PS5 Games Can’t Be Installed or Played on External Storage Right Now

A new PS5 FAQ covers the current issues with storing PS5 games on an external USB hard drive, saying a future update could allow that process.”No, players cannot transfer PS5 games to a USB drive,” reads the answer to a question titled ‘Can I store or play PS5 games from a USB drive?’. “PS5 games must be stored on the console’s internal ultra-high speed SSD for gameplay. Explorations for allowing players to store (but not play) PS5 games on a USB drive in a future update are underway.”PlayStation 5 currently doesn’t allow you to install, store or play next-gen games anywhere other than its internal SSD.

As noted by Digital Foundry, next-gen games can’t be played from an external drive, and the console currently offers no options to move your PS5 games into external storage. When the internal SSD is filled, the only option given is to delete games to free up space.

It’s concerning given that the console comes with a relatively slim 667GB of usable storage space, and doesn’t support SSD external storage (which could presumably play next-gen games) at launch. No window has been given for when an update will allow SSD storage.

Xbox Series X also cannot play next-gen games on anything other than its internal SSD and (expensive) approved external drive – but unlike PS5 it does offer the option to store games on external hard drives and transfer them back to the SSD without a lengthy download process. PS5 does allow PS4 games to be moved between internal and external storage.

For more on PS5, we also have news on why PS5 doesn’t seem to have custom themes, what its new Activity Cards are for, how the Create button differs from the PS4 Share button, and you can read our full PS5 console review. And if you’re interested in the PS5’s launch lineup, check out our Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales review and our Astro’s Playroom review.

Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.