Best External SSD for Gaming on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X

You bought the best PS5 Digital Edition or an Xbox Series X console with the next-generation hardware and started downloading games to serve your craving as a gamer. Suddenly a message pops up stating there is no space left on your storage drive. It means deleting a game to make space for a new one in older consoles. This problem in the next-gen consoles is easily solved with the best external SSD for gaming. If you think running out of space on a PC is impossible, that’s wrong. Despite having tons of M.2 ports, SATA connections, and PCIe Slots, you would still need a portable option for your gaming needs on the go. Why go for the best SSD for gaming? Aren’t HDDs a cheaper option when it comes to storage for gaming? We will provide in-depth answers to these questions in this article.

Having the best NVMe SSD connected externally to a gaming console or PC has unique advantages. Like having a rack of optical disks as a collection of games, you can set a drawer of smart, compact, everlasting, and fast data storage devices for gaming with the best PCIe 4.0 SSD. You can reach up to 8100Mbps of data transfer speeds by connecting the best M.2 SSD for gaming. A standard PS5 comes with an 825 GB of space and an Xbox Series X with 1TB of built-in storage space, which is not enough considering that a game like CyberPunk 2077 takes around 100GB of space on a PS5 and about 85GB on an Xbox Series X. An external SSD drive will provide fast bootup speeds and reliable operation over the years. As a user, you will be able to store only 7-8 games in your internal drive without any space left for other apps and data. So opting for an SSD is by no means a wrong decision.

Our top picks

Quick Shopping Tips:

We have a few tips for you to go through before choosing the best item for yourself. These tips are some of the most critical factors that lead to a successful purchase, so look at them.

SSD vs. HDD: HDD works by spinning a disk with a thin magnetic coating and retrieving data by moving a “head” over the disc. It writes “0” and “1” as data which it retrieves using the same head. It poses a few problems; but is pretty budget-friendly. In contrast, SSDs are like flash drives and store data rapidly like RAM, but unlike RAM, the data in SSD doesn’t get lost on losing power, making SSDs incredibly fast and a little pricier than HDDs.

Blu-ray vs. SSD: Optic disks like Blu-ray (BD) are made of plastic material with a film coating used for data storage and pose many challenges for a user. You will always have to preserve the discs, which many people have trouble achieving. The disk can get easily scratched and hinder the reading laser beam retrieval of data. Whereas SSDs are solid-state with no moving parts allowing faster data transfer speeds and can last several decades with rough use.

Transfer Interface: Your gaming external SSD must have a powerful and fast interface to allow high-speed data transfer. Xbox Series X and PS5 have Gen2 USB ports with faster data transfer speeds than any external device in the market. It is always good to have a quick transfer interface; this ensures no bottleneck in the system. USB-C is the latest connection interface, and USB-A is still popular due to its robustness.

Read/Write: Read/Write speeds are the most talked-about terms for SSDs and HDDs. There are mainly two ways to write and read: sequential and random. Sequential is accessing data in a fast sequence, but usually, data is not present on a storage device sequentially. Still, a sequential read and writer speed can represent a storage device performance. Random read and write are where SSDs take a massive leap with a humongous speed difference against HDDs. Random access of data is slower in HDDs.

Best External SSD for Gaming on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X: First look

Best External SSD for Gaming on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X: In-depth Review

ADATA is a well-recognized company that uses top-of-the-line tech from Texas Instruments that is proven reliable. ADATA SE800 1TB is the most notable item amongst the company’s products, considering that the PS5 and Xbox Series X require a minimum of 250GB and 128GB storage size, respectively. When it comes to SSDs used for game storage in consoles or PC form factor takes a primary role. This item is undoubtedly the best external SSD for gaming and is user-friendly. This storage drive can fit inside the palm of a hand. In terms of aesthetics, it’s slim and smart with a brushed metal surface. The gaming community adores this product quite a lot.

Gamers tend to be rough on their hardware, and this external SSD drive can take a hit. Its IP68 dustproof rating and waterproof design make it excellent for streamers eating on the desk. The military-grade shockproof design allows drops from the table multiple times as no moving parts inside the drive stay with you longer. You will need to ensure that the cover is firmly closed for toughness. If you want to plug this drive into a PS5, it’s ideal because the USB-C interface allows it to communicate at blazing speeds. The three-year warranty represents ADATA’s confidence in their device and is a great reason to go with it.

