10 Best PS4 External Hard Drive In 2024

Including the finest PS4 external hard disk in your setup is not an obsolete notion just because the PS5 is now available and in households worldwide. It is, perhaps, more critical than ever.

Even if some individuals have been fortunate enough to get a PS5 and many more are scouting any possible PS5 stock drop at the moment, the PS4 remains a very relevant platform, and, more importantly, the game catalog is the largest it has ever been and continues to grow with new releases.

Even if the PS5 is no longer considered ‘next-gen,’ we remain in a semi-hybrid, cross-generational state, which means that people have more reason than ever to rely on a PS4 external hard drive to handle the games’ weight.

While some gamers choose to remove completed games from storage, others like to have everything on hand – or at the very least a diverse selection that makes the option of what to play next a bit more intriguing than just sticking to one game.

And if you fall into the latter category and want more capacity, how do you decide which hard disk to purchase? That is entirely dependent on the nature of your requirements and the size of your budget.

The easiest approach to restrict you decide to determine how much capacity you need – certainly, the larger the space, the better, and acquiring the greatest space for the lowest price should be your objective, but if you can approximate it, your prospective choices will begin to shrink.

However, there are further considerations to make before making your ultimate choice, including mobility, dependability, connection, and design.

Additionally, the PlayStation 5 is based on an SSD – but this is something you can do now: a PS4 SSD will reduce load times, speed up the game and save transfers, and is great for playing PS4 games on your PS5.

They are more costly, however, their prices have steadily decreased in recent years.

Keep in mind that even though the internal PS5 SSD situation is now open to all, a PS4 external hard drive is still a very safe bet right now to ensure you’re well prepared and served with your new PS5 some of the drives on this list may end up being the best PS5 external hard drive for you as well.

Best PS4 External Hard Drives

1. Toshiba Canvio Basics

Toshiba’s Canvio Basics drive is available in sizes ranging from 1 TB to 4 TB and costs between $ 40 and $ 100 – for less than any disk-based competitor. The matt chassis is attractive, the 149g weight is reasonable, and the chassis is just 14 mm thick.

Of course, a cheap price implies a concession. Due to the lack of a metal shell, the Toshiba’s build quality is low, and its performance is acceptable – enough for the PS4, but not fast enough to set records.

Nonetheless, this is an excellent alternative if you want to extend your console without spending a fortune.

Major Features and Benefits

• USB 2.0 compatible
• Quickly add more storage capacity
• No software to install
• Easy to use
• Smudge resistance finish
• Sleek profile design

2. Seagate Game Drive for PS4

Seagate’s disk is the only one on our list that is officially licensed for the PS4, which means it not only comes with the PlayStation logo but is also tuned for optimal performance with the system.

The Game Drive is available in two capacities: 2TB and 4TB, giving you flexibility in terms of price and storage. However, we prefer the 2TB variant since it looks good, has a strong metal shell, and is the lightest and slimmest hard drive available at 135g and 12mm thickness.

It’s also available in limited-edition styles inspired by The Last Of Us Part II and Marvel Avengers. While the Seagate Game Drive is not the quickest or most feature-rich drive on the market, it is attractive, competent, and official.

Major Features and Benefits –

• No power cable needed
• USB 3.0 connectivity
• Classic black and blue design
• Operates under PS4 hard drive firmware
• Official Licensed PS4 product

3. WD Gaming Works With PlayStation

Due to its tiny shape and blue accents, WD’s PS4 hard drive mixes in effortlessly with your PS4. A simple setup enables you to connect to the disk and begin downloading stuff immediately.

While the drive is competitive in terms of performance and size, the drive’s short cord may provide an issue for customers who need to store the drive away from the console.

The WD Gaming Works’ strongest suit is its simplicity. It’s been created specifically for PS4 compatibility, down to the “black box with blue accents” look, so you’ll never have to worry about compatibility or aesthetics. With 4 TB of storage, you can download hundreds of high-profile games and still have enough for as many movies and television series as you like.

Major Features and Benefits –

• Sleek design with high capacity
• Fast and easy setup
• Play anywhere
• Expand your PS4 gaming experience

4. Western Digital Elements 4TB Portable External Drive

By balancing performance and pricing, there’s a reason WD’s Elements Portable Hard Drive is still the best-selling external hard drive on Amazon.

You’ll have enough storage to play up to 80 games concurrently (assuming an average game size of 50 GB). It would be wonderful if the drive came in a variety of colors, as some of the others on the list do.

If you’ve never had a Western Digital hard drive, the firm has been manufacturing storage goods since the early 1980s and has established a well-deserved reputation for developing durable products.

Along with the ability to save a large number of different games, you’ll also be able to keep them for an extended period, which may be advantageous if there are titles you’d want to revisit.

Major Features and Benefits –

• High capacity
• Improve PC performance
• Fast data transfers
• USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 compatibility

5. Samsung Portable SSD T5

Samsung is another manufacturer with an exceptional reputation in the storage industry, as shown by the T5 external SSD. It’s a wonderful tiny external drive with an attractive metal appearance. Additionally, it is very tiny, measuring only 11mm in diameter and weighing just 51g.

It’s speedier than the internal drive on the PS4, thus you may notice an improvement in loading times when using this drive. It’s also reasonably priced, undercutting some of its rivals.

Additionally, it offers a broader selection of lower-size choices, ranging from 250 GB to 2 TB. This is OK if you don’t want that much capacity, but we wouldn’t suggest anything less than 500 GB since you’ll quickly run out of storage space.

