Can I Use Multiple External Hard Drives with My PS5?

The PlayStation 5 (PS5) has a robust system for connecting and managing external hard drives, which can enhance your gaming experience by offering more storage capacity and flexibility. However, there are certain guidelines and considerations to keep in mind to make the most out of your external drives.

Supported USB Standards and Formatting

When it comes to external hard drives for your PS5, USB 3.0 or higher is recommended for optimal performance. It is essential to format the drives specifically for the PS5. The PS5 will automatically prompt you to format the drive when you connect it, ensuring compatibility and eliminating potential issues.

Managing Multiple Drives and Storage

One of the key benefits of using multiple external hard drives is that you can choose which drive to use for game installations and saves. However, you can only use one drive at a time for storing and reading games. This might be a limitation, but it allows you to manage your game library more efficiently by grouping related games on different drives.

Here are a few additional points to consider:

Connecting Multiple Drives: While you can connect multiple external hard drives to your PS5, you can use only one at a time for storing and reading games. This setup can help you keep your main storage organized and accessible. Storage Management: It is important to manage your drive space carefully. Consider categorizing your games according to their size or frequency of use. This will help you make the most of your limited storage time, ensuring that you have space for the games you play most often. Game Transfer Considerations: PS5 games stored on external drives will need to be transferred to the internal SSD for play. While external drives can store the games, the internal SSD is essential for loading and playing the games due to its superior speed and performance.

Support for Multi-Drive Setup

According to the PS5 guidelines, you can connect multiple USB extended storage drives, but you can only use one at a time. This means that you can set up multiple drives, but you will need to switch between them manually. This can be a bit cumbersome, but it does offer more flexibility in managing your game collection.

While some users have mentioned the possibility of using a hub with switches or expanding the storage with an 8TB drive, it is important to note that the PS5 will only recognize and use one drive for storing and reading games at any given time.

Despite these limitations, using multiple external hard drives with your PS5 can be a practical solution for expanding your game storage capacity. The key is to manage your drives effectively and to understand the limits of the system to make the best use of this feature.

Conclusion

In summary, while the PS5 does support multiple external hard drives, you can only use one at a time for storing and reading games. However, this setup can still significantly enhance your game library management and storage options. By understanding the requirements and limitations, you can optimize your storage and enjoy the benefits of additional game space.