Do Games Run Slower On An External Hard Drive PS5? Answer
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It is necessary to copy the game to the console storage from the settings menu to play PS5 video games in USB extended storage. It’s faster to copy games than it is to re-download them. If the game on USB extended storage features add-ons or updates, it’s also quicker than installing them from the disc. However, do you know Do Games Run Slower On An External Hard Drive PS5?
Even if you connect a SATA or NVME SSD through USB, you will not be able to play PS5 games on it. Compared to the internal SSD, the USB interface is too slow; you can use the same hard drive to play the same games on two different consoles without any issues.
Do Games Run Slower On An External Hard Drive PS5?
A mechanical drive’s internal-to-external storage transfer rates would be noticeably slower compared to an SSD. Additionally, any PS5 games you play on it will have longer load times due to the same issue.
That being said, let me sum it up. Even if you’re using a USB 3.0 external hard drive, you won’t see a decrease in FPS. Loading Speeds are the only difference you’ll notice. The PS5 will work as expected. However, games will take longer to load.

All of this hinges on what kind of external disc you’re planning on using. Since most external hard drives have USB 3.0 ports, the PS5’s SSD drive can give read/write speeds of up to 360MB/s, faster than the USB 3.0 found on most external hard drives.
Why Am I Unable To Use An External Hard Drive To Play PS5 Games?
PlayStation 5 games can’t be played from an external hard drive, unlike PlayStation 4 titles. To play the games on the PS5’s extremely high-speed SSD, you’ll need to copy them back to your main console’s hard drive before you can do so, the company says.
Nevertheless, why is the PS5 storage capacity so small? Despite the console’s 825GB capacity, it seems to fill up extremely rapidly. First, games are eating up more space than ever before, and second, the computer storage is sucking up space on the SSD as well. Because of this, it’s odd to see the PS5’s initial generation lacking in storage space.
Causes For Games Run Slower On An External Hard Drive PS5
The Internal PS5 Storage Problem
There’s no escaping the fact that the PS5’s internal storage is relatively limited. The 825GB Solid State Drive (SSD) in your PS5 is the maximum capacity available. To put it another way, consumers will only have 667GB available after subtracting the system software and the reserved space it takes up.
Consider that big-ticket games often have a file size of between 50GB and 100GB. This means that you’ll only be able to play between six and twelve games before you run out of space. PlayStation 4 consoles meant this wasn’t the final straw.
Install your games on a USB drive, connect them to your computer, and play them just like you would on a larger internal disc. Both of these choices are unavailable on the PlayStation 5. The following are three things to keep in mind:
The SSD in the PS5 cannot be removed or replaced. Similarly, PS5 games cannot be played from an external USB device. This indicates that the maximum file size currently supported by PS5 games is 667GB, no more, no less. No PS5 games may be stored on this HDD.
USB Drives Compatible With The Playstation 5
The PS5 is compatible with a wide range of USB drives. USB hard drives and USB SSDs are included in this category. Even if you connect a SATA or NVME SSD through USB, you will not be able to play PS5 games on it. In comparison to the internal SSD, the USB interface is rather sluggish.
There is a notable exception in terms of USB drives and PlayStation 5. Any USB drive with a built-in hub is unlikely to function. Seagate Backup Plus Hub 8TB was refused when tested with our PS5.
As far as we can determine, the PS5 regards the hub as the intermediary between itself and the drive because the drive is internally wired through the hub. There must be a direct connection between the PS4 and PS5 consoles for them to work.
As a general rule, any USB drive that works with a PS4 should also work with a PlayStation 5. You can use the same hard drive to play the same games on two different consoles without issues.
That is to say; you can connect a USB drive containing games from a PS4 to a PS5 and play them right away. You assume that the games on the drive are associated with the PS5 console’s currently logged-in account.
Playing PS4 Games On Internal, External, And Mechanical Drives
As much of the inbuilt SSD’s performance as feasible can be utilized in PS5 games. These games have no load screens, and loading is practically quick. You won’t notice the same performance in PS4 games because they weren’t made for this fast drive. Because of this, in some games, it can still have a significant impact.
The internal SSD can make a significant difference in games with large open worlds like these. We invite you to experiment with your PS4 games to find which ones benefit the most.
When playing PS4 games that benefit from SSD performance, the ideal approach is to utilize an external USB SSD drive; although these drives are quite expensive, most people will likely settle for a 500GB or 1TB drive. As a result, raw capacity is being exchanged for speed.
Can You Play PS5 Games From A USB Drive?
In a nutshell, the PS5 does not support playing games directly from USB drives. However, you may save games on an external hard drive and play them by transferring them to the main SSD.
How To Connect The External Hard Drive To PS5?
You must format a new external HDD for use with the PS5 if you’re using one. Simply attach it to your console and select Format as Extended Storage under Settings > Storage > Extended Storage.
It will take a little while, but after it is finished, you should receive a notification indicating your external HDD is ready for usage. If you wish to have all PS4 software downloaded and installed automatically to your external HDD, ensure the Always Install PS4 Games to Extended Storage option is turned on.
Conclusion
Now concluding the topic Do Games Run Slower On An External Hard Drive PS5? Are external hard drives compatible with PS5? However, the PS5’s external hard drives can store games (as long as they handle USB 3.1 connections). Games on the external hard drive can’t be played, but you can store them there while you’re not using them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do external hard drives have an impact on PS5 gaming performance?
Even though this drive won’t be considerably faster than the less expensive SSD choices described above, any PS4 games you choose to play from external storage will profit from fast loading times. If you’re looking for a PS5 external hard disc, these are the drives to look into.
When using an external hard drive, do games run slower?
The majority of a computer game’s world/level/Area/Scene/Track is typically loaded into the RAM. So, playing a game from an external hard drive doesn’t affect performance in any way.
Using an external hard drive on the PS5 is safe?
Yes, you can use an external hard drive on your PS5 as long as you follow a few simple steps to guarantee that your data is protected. Initial warning: as with the PS4, unplugging your external HDD while the PS5 is operating may result in data corruption.
PlayStation 5’s external hard drive can take how long to transfer games?
In our tests, the function from the internal SSD to an external hard drive took about 40 minutes to transfer all data. When moving from an external hard drive to an internal SSD, the process dragged on for about 45 minutes.