Western Digital has been around for decades, and their products are made from precision and years of feedback and experience. WD Black P50 Game Drive 1TB checks all the right boxes for a gamer. WD has a shockproof design that looks like a military box to protect firepower. This gaming drive is not only durable but has rapid data transfer rates of 2000Mb/s. It utilizes the 20GB/s bandwidth provided by the USB 3.2 Gen 2 protocol, thus avoiding any potential bottlenecking. It has a few setbacks, but its positive points outweigh them at a go. Let’s have a deeper look at this product.

This SSD performed exceptionally in a test via Crystal DiskMark 6.0 compared to other storage drives with 1991 MB/s read and 1897 MB/s write speeds; this would mean high loading speeds and no delay in transition to game cut-scenes as a gamer. This item is the best USB type-C external SSD for gaming as it comes with a limited 5-year warranty that represents the WD quality of the product. It officially supports Xbox Series X and PS5 in its spec sheet, making it more suitable for gaming consoles with USB 3.2 ports. PS5 supports SuperSpeed USB 20 Gbps, but for PC, you need to ensure that your motherboard is ready to handle this speed for proper utilization.

Crucial produces some of the most respected and high-performance solid-state storage devices. Their chipsets are used in some of the leading products in the market, mainly in RAM. Crucial X8 2TB is one of the most well-acclaimed items of the company. Its compact size and use of NVMe based technology allow it to be durable. We recommend this product as it is the best NVMe-based external SSD for gaming and leaves no user in dismay. Crucial allows data encryption using Apple FileVault and Windows Bitlocker to Go or third-party software like Symantec and McAfee. The drive easily fits the palm of a hand, and heat is dissipated efficiently to provide unthrottled data transfer speeds.

The design is comfortable for any user and can be used in professional settings. It is compatible across platforms like PC, Mac, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Android, and iPad Pro. It’s a perfect buy for gamers as it provides an ample 2GB storage space at a brilliant price/storage ratio. Speed is not limited by the USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C interface. We didn’t see any indicator for the drive that shows whether this gaming drive is working, but it’s still a great buy. Crucial has tested this SSD under the harshest conditions like extreme weather and 7.5ft drop test. This drive has one of the highest customer satisfaction rates at an unbeatable price.

Samsung has been in the portable SSD business for a long time and has produced some of the industry’s leading SSDs. Samsung T5 SSD is the best smart external SSD for gaming mainly due to its portability. Drive portability is not only dependent on its size and design. When you carry a drive, you expect it to be pocket-friendly, but most external SSDs get so hot that placing them inside the pocket makes one uncomfortable. Samsung’s design is all metal that works as a heat sink and maintains a solid 48ºC throughout its operation; thus is relatively user-friendly. Some users may object to the possible scratches the metal surface can take, but it makes the item robust, and that is a fact.

As a professional, you might require data storage that could be crucial to your organization or contain secret financial information, so it becomes vital to have an encryption-enabled SSD for your data. Samsung offers AES 256-bit encryption that uses the AES algorithm with the most extended 256-bit key length. It is the best external SSD for gaming as its design allows stacking and storage advantages and is mathematically complex, and has never been cracked. You can rely on keeping your data securely inside this drive. The size of this SSD is roughly similar to the credit card. According to NAND suppliers' revenue market share, Samsung has been No.1 in flash storage device sales since 2003.

When it comes to 2TB storage space that is portable and fast, then Crucial X6 2TB is the top-tier entry in the gaming world. You might wonder why gaming? This product is the most suitable for gamers because of its sleek design and characteristics. It can easily withstand a 6.5ft drop and can withstand extreme vibrations. The weight of this SSD is 40gms, which is approximately the weight of your car keys. Compared to traditional external SSDs, it performs 5.6x faster and is not fragile as external HDDs. The sequential read/write speed makes it ideal for gaming consoles. Its square-shaped design is easy to handle and blends in with any hardware connected.

We all have been through slow loading speeds on games like GTA V due to their massive game data. It takes approximately 29 seconds to load the game on a PC or console through the SSD, while it takes around 50 seconds for the HDD to load the game. When it comes to Online GTA V mode, this best toughest external SSD for gaming takes 2 minutes and 2 seconds to load, whereas a traditional HDD-based external drive takes 2 minutes and 34 seconds. We can extend this benchmark results to other software and storage-related work. We can safely say that these drives are a welcome addition to your gaming hardware.

