PS5: the guide on how to install and move games to M.2 SSD memory

PS5

Just this morning Sony announced that a new firmware update is coming that will allow PS5 users to be able to expand the console's internal SSD memory. To accompany the announcement, the Japanese company has published a series of additional information on the official PlayStation website. Among this information you can find some very useful things, such as a small guide on how to install and move various games and applications to M.2 SSD memory.

As Sony also officially points out, this function will be first made available only to users in a beta version, and then it will be released to the public at a later time not yet better specified. If you are going to install an M.2 SSD in a console that does not have beta system software installed, you will first need to remove the M.2 SSD before you can update the PS5 system software,

It is important to use only M.2 SSD supported by Sony console to expand PS5 storage space. So make sure you are using an M.2 SSD that meets the necessary requirements. To find out which ones are supported you can safely rely on the official PlayStation website, which has an entire explanatory section that highlights which M.2 SSD models are supported by this function still in beta.

To install and move the various games (or applications) on the M.2 SSD, you have to follow these simple steps:

Go to the home of your games and select Game Library Highlight the data you want to move, then press the Options button, and then select Move games and apps. When using both an M.2 SSD and a USB extended storage drive, just go to the "Items that can be moved to the M.2 SSD Storage tab." Select any other games and apps you want to move and select Move. Once this is done, you can also check the space available to you by visiting the M.2 SSD Storage setting.

Waiting for more details on this and the next updates coming to PlayStation, you can buy on Amazon your copies of the latest Sony exclusives such as Returnal and Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart.

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How to use the PS5’s M.2 SSD expandable storage

© Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge The PS5 software beta now supports M.2 SSDs.

Sony has started beta testing the first software update for the PS5 today, and it includes M.2 SSD expandable storage support. The long-awaited feature is available for testers right now and will launch on all PS5 consoles later this year. We’ll need to test a variety of drives with the PS5, but right now Sony requires at least a PCIe Gen4 SSD, with a minimum capacity of 250GB. Sony is also recommending a drive capable of 5,500MB/s, but slower Gen4 drives may still be supported.

I’ve tested Corsair’s MP600 (2TB) with the PS5, and it’s very easy to get it all up and running in less than two minutes. Here’s how it all works:

To use the expandable storage in the PS5, you’ll need to remove the side panels from the console. Make sure you’ve unplugged the power cord, and then follow this really useful YouTube video on how to remove the side panels correctly. It’s a little fiddly, but the PS5 is sturdy, so don’t worry you’re not going to snap the panels.

Once you’ve removed both panels, you need to locate the M.2 SSD slot. It’s on the left-hand side of the fan; that’s on the side where the PS5’s disc drive resides. You’ll need a screwdriver to unscrew the cover on the M.2 SSD slot, and to remove a screw that fixes your drive into place.

Once the cover has been removed, you’ll find a black screw that Sony has supplied at the very top inside the slot. Unscrew this and use it to hold your SSD into place. Sony recommends using an M.2 SSD with a heatsink, so if you’ve purchased a Gen4 one without one, there are a variety of heatsinks you can purchase to affix to SSDs that will help with cooling.

Now that the M.2 SSD is in place, you can put the cover back on the slot and then gently slide the side panels back into place on either side. Reconnect the power cord, and boot up your PS5.

If your M.2 SSD isn’t compatible, you’ll be met with a warning from your PS5 that you need a Gen4 drive with at least 256GB of space. Otherwise, you’ll need to go ahead and format the drive for use on the PS5. Make sure you’ve backed up any data on the drive if you’ve been using it in other systems.

Formatting took less than 10 seconds on my Corsair MP600 (2TB) drive. Once formatting has been completed, the PS5 will quickly test the drive speed and warn you that if you have issues with a game installed on the M.2 SSD, try moving it to the internal storage.

You can then freely move installed games over to the M.2 SSD storage, or install new games from the PlayStation Store directly to the storage. During testing, it took around 30 seconds to move Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart from the internal storage to the Corsair MP600 (2TB) drive.

Sony’s new PS5 M.2 SSD support is in beta, so we’re still waiting to hear from SSD manufacturers about all the drives supported. Seagate is the first to confirm FireCuda 530 drives are compatible with the PS5, and we’ve tested Corsair’s MP600 to confirm it also works fine on the PS5. We’ll have more details on supported drives as and when manufacturers confirm their list of SSDs.