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How Much PS5 Storage Do You Need for Large Games?

There’s no universal games-per-terabyte answer for PS5. Check your installed game sizes, then choose between playable M.2 expansion and USB storage for archives or PS4 games.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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There is no fixed number of terabytes that suits every PS5 owner: the space a game uses varies, and updates or add-ons can change it. Check the games you want installed in Settings > Storage and base your estimate on the space they use on your console. If you want more PS5 games ready to play without moving them between drives, a compatible M.2 SSD is the expansion option that lets you launch them from the added storage.

How to estimate the storage you need

Start with the games you actually want installed at the same time, rather than a claimed number of games per terabyte. The official guidance does not provide a current, universal list of installed sizes for large PS5 games, and an individual title’s footprint can change with patches and add-ons.

  1. On your PS5, open Settings > Storage and check the available space.
  2. Review the games and apps using storage, then identify the titles you want to keep installed and ready to launch.
  3. Use the storage figures shown on your console to judge whether your current free space is enough. Recheck after installing updates or add-ons, since they can change a game’s footprint.

This gives you a useful estimate for your own game library without relying on an unsupported games-per-terabyte figure.

Which PS5 storage options can play games directly?

Storage option Can play PS5 games while stored there? Best suited to Main caveat
Console storage Yes Games you are currently playing Check the available space in Settings > Storage. Sony’s storage guidance
Compatible M.2 SSD Yes Keeping more PS5 games installed and ready to launch The drive must meet Sony’s interface, capacity, size, speed recommendation and cooling requirements. Sony’s M.2 SSD requirements
USB extended storage No Archiving PS5 games or playing PS4 games Move a PS5 game back to console storage or M.2 storage before playing it. Sony’s USB extended storage guidance

M.2 SSD: extra space with PS5 games ready to play

A compatible M.2 SSD can store, download and launch PS5 games. Sony specifies a supported PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe drive with a capacity from 250 GB to 8 TB. Its recommended sequential read speed is 5,500 MB/s or faster. Those are compatibility specifications, not a prediction of how many games will fit.

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WD_BLACK 1TB SN850P NVMe M.2 SSD Officially Licensed Storage Expansion for PS5 Consoles, up to 7,300MB/s, with heatsink - WDBBYV0010BNC-WRSN
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  • With capacities ranging from 1TB to 4TB[1], your PS5 console has the additional space to store up to 200 games[3] (8TB model) [1]1GB = 1 billion bytes and 1TB = one trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may be less depending on operating environment. [3] Number of games based on a 36GB average per game. The number of games will vary based on file size, formatting, other programs, and factors.
  • Experience uninterrupted gameplay with a brand-new, optimized heatsink designed especially for the PS5 console for an easy, worry-free installation into the M.2 slot.
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USB extended storage: archive PS5 games or play PS4 games

You can move PS5 game data to USB extended storage, but you cannot launch PS5 games from it. Sony’s guidance is explicit: “To play PS5 games, you need to move game data from your USB extended storage drive back to your PS5 console storage or M.2 SSD storage.” PS4 games, by contrast, can be played directly from USB extended storage.

Check an M.2 SSD and heatsink before buying

Sony’s compatibility guidance calls for an M.2 NVMe SSD using the PCIe Gen4 x4 interface and Key M. It lists a capacity of 250 GB–8 TB and these supported lengths: 30, 42, 60, 80 or 110 mm, corresponding to form factors 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 or 22110. The drive’s width must be no more than 25 mm.

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  • Efficient Thermal Control: S880ER with Heatsink M.2 SSD for PS5 has unique heatsink design, which can effectively help reduce the temperature of the PCIe 4.0 SSD when it is working. Even during extended gaming sessions or intense data processing tasks, the SSD for PS5 remains cool, maintaining consistent high performance. This means no slowdowns, allowing you to enjoy peak speeds at all times
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  • Cooling: The drive needs effective heat dissipation, such as a heatsink and heat transfer sheet. Include any cooling structure when checking fit.
  • Total thickness: The SSD and cooling structure together must be no thicker than 11.25 mm. Sony also specifies separate above- and below-board thickness limits in its full installation and compatibility guidance; check those dimensions for the specific drive and heatsink.
  • Unsupported interface: M.2 SATA drives are not supported.
  • Performance caveat: Sony warns that meeting the listed specifications does not guarantee every third-party drive will work or that it will match the internal SSD’s performance in every game.

Do not check only the SSD’s listed dimensions: the heatsink or other cooling structure also has to fit within the console’s limits.

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Try storage management before expanding

If you only need room for a few games, freeing space may be enough. In Settings > Storage, you can delete games or apps, or move content to USB or M.2 storage. Sony says purchased games can be downloaded again from your library, so a game you are not currently playing does not necessarily need to remain installed.

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Choose an M.2 SSD if your aim is to keep more PS5 games installed and playable without transfers. Choose USB extended storage when archiving PS5 games is acceptable or when you want to play PS4 games from the drive.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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