it is not possible to store new games on an external hard drive

Bad news, it will not be possible to store PS5 games on external hard drives or SSDs. It will be necessary to be satisfied with internal storage spaces.

Sony’s new PlayStation 5 looks like a great next-gen console. Between its innovative and fluid interface, its very good performance, its silence or its controller offering more immersion in games, it really has many arguments for it.

Unfortunately, not everything is ideal for launch, and the testers also uncovered some bad news. Yesterday, for example, we learned that the free M.2 port inside the console, designed to allow a user to add a second SSD, would be disabled for launching the console.

Regarding PS5 games, it will also be necessary to do without USB solutions.

No cold storage to avoid re-downloads

Due to containment and lack of external hard drive, we were unable to test this item with our copy. However, several sites report that it is not possible to copy PS5 games to an external hard drive or a USB SSD.

Next-gen games, whether for the PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Series S and X, will now be designed for ultra-fast SSDs found in new consoles. Preventing launching games from slower storage, especially USB, was therefore expected.

In contrast, the new Xboxes allow new games to be copied to slower storages, while blocking their launch, to avoid wasting time redownloading a game after uninstalling it. The hard drive then plays the role of cold storage.

Sony may have wished to avoid this confusion between storable games and games that can be launched from external media, or this function may only happen with a later update of the system.

PS5 players will therefore have to be content with the 665 GB available on the console to store and play new games. PS4 games remain perfectly storable and playable on external storage.