On the other hand, if you want a large amount of space, you may discover that 2 TB is insufficient, in which case you must search elsewhere.

Major Features and Benefits –

• Seamless connectivity
• Secure encryption
• Compact and portable design
• Data transfer speeds of up to 540MBPS
• SSD with V-NAND

6. WD My Passport

WD My Passport hard drives are among the most highly recommended in the world and for good reason. They’re dependable, and they provide enough room and reasonable speeds. They find the sweet spot in terms of price, being neither too cheap (to the point of sacrificing performance and build quality) nor too pricey.

With capacities ranging from 1TB to 5TB, you have once again a plethora of alternatives when it comes to selecting the best external PS4 hard drive for your requirements.

However, it’s worth mentioning that, unlike some of the other external hard drives on our list, the WD My Passport is mainly intended for use with PCs, not consoles.

This implies it may need some configuration before it works with your PS4. It’s also pretty large since it’s built for desk usage, so keep that in mind.

Major Features and Benefits –

• 2.0 compatible
• SuperSpeed USB-A 3.0 (5Gpbs)
• Drive management
• Password protection
• Password protection 256-bit AES hardware encryption
• Slim design

7. LaCie Rugged Mini 4TB External Hard Drive

We propose the LaCie Rugged Mini 4TB External Hard Drive for individuals looking for an external hard drive for PS4 that can withstand travel as well as knocks and bumps.

By design, it is rugged and durable, with a drop-resistant rubber bumper around the edges and an IP67 certification for protection against rain, dust, and shock. According to LaCie’s marketing materials, the LaCie Rugged Mini 4TB External Hard Drive can withstand being driven over by a one-ton automobile and continue to function. The design is tiny and incredibly portable, measuring 3.4″ x 1″ x 5.3″ and weighing 400 g.

It is equipped with a 4 TB hard drive manufactured by Seagate, LaCie’s parent company. The maximum transfer rate is 130 MB/s, which is somewhat quicker than the original PS4 drive. Due to the durable architecture, it is more expensive than other 4 TB devices, most notably the WD My Passport 4TB External Hard Drive.

Major Features and Benefits –

• Includes 1-month complimentary membership to Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps Plan
• Uses USB 3.0
• USB 2.0 compatible
• Password protection built-in
• Mac compatibility
• Dust and water-resistant

8. Silicon Power Armor A62

This is an excellent bargain choice for people searching for a rugged external hard drive with respectable and consistent transfer rates and speeds, a durable build, and a do-it-all feel.

It’s a sturdy item with a good deal of weight, which gives the impression that it might withstand a few drops or bumps about the home.

There is a strong focus on durability here, with the drive being shockproof, water-resistant, and scratch-resistant, as well as having a rubber bumper around the perimeter that aids in grip when driving and gives some further protection to the drive.

The rubber peels away from some areas (safely) to function as a holding for the USB cable while on the move, and there’s a little USB port cover for storage.

Apart from using it exclusively as a PS4 external hard drive, we used it to back up a large number of files through PC, and it was really simple to set up and use, with extremely fast transfer rates – even ‘by eye’; transferring more than 1.5 GB of data took no time at all. This is an excellent hard disk purchase on all fronts.

Major Features and Benefits –

• Ideal for gaming enthusiasts
• USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface
• Stylish and slim exterior design
• IPX4 water-resistant protection
• Military-grade shockproof
• Flexible cable-carry design

9. Crucial X6

While we are gradually heading toward SSDs being the standard for PS4 external hard drives, they may still be rather expensive; an HDD, of course, offers a far better GB per dollar/pound value.

However, there are chinks in the pricing of SSDs, and the Crucial X6 provides a high-quality, somewhat less expensive option that still delivers good speed and capacity.

The fact that you can obtain a 1TB X6 for the same price as SSDs with less than half the capacity demonstrates this.

The Crucial X6 is ideal for storing and playing PS4 games, ensuring that you always have the fastest file transfers, loads, and games available. A significant bonus is that you’ll receive a PS4 external hard drive that’s likely quicker than your PS4’s internal hard drive, and it’ll also work flawlessly with the new-gen PS5 system when and if people upgrade.

Due to the drive’s USB-C connection, you’ll need to use the included adaptor to connect it to your PS4, however, you should be cautious of the drive’s short cord, which may push it into some odd positions. If you like the appearance of this one but want something even quicker, check out the Crucial X8.

Major Features and Benefits –

• Reliable and durable
• Broad compatibility
• Tiny and lightweight
• Huge capacity

10. SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD

The SanDisk Extreme is an excellent PS4 SDD; it is reasonably priced in terms of SSDs but is also fast, durable, and dependable. With maximum read/write speeds of 442 MB per sec and 497 MB per sec via USB3, you’ll notice a significant reduction in loading times for even the largest games.

Loading times have been reduced by more than half in games like Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and Horizon: Zero Dawn. And although faster SSDs are available – notably SanDisk’s Extreme Pro, which we also tested — they are substantially more costly and only add a fraction of a second to performance.

While we still advocate having an internal SSD in conjunction with an external hard drive to keep your games collection, if you have the want and the funds to go all-SSD, this is the disk to do it with.

Major Features and Benefits –

• SanDisk SSD Dashboard
• TRIM support
• Up to 33% longer laptop life
• SanDisk nCachePro technology

Conclusion

The finest PS4 external hard drives on our list today will be long-term compatible with your system and will allow you to simply expand your game collection.

Additionally, you can stop worrying about playing just a few games at a time since it enables you to install a vast library of games on your console simultaneously, allowing you to effortlessly switch between games without running out of storage space.

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