How to Move PS5 Games to External HDD to Make More Console Space

How to Move PS5 Games to External HDD Guide

In case you missed the big news today, Sony released a new firmware update for the PS5 that added the ability to store PS5 games on an external hard drive. If you are wondering how this is done, we here at MP1st have prepared a short guide, detailing how to move PS5 games to an external HDD.

How to Move PS5 Games to External HDD

Honestly it’s not a very complicated process. To get started, all you need to have is an external HDD that supports USB connectivity. We recommend an external HDD that supports USB 3.0 as the speeds are far faster in terms of transfer rate. A external SSD is also one we recommend, but if it’s cost purposes definitely a USB 3.0 supported drive. If you are using one already for PS4 games this same one will also work. You PS5 also has to be up-to-date on the latest software. More information about updating PS5 software can be found at the official PS5 Software update page.

Step 1: Plug in your external HDD and allow the system to format the drive. If you are already using this drive on the PS5 for PS4 games then you will not need to format.

Step 2: Now that your drive is properly formatted, you can now begin copying PS5 games over to it. To do this, navigate to the system settings and then go to storage, select console storage, and finally select games and app.

Step 3: From this next menu, you will want to hit R1 to move to the “Move PS5 Games” tab. You will get a small warning that the games are only playable on the internal SSD. Acknowledge it and now you can freely pick whatever PS5 game you want to move over. Easy peasy!

Why Move My PS5 Games to an External HDD?

One of the biggest reasons you will want to move some of your PS5 games to an external HDD is because it can save you a ton of time from having to redownload said games. Due to the limited amount of space on the PS5 built-in SSD, users have had the tough choice of deleting old games to make for new ones. Issue with this is, if you want to play an old game you have to redownload it and depending on your internet speeds that can be an all day (or more) thing.

Copying from an external HDD to internal is significantly faster than redownloading.

Can I Play PS5 Games Off an External Hard Drive?

At the time of writing, there is no support to play PS5 games off an external hard drive, nor is it likely to happen. Unlike the Xbox Series consoles, the PS5 only supports internal SSD. There is an expansion slot, but Sony has yet to allow additional storage space to be added.

How Do I Move PS5 Games Back to PS5?

It’s the same process as above, only instead of selecting console storage you pick the USB extended storage option. A “PS5 Move Game” option is located in the storage option.

That’s all there is too it! Hope you guys enjoyed this guide and learned a bit!

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