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Every gaming console available today is severely lacking storage space. Some games need 100 GB or more storage for game files and saved games, so storage fills up pretty fast when you consider that most game consoles come with either a 500 or 1000 GB internal hard drive. The operating system files for the console along with some miscellaneous take up some space as well.
Thankfully, most gaming console makers changed their stance on external storage and support for external USB hard drives started getting help. That is good news for a lot of gamers since they won’t have to keep deleting and reinstalling their favorite games to make room.
External Hard Drives for Gaming FAQ
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1. Can I play games directly from my external drive?
You can play games directly from the external drive you choose to compliment your PS4. Some external drives may experience issues if you unplug them while the PS4 is on or if you turn it on while the drive is unplugged. Your PS4 may forget it saved files on the external drive. The best plan is to dedicate the drive to the PS4.
2. Will any USB external drive work with my PS4?
Most external hard drives that are USB compatible work with the PS4. That said, check the specs for the drive or ask PlayStation Support before you buy one other than the ones on our list.
3. Will using an external drive for games cause lag?
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Yes. Getting a solid-state external drive ensures you get the most speed possible since the data on them gets to your PS4 much faster than the data stored on a regular hard drive. That said, you probably won’t notice any lag. Your brain takes about 12 milliseconds to process what your eyes see, so any lag you notice is perhaps imaginary.
4. Where is the best place to buy an external drive for gaming?
You’ll probably find the best deals on external hard drives for your PS4 on Amazon. However, some big-box stores and local office supply places may run sales or deals on the drives as well.
HOW WE CHOSE THE BEST EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES FOR YOUR PS4
We focused on the crucial factors that might impact your gaming experience. The key things we focused on when choosing the best external hard drives for your PS4 included:
- Storage space
- Data transfer speeds
- Brand and device reputation
- The size of the external hard drive
Casual gamers may not need more than an extra 500 gigabytes or a terabyte of additional storage for their PS4 while avid gamers may want to get a six terabytes or larger external drive. We tried to include external hard drives that might fit every need.
Data transfer speeds are important if you want the best performance from your external drive. We included drives from well-known brands with an excellent reputation for providing high-speed devices.
Customer reviews and comments also played a role in which drives we chose. Gamers are a vocal group, so if they don’t like a product or find problems with it, finding out about their issues is relatively easy online. We considered the physical size of each external drive as well since you may need a compact drive for the space you have available.
Top 10 Best External hard drives for Your PS4
Make sure you take a hard look at your individual needs before you buy an external hard drive for your PS4. We think getting the most storage is the best plan, but we also recognize that you may not need 15 terabytes of space if you only play six or seven games regularly.
You can get this external hard drive on Amazon. You can order one in one of six different colors, and the device is small so that it fits almost anywhere. This is an excellent choice for casual and avid gamers since it could probably hold all the games you play.
The product is compatible with modern USB 3.0 connections and backward compatible to USB 2.0, so it covers a broader range of devices and some older hardware. It has password encryption and some backup features as well, but you probably won’t need those for PS4 games.
You can order this drive on Amazon. Seagate has a reputation for making devices that perform well and last a long time. This drive works well with PlayStations and comes with a guide to help you get it set up and working in less than three minutes according to the manual. This device is a good option for casual gamers and can potentially hold around 40 games.It’s compatible with USB 3.0 connections and owners report that it works with their USB 2.0 devices as well. This device is officially licensed and sports the PlayStation logo which adds to it credibility as easy to use and you know it will work correctly.
You can get this drive on Amazon. The two-terabyte version of this drive is also available. Samsung makes some of our favorite external drives because they don’t suffer the compatibility issues many drives face. They just work with everything you plug them into most of the time. It works with most USB connections includin
g USB C and A. It offers encryption if you decide you need it, but that option may not work with the PS4.
You can order this drive on Amazon. This drive works with most popular formats like Windows NTFS and Mac. It works with Mac out of the box, so moving captured video to your computer is easy no matter which operating system you use. If you’ve had issues with moving captured videos in the past, this drive might be the solution to your problems.
The device is USB 3.0 and C compatible, so you need the latest version of the PS4 software for it to work correctly. PS4 only supports exFAT and FAT32 filesystem formats so anything on the device will get destroyed when you set it up as extended storage for your PS4.
You can get this drive on Amazon. This one needs an external power supply, so make sure you have an available power supply near your PS4. PS4 only supports hard drives up to eight terabytes which makes this the biggest drive you can get for it. If you need to keep a few hundred games installed or capture a lot of gameplay videos, this drive is an excellent solution for you. The drive is USB 3.0 and 2.0 compatible so that using it with your PS4, and an older computer won’t be an issue. Don’t store anything on the drive before attaching it to your PS4 because the device is formatted to NTFS and your PS4 will reformat it to FAT32. The only con for this drive is that you need external power for it to work.
You can get this drive on Amazon. Like the previous drive, this one needs external power as well. If you use a high-quality surge protector, and you should use one, you probably have plenty of slots on it for an extra power supply. It holds eight terabytes of data which is the maximum for PS4, so you probably won’t ever need to upgrade this drive to a bigger one. It supports USB 2.0 and 3.0, so moving it from your PS4 to any other device won’t cause compatibility problems. The software that comes with it makes it easy to share gameplay videos or screenshots on social media or upload them to a cloud service like DropBox.
You can get this device on Amazon. Four terabyte drives are probably the best size for most PS4 gamers. They hold plenty of games and data, and most of the drives this size don’t need an external power source. Drives like this one are excellent choices for casual and avid PS4 gamers. This drive is USB 2.0 and 3.0 ready. .
You can order this external hard drive for your PS4 on Amazon. This drive is unique because the case around it is shockproof. If you move your PS4 around a lot, to play a friend’s house, for instance, this drive will add room for several more games, and you probably won’t end up with corrupted data if you bang it around a little bit. The drive is compatible with any PlayStation model that uses the system version 4.50 or newer. The device is compatible with USB 3.1, 3.0, and 2.0 and comes with clips to store the cable when you’re not using it. It’s also waterproof.
You can get this drive on Amazon. The device’s design helps prevent damage from shock and water exposure. Like the previous drive on the list, this one is an excellent choice for anyone that needs to move their PS4 or travel with it.
You can order this drive on Amazon. This drive is also shockproof and waterproof, so you can travel with it and your PS4 without worrying about data loss or damage to the device.
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