When we go into the latest trend followed by big manufacturers like Apple, they go for the subtler and minimalist look. Seagate Barracuda Fast SSD 1TB is the top-end item for gaming since it performs as stated. Seagate Barracuda series are known for their reliability and long-term operation, but this drive is mainly about aesthetics. Ever since the best SATA-based external SSD for gaming has come onto the scene, there is nothing that could beat its spiffy design. The subtle green light below a protruded surface and complete metal-like look give it professional tool aesthetics. It will look perfect with any Mac PC and blend perfectly with any gaming console.

This drive is meant to lower your game installation and loading times. It brings them down drastically over traditional external HDDs. However, we did notice that it is priced higher for a SATA-based interface SSD; as soon as you plug in the device, the green light lights up. As a gamer, you might like the design of this gaming drive, which is friendly to stacking too. You can store multiple games, label the SSD, and place them on top of each other for easy access, just like the good old optical drive cases. The body is scratch-resistant, and the overall built quality can stand bumps. It comes with file syncing and backup software for convenient data transfer for professionals.

It is the second ADATA drive on our list. The design of ADATA SE900G is meant for gamers. Its incredible speed makes it the priority for gamers. The blazing speed of stated 2000Mbps on the spec sheet matches its in-field performance tested on Crystal DiskMark 6.0 with read/write scores of 1997Mbps. The drive performs some of the top names in SSDs when transferring GBs of photo, movie, zip file, or document data. When working with a PS5, this is the top-performing gaming drive. However, slightly lower performance is observed with an Xbox Series X due to its interface. It’s still high enough to beat any other drive performance.

If you are an RGB lover, this drive will appeal to you due to its polished surface. When the drive is turned on, the RGB lighting comes through the top cover and makes it look alive. This item is unquestionably the best fastest external SSD for gaming. SSDs get hot during operation and require proper heat dissipation to avoid phenomena like thermal throttling. There are vents on the side of the SSD which are not featured by far on any of the drives on our list. Having high speeds and maintaining high speeds are dependent on its heat transfer capabilities. It is a perfect buy for its price.

Next up, we have our final recommendation, a mid-ranged yet high-end device. SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is the most desirable item if you are an extreme gamer and looking for something rugged enough to take up any train. It works as advertised at 550Mbps transfer speeds and provides connectivity with Type-A and C interfaces via connector cables supplied inside the box. The form factor is exceptionally portable; they have given a hole to use along with a D-ring carabiner. It is suitable for content creators and Vloggers who are constantly on the move and require portability for the data storage device.

The portability of this device is enhanced with its IP rating. Its IEC 60529 IP55 rating means it’s been tested to withstand 30kPa of water flow for 3 min. It also features the 128-bit AES encryption essential to keep your data encrypted and inaccessible for any hacker. The drive is smaller than a smartphone and lighter than a keychain; thus, we named it the best portable SSD. Its 41 grams of weight allows it to fit inside the pocket seamlessly. The body temperature after heavy operation remains just around a human skin temperature. The data transfer speeds are incredible for a photo, zip, and video data.

Final Words

Any HDD user will recommend an SSD drive instantly because it is fast. Some SSDs in our list are faster than traditional HDDs by many folds. That is due to the latest technology that the best external SSD for gaming uses. You can either go for a SATA or NVMe based SSD, but the latest is NVMe based. However, it would be best if you were sure that the drive has an interface that can support the speeds provided by the SSD, like USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, which is the fastest available interface in the market. As a gamer, you would be using these drives on a PS5 or Xbox Series X.. Both have a USB interface for external items, but the PS5 has a faster interface than Xbox. Comparing the transfer speed of the SSD with the transfer speed supported by Xbox and PS5 is lower than both. Both consoles can fully utilize the best SSD at the highest 2000 Mbps transfer speeds.

SSDs have numerous advantages for gamers. Multiple game storage on multiple devices means that you spend less time managing space by deleting files and spend more time gaming. Optical drives are slow, and their data retrieval rate depends on the movement of headers, whereas a solid-state drive has no moving parts and reads/writes data at almost 70 times faster than an optical drive. Some of the SSDs in our list provide performance and data perseverance in extreme conditions like water which is a great reason to purchase them. The drives come with an IP rating that protects them from dust and moisture. An optical drive needs to be carefully handled to perform for extended time intervals. There are numerous advantages for SSDs for gamers, and we hope you find the SSD that suits your PS5 or Xbox Series X.

Frequently Asked Questions