Here's how to upgrade PS5 internal storage

How to upgrade PS5 internal storage

PS5 Internal Storage replacement photos.

(Image credit: Futurity)

Knowing how to upgrade PS5 internal storage is worthwhile, and luckily, non that hard. Later all, some of the best PS5 games can crave more 100GB of the console'southward inbuilt 825GB storage space, merely 667GB of which is usable.

While the console has supported some of the all-time external difficult drives since launch, adding additional internal storage has been made available in the offset PS5 software beta. The feature will be rolled out to all PS5 owners in the coming weeks after it'southward been thoroughly vetted by beta testers.

The biggest benefit of upgrading your panel's internal storage is that an boosted SSD is able to play native PS5 games that are stored on it. Whereas an external hard drive tin only be used to store next-gen games. Y'all have to transfer them over to the panel'south internal storage in order to actually play them.

An external hard drive tin can store and play PS4 titles, however, so read up on our how to transfer games to PS5 external hard bulldoze for those interested.

The procedure of upgrading PS5 internal storage is a piffling finicky. It requires you to go a compatible SSD drive (a heatsink is required, some include one, others do not) and then screw it in yourself. While it might audio very intimidating, as long equally you're comfortable wielding a screwdriver yous shouldn't have too much trouble.

In fact, the hardest part of the process is really getting your hands on an SSD that fits Sony's quite strict requirements. That's because the console's base of operations hard bulldoze has a read speed that is very much at the peak end of the market, then you need to get an boosted SSD that can hit the same speeds. Nosotros've included a section on which difficult drives are uniform below, to help you purchase a compatible drive.

Don't worry if you're feeling a trivial overwhelmed with so much to consider, our guide on how to upgrade PS5 internal storage will guide you through the process.

Which SSDs are compatible with PS5

The majority of SSDs are not compatible with the PS5. This is because the read speed that native PS5 games crave is extremely fast, and most drives simply don't have the speed to keep up.

The specific type of internal SSD drive you need is a PCle Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD. These aren't uncommon and the big manufacturers such as Samsung, Western Digital and Seagate all make drives of this type.

Sony has a lengthy list of requirements on its website, which you'll likewise discover in the table below. Crucially, you need to brand sure your chosen SSD hits every one of these as Sony is cracking to stress that if your bulldoze doesn't information technology could really damage your PS5.

Interface	PCIe Gen4 x4 Thousand.2 NVMe SSD
Chapters	250GB – 4TB
Sequential read speed	5,500MB/south or faster
Grade Factor	K.2 type 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110
Socket type	Socket 3 (Key Yard)
Total size including cooling structure	Smaller than 110mm (50) ten 25mm (W) 10 11.25mm (H)
Lengths supported	30mm, 42mm, 60mm, 80mm, 110mm

The Seagate FireCuda 530 NVMe M.two PCle Gen 4 SSD has already been confirmed every bit PS5 compatible as has the Samsung 980 PRO SSD. Other compatible drives include the Corsair MP600 Pro LPX, which nosotros've personally tested, the XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade, WD_BLACK 1TB SN850 and the Sabrent Rocket iv Plus. All of these drives come with a heatsink, something that Sony requires to maintain stable temperatures.

All the SSDs linked above accept heatsinks that fit inside the PS5. At that place may exist heatsinks for other SSDs that may not, so be sure to read user reviews to ensure that any SSD y'all buy, it'll fit. The drive with the heatsink fastened cannot be any bigger than 25mm wide and eleven.25mm loftier in order to fit within the PS5's internal expansion slot.

How to upgrade PS5 internal storage

In club to upgrade your PS5 internal storage, you will need a flat surface to work from, a #1 Phillips or cross-head screwdriver and information technology's not a bad thought to brand utilise of a pocket-size flashlight or the torch on your phone in order to clearly see what you lot're doing at all times.

1. Place your console on a apartment surface upside down. The etched PlayStation logo on the top of the console should be facing down. Make sure whatsoever cables are fully disconnected before beginning the procedure.

ii. Now yous need to slide off the bottom PS5 cover plate. Place your palms near the meridian corners and grip the edge of the encompass. Gently pull the cover plate upward and towards yourself. If you hear a click, that's normal.

3. With the cover plate removed, remove the spiral from the expansion slot embrace then remove the cover itself.

4. Remove the screw underneath and spacer. Arrange the spacer to the size of your Thou.2 SSD.

5. Hold the border of your Thou.2 SSD, align information technology with the connector, and and then starting from diagonally upwardly firmly insert your SSD all the style in.

6. Gently push your Grand.ii SSD down and fasten it with the screw that was inside the PS5.

7. Reattach the expansion slot cover and fasten the spiral. Also, reattach the PS5 lesser cover plate by sliding it back into place. You'll hear a click when the cover is secured.

8. Reconnect the ability cord and HDMI cable and switch on your PS5. A formatting guide should appear automatically. Follow the onscreen pedagogy to format your M.two SSD. Go ahead and printing the X button format the M.2 SSD.

Screenshots of PS5 SSD upgrade prompts. — (Prototype credit: Hereafter)

9. Once formatted, it should show you your drive'due south SSD read speed. If it'south over v,500 MB/south, y'all're good.

10. And yous're washed! To begin moving your games over to the SSD, go to settings > Storage > Installation Location. From at that place y'all can click on a specific game or app and move files over.

Here are some more than how-to guides to get the nigh out of your PS5:

How to appear offline on PS5
How to charge a PS5 controller
How to admission PS5's clandestine web browser
How to format an SD card
How to turn off the PS5 DualSense microphone

Rory is a Deals Editor at Tom's Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics simply with a detail focus on deals, gaming and streaming. When he's not scouring retailers for PS5 restock or writing hot takes on the latest gaming hardware and streaming shows, he can exist found attention music festivals and beingness thoroughly disappointed by his terrible football team.