Best External Hard Drives And SSDs (2021): PS5, Xbox Series X, And PC

Best external hard drive

Seagate external hard drive

See at Amazon

Runner-up: Best external hard drive

WD Elements external hard drive

See at Amazon

Best external SSD

Samsung T7 external SSD

See at Amazon

Best for portability

SanDisk Extreme external SSD

See at Amazon

Best desktop hard drive

WD My Book desktop hard drive

See at Amazon

When it comes to the best external hard drives, you should always go for a reliable option over the fastest possible. While fast speeds are nice, if it's not a hard drive with a proven track record of keeping your information safe without failure, it's not worth it. This is extremely important because if a hard drive burns itself out, all of your games, save data, and any other files you may have on it are gone forever. Thankfully, there are a number of options that combine speed and reliability into one nice package, perfect for anyone with a PS5, Xbox Series X, or even a PC.

If you're planning to use an external hard drive with your PS5 or Xbox Series X, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you'll need to format the hard drive on the console itself--your console should prompt you to do this automatically if it recognizes the drive, but you can also do this in your console's storage settings.

Another thing to know: The PS5 is receiving an update on April 14 that will enable external storage support for PS5 games. However, you'll only be able to store new-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X games on external drives--to play them, you'll need to transfer the game back to the console. Backwards-compatible games, on the other hand, can be stored and played directly from the external drive. As for expanding your console's internal storage, you can't yet do that on the PS5, though when that's enabled, you'll need to use an approved NVMe SSD. Xbox Series X owners, on the other hand, can pick up the Seagate storage expansion card to increase their storage by 1TB.

If you're in need of more storage, we've rounded up our most trusted external drives below, from hard drives and SSDs to those specifically meant for PCs and laptops. All of these will work great with the Xbox Series X and PS5 as well.

Best external hard drive

Seagate external hard drive

The Seagate external hard drive is the best for a reason: It's a reliable drive that won't let you down. With over 118,000 user reviews on Amazon and a 4.5-star rating, it's one of the most popular drives as well. It's available in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 5TB variations.

See at Amazon

Runner-up for best external hard drive

WD Elements external hard drive

If you'd prefer to go with WD, another reliable company, its Elements external hard drive is well worth your time, confidence, and money. It's another popular drive, with over 78,000 user reviews and a 4.5-star rating, and comes in the same sizes as Seagate's basic drive: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 5TB.

See at Amazon

Best external SSD

Samsung T7 external SSD

When it comes to SSDs, no one beats Samsung in either the external or internal department. Its T7 external SSD boasts read speeds of up to 1,050MB/s and write speeds of up to 1,000MB/s when using it in conjunction with a USB 3.2 device, such as the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

See at Amazon

Best external SSD for portability

SanDisk Extreme external SSD

If you're a gamer on the go--or just someone who travels a lot--SanDisk has an excellent external SSD that is easy to take with you. Its SanDisk Extreme portable SSD has a protective plastic shell and a belt loop that you can use to clip on to your bag or clothing. On top of that, it boasts read and write speeds of 1,050MB/s and 1,000MB/s respectively.

See at Amazon

Best desktop hard drive

WD My Book desktop hard drive

If you play your consoles at your desk or use a PC/laptop, WD's My Book desktop hard drive is well worth your consideration. It requires a power supply, but it's