Best PS5 SSD for GTA 6 (and the Xbox equivalent)
TL;DR: PS5: any PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSD with 5,500 MB/s+ reads and a heatsink. 1 TB is the sweet spot, 2 TB if you keep big games. Xbox: only the official Storage Expansion Card runs Series games.
What the PS5 needs
- Interface: PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe
- Speed: 5,500 MB/s sequential read or faster (Sony’s recommendation)
- Cooling: a heatsink, either built-in or added. Total height must fit the slot.
- Size: 1 TB (≈ 4–5 big games), 2 TB (≈ 9–10), 4 TB (whole library)
Best picks are linked on Will GTA 6 fit? and Deals.
Installing it
- Update the PS5 system software.
- Power off fully, unplug, and remove the cover (the method varies by model; follow Sony’s guide).
- Unscrew the expansion slot cover, insert the SSD, then screw it in.
- Power on. The PS5 formats the drive and runs a speed test.
- Set “Install location” to the new SSD if you want GTA 6 there.
Xbox Series X|S
Series games can only run from the internal drive or an official Storage Expansion Card. A USB drive can store Series games but not run them. On a 512 GB Series S, a 1 TB card turns GTA 6 from “delete half your games” into “no problem”.