed: At least 5,500MB/sForm Factor: M.2 type 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, or 22110Socket Type: Socket 3 (Key M)Capacity: 250GB – 4TBCooling Structure: Requires either in a single-sided format, or double-sided heatsinkTotal size including heatsink: less than 110mm (L) x 25mm (W) x 11.25mm (H)
Any SSD you install will have to include a heatsink too, which is important to note since not all NVMe SSDs ship with them. Additionally, some compatible SSDs might ship with a heatsink that violates the size restrictions, meaning you will need to remove it and replace it with a third-party option if that’s the case.
Best PS5 M.2 SSD options so far
There’s a lot to consider right now when trying to choose a suitable storage option, but we’ve rounded up some good selections based on the specifications provided by Sony. We have personally tested the Samsung 980 Pro and can confirm it works wonderfully. Samsung also has a version of the 980 Pro that comes with a heatsink attached. We personally tested the Samsung 980 Pro and would highly recommend it.
Samsung 980 Pro 1TB NVMe Gen4 SSD (requires heatsink)
Seagate FireCuda 530 1TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
Gigabyte AORUS 7000s 1TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
WD_BLACK SN850 1TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 1TB NVMe Gen4 SSD (requires shorter heatsink)
Corsair MP600 Pro 1TB NVMe Gen4 SSD (requires shorter heatsink)
Adata XPG GAMMIX S70 1TB NVMe Gen4 SSD (requires shorter heatsink)
For more options for expanding your PS5’s storage, check out our guide to the best external hard drives and SSDs, which can store PS5 games when you’re not playing them to free up space on your internal SSD. You can also store and play PS4 games directly off an external USB drive. These are generally much cheaper, and if you plan to hold off until Sony has an official list of recommended internal SSDs, these can help free up space on your console in the meantime.
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