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PS5 gets USB extended storage support in April update, M.2 storage still unavailable

If you're coming up against storage space issues on the PlayStation 5, new support for moving PS5 games on and off an external USB drive should help.

TJ Denzer

April 13, 2021 7:25 AM

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When the PlayStation 5 was first being revealed and introduced, one of the most exciting announced features for the system included the possibility of extending the system’s storage with an M.2 SSD upgrade. There’s a port built into the PS5’s accessible internals for this exact reason. Unfortunately, about 6 months after the console’s release, M.2 upgrade support is still not available on the system. However, new USB extended storage support is on the way in an April update may aid in alleviating PS5 storage space issues.

Sony announced USB extended storage support for PS5 software in blog post on April 13, 2021. In an update rolling out on PS4, PS5, and the PlayStation app on April 14, 2021, players will soon be able to move PS5 games from their console’s main storage to a supported USB hard drive. A FAQ on USB drive support criteria was also provided. The benefit is that it will be quicker to move games back and forth between consoles and USB drives than it would be to delete and redownload the games you want to keep around.

Because USB extended storage is not as fast as the PlayStation 5’s SSD, you unfortunately can’t play games directly off of USB extended storage. Also unfortunate is that M.2 support is still a work in progress and won’t be available in this April PS5 update. It was back in March 2020 that system architect Mark Cerny revealed that the PS5 would eventually support M.2 SSD extended storage upgrades. In a following PS5 console teardown, we even saw the port where an M.2 storage upgrade can eventually be attached. PlayStation mentioned in the April update details that this is still in the works and will have to wait for a future update.

Nonetheless, as we wait for M.2 support on the PS5 to help ease our game storage woes, USB extended storage should help at least a little bit with the situation. Be sure to check out the full blog for other extended features coming as major PS4, PS5, and PlayStation app updates roll out tomorrow.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.