Now that the PS5 is out and more and more games are releasing for the next-gen console, players are struggling to fit all of their games on the limited storage space of the SSD. According to a report from Bloomberg, PS5 SSD storage expansions won’t be enabled until sometime this summer. That same report says the update will increase the cooling fan speed to prevent the console overheating.
SSD storage has been one of the main sticking points for PS5 players. The limited size of the internal SSD offers only about 667GB of usable storage space, and that is further truncated by the need to open space in order to download game updates. In fact, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone—two games that don’t even fit together on a 500GB PS4 when fully installed—take up more than 300GB total on the SSD and require another 107GB of free space just to download and install updates. A number of other popular PS5 games run anywhere from 30GB to 100GB, and each new game that comes out tasks players with some tough choices about what to delete in the eternal PS5 SSD storage space shuffle.
The unique architecture of the PS5 means it’s not as simple as slapping any old SSD in—internally or externally. A USB connection isn’t fast enough to handle the speeds required by the PS5. Though players can use external USB storage to play PS4 games via backwards compatibility, some people have also run into issues with external storage devices causing crash loops and other problems with the console.
Sony previously confirmed that the PS5’s SSD expansion bay would be enabled via a firmware update in the future, but has since remained quiet about when that may happen. The Bloomberg report sources people “briefed on the plan,” who are remaining anonymous because Sony is not yet talking publicly about it. Sony has also previously talked about optimizing performance of the cooling fan via future firmware updates.
Even once the PS5 SSD storage expansion bay is unlocked for use via the firmware update, players will need to purchase expensive M.2 NVMe drives to get that added storage space. It’s unknown which drives will land on Sony’s whitelist for approved SSDs once they can be used, but expect to pay around $200 for a 1TB expansion and close to $400 if you want a 2TB expansion, at least at the speeds that the PS5 requires.
When asked for comment by Bloomberg, a Sony rep said “As previously announced, we are working to enable M.2 SSD storage expansion for PlayStation 5. The timing has not been announced and details will be shared later.” It’s unclear what exactly “summer” means, if the report holds true, but it could be June at the earliest and as far out as September before the limited PS5 storage issues (which PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan previously claimed the company is “not hearing”) get some relief.
