The PlayStation 5 has an internal M.2 slot that accepts a compatible NVMe SSD, and this is the only way to expand storage for playing PS5 games directly. The drive must meet Sony's speed and size requirements, and it needs a heatsink, either pre-fitted or added, because the slot sits in a warm part of the console. Installation is straightforward: remove the side cover, undo one screw, insert the drive, and format it from the settings menu. Once installed, the extra drive behaves exactly like the internal storage, so you can play PS5 games from it with no performance penalty. Prices have fallen considerably since launch, making a 1TB or 2TB expansion far more affordable than it once was.

USB drives still have a role on PS5, but a limited one. You can store PS5 games on an external USB drive, and play PS4 games directly from it, but PS5 titles must be copied back to internal or M.2 storage before they will launch. That makes a USB drive a useful cold-storage shelf for games you are not currently playing, especially if your internet connection is slow and redownloading takes hours. Copying a large game back takes time too, so treat USB storage as an archive, not as an extension of your playable library.

Xbox Series X and S take a different approach with proprietary expansion cards that slot into the back of the console. These cards match the internal drive's speed exactly, so Series X and S games run from them without any copying or compromise, and installation is as simple as plugging the card in. The trade-off is price and choice: only licensed cards work for current-generation games, and they typically cost more per gigabyte than a standard PC SSD. For many players that simplicity is worth it, especially on the Series S, whose smaller internal drive fills up after only a handful of large games.

Like PlayStation, Xbox supports USB drives for storage and for playing older-generation games. You can store Series X and S games on a USB drive and copy them back when you want to play, and you can play Xbox One and older backward-compatible titles directly from USB. A fast USB SSD makes those copy operations much quicker than a traditional hard drive, though it still cannot run current-generation games directly. If your library mixes generations, a USB SSD for older games plus an expansion card for current games is a practical combination.

Choose based on how many games you actively rotate. If you play a handful of titles at a time and have a decent internet connection, a single expansion of 1TB is usually enough, and you can delete and redownload the rest. If you juggle many large games, or share the console with family members who each have their own library, go larger from the start, since upgrading later means buying a second drive rather than a bigger one. Check your console's storage settings regularly to see which games actually consume the space; a few huge titles often account for most of it, and archiving those to USB frees more room than deleting a dozen small indie games.

Whatever route you choose, label your drives and keep a simple note of what lives where, especially if you mix internal expansion with USB storage. Games move between drives more often than players expect, and a forgotten USB drive holding half your library can cause confusing error messages when it is unplugged. Check for system software updates after installing new storage, since console makers occasionally improve drive compatibility and transfer speeds, and reformat any drive you move between consoles rather than assuming it will work unchanged. A little organisation now prevents most storage headaches later.