The best PS5 SSD upgrades now that games are getting bigger

With Grand Theft Auto VI potentially requiring around 210GB and SSD prices rising, these are the most sensible drives for expanding PS5 storage.

The PS5’s storage fills faster than many players expect, and the pressure is increasing. Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to weigh in at about 210GB on PS5, which would take up a sizeable share of the space available on a launch model once the system software is accounted for. At the same time, SSD prices have risen sharply since late 2025 as flash memory supply has tightened, so the value equation has shifted even for buyers looking at mid-range drives.

Among the current options, the Crucial P310 2280 with heatsink is the cheapest practical route to adding meaningful PS5 storage. Crucial rates it at up to 7,100MB/s read speed, comfortably above Sony’s recommendation, and it includes a cooler sized for the console’s M.2 bay. The trade-off is that Crucial has used QLC NAND and omitted DRAM, which makes it less attractive for heavy file transfers than pricier drives. For game loading, however, it remains more than adequate, and around 2TB it sits in a price band that is still easier to justify than many rivals.

For most buyers, the safer all-round choice remains the SanDisk Optimus GX PRO 850X, the new name for the former WD_Black SN850X. Tom’s Hardware reported in 2026 that SanDisk is retiring the WD_Black SSD badge and rolling gaming models into the Optimus GX line, with the 850X effectively continuing unchanged apart from the name. It offers up to 7,300MB/s read speed, includes DRAM, and is available with a heatsink that fits the PS5’s size limits. That combination makes it easy to recommend for players who want a straightforward, high-end PCIe 4.0 drive without paying for a licence label.

Samsung’s 990 Pro with heatsink remains the closest rival in the premium PCIe 4.0 class. TechRadar said the 4TB version can reach 7,450MB/s sequential reads and uses TLC V-NAND with DRAM, while GamesRadar also placed the 990 Pro at the top of its 2026 PS5 SSD guide because its performance effectively maxes out the console’s storage interface. Samsung’s model has also had firmware scrutiny in the past, so buyers should make sure the drive is updated before fitting it. In practice, it is a strong choice when the price is competitive, but it rarely offers a decisive advantage over the SanDisk model for PS5 use alone.

The Samsung 9100 Pro is the most future-proof option in the list, but not the most sensible one for a console alone. It is a PCIe 5.0 SSD, with Samsung claiming up to 14,800MB/s on a compatible PC, yet the PS5’s M.2 slot is still limited to PCIe 4.0 speeds. Its appeal lies in dual use: it makes sense if the drive will later move into a modern PC, or if a buyer wants the largest capacity available, including an 8TB version. For console-only use, though, it costs more than the best PCIe 4.0 alternatives without delivering faster game loading on the PS5.