- The PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition both ship with just 825GB of storage space.
- Game install requirements have already leaked for some of the upcoming PS5 games, suggesting that storage upgrades will be inevitable purchases for some gamers.
- Sony is yet to reveal what kind of external SSDs will meet the size and speed requirements of the PS5.
When Sony unveiled the specs of the PS5 during that boring event in mid-March, we pointed out the massive compromise of the new console: the 825GB SSD storage. At the time, we had no idea Sony would launch two PS5 versions. Months later, when the PS5 Digital Edition was unveiled, it became clear that the same compromise would impact buyers of both consoles. And now that the devices are available for preorder, you’ll have to know that you already need to set aside cash for expanding the internal storage with a pricey external SSD upgrade.
Sony tried to explain the unusual 825GB capacity during the March event, saying that it perfectly fits its needs. Mark Cerny also noted at the time that the PS5 would support regular HDD and SSDs. But to play games from the external SSDs, they’d need to match the speed of the built-in storage. That’s 5.5GB/s, the kind of performance that’s not widely available from affordable SSDs. Samsung announced the 980 PRO model that might fit inside the PS5’s SSD expansion bay, but Sony is yet to confirm anything. As it is now, we have no idea what SSDs will work with the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition, and what specs they need to meet.
But more and more leaks indicate that the games made for PS5 will take up plenty of storage. GamesRadar listed a few of the PS5 install sizes that are known so far:
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales install size – 50GB minimum
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Launch Edition install size – 105GB
- Demon’s Souls Remake install size – 66GB
That’s quite a lot. The more games you install, the more storage you’ll occupy. And Sony made it a point of its PS5 events to focus on all the new games coming to the PS5, including exclusives that won’t be available on the other side. The more Sony stresses out on this particular advantage, the clearer the 825GB disadvantage will become.
You might not experience storage fatigue initially, but hardcore gamers who play multiple titles at the same time will undoubtedly find it more challenging to manage the collection of games they want to keep on hand.
Sony did say a long time ago that the PS5 will let you install only the game components you might need, which could help with storage. And you’ll be able to move game data to the PlayStation cloud and other external storage.
But sooner than later, you might need to spend top dollar for a fast SSD solution that lets you play PS5 games directly from the external drive — GamesRadar explains it best:
So, let’s do some more math. I spend $399 on the PS5 All-Digital Edition, purchase Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Launch Edition for $70 (since I didn’t have a PS4 until recently, I’ve never played Spider-Man), and download [175GB of] Call of Duty: Warzone for free. For $469 I now have around a third of my PS5’s storage space accounted for and only two games to show for it.
Microsoft has a similar problem for the new Xbox, but the company came up with a solution. A custom 1TB SSD drive that will cost two-thirds of what you pay for the Series S. But gamers are at least aware that upgrading the internal SSD is possible. PlayStation 5 fans will need to wait for Sony to reveal the SSD storage requirements for the PS5 versions.
