Modern console games are big. A single large shooter can take well over 100 GB, and a console with a "1 TB" drive never gives you the full 1 TB, because part of it holds the system software. Fill it up and you start deleting games just to try a new one. Re-downloading them later takes time and data.
The fix is more storage, but this is where beginners get stuck: each console has its own rules for what kind of drive works and what it can do. A cheap external drive that is perfect on one console is almost useless for new games on another. This guide explains the rules first, then lets you test how fast your own mix of games fills a drive.
1. Pick a console (built-in storage, roughly usable)
2. Add fast extra storage
3. Choose your games (rounded typical sizes)
The newest games on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2 are built around fast solid-state storage. That is why each console limits where its own new games can run from. A slow drive, such as a spinning hard disk plugged in with a cable, is fine for some things but not for these games.
PS5. Sony's support page says PS5 games can be played from an M.2 SSD you install in the console's expansion slot. It has to be a PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe drive, between 250 GB and 8 TB, and Sony recommends 5,500 MB/s read speed or faster. It also needs to fit physically and stay cool, which means a heatsink or heat-transfer sheet. A USB drive can hold PS5 games, but you must copy them back to the console or the M.2 drive before you can play them. It does play PS4 games directly.
Xbox Series X|S. Games made for the newer console need the internal drive or the Storage Expansion Card, a small plug-in card made by Seagate and Western Digital in sizes up to 2 TB. It is proprietary, so a normal SSD will not fit. A USB 3.0 (or newer) drive can play older Xbox One, Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, and can store newer ones, but not run them.
Switch 2. Nintendo says Switch 2 only works with microSD Express cards, up to 2 TB. A regular microSD card from a Switch 1 or a phone will not save or load digital games on Switch 2; you can still import old screenshots and videos from it. Save data stays in the console's internal memory.
| Console | Plays new games from | Older games / storing |
|---|---|---|
| PS5 | Internal SSD, compatible M.2 SSD | USB drive plays PS4 games; holds PS5 games to copy back |
| Xbox | Internal SSD, Storage Expansion Card | USB 3.0+ drive plays older-generation games; stores newer ones |
| Switch 2 | Internal memory, microSD Express | Regular microSD cards do not work for games |
A useful way to think about it: fast storage is for games you play now, and a cheap USB hard drive is a big shelf for games you are not playing this week. A hard drive holds a lot for the price, but it cannot run new games on PS5 or Xbox Series, so do not buy one expecting that.
Use the figure above with the games you actually play. As a rough guide, three groups of players come up again and again:
A few favourites. If you mostly play two or three games and delete the rest, the built-in storage may be enough for a long time, especially on a console with 1 TB or more.
A rotating library. If you like to try many games and hate waiting for downloads, aim for roughly double your built-in storage. Games that get big updates, such as annual shooters, are the main reason people run out.
A collector. If you keep dozens of games installed, plan on a lot of fast space, and use a cheap external drive for the ones you only touch now and then.
The smallest console storage deserves special care. The Xbox Series S has 512 GB, with roughly 360 GB usable. A couple of large games fill that, so an expansion card makes a big difference there. Switch 2 has 256 GB built in, and some of its bigger games are tens of gigabytes each, so a card is worth it if you buy digital games.
Match the console first. Read the compatibility line before comparing anything else. "PS5" on the box usually means an M.2 drive with a heatsink, "Xbox Series X|S" means the proprietary card, and "Switch 2" means microSD Express.
Speed only matters up to the rule. For PS5, meet the 5,500 MB/s recommendation. Sony treats that as the target, so paying extra for a much faster drive is rarely the point.
Capacity per game, not per price. Count how many of your games fit. Doubling the size is often cheaper per gigabyte than buying a small one now and a second one later.
Keep the cheap option for cold storage. An external hard drive is a good place for older games and backups, as long as you accept that it will not run new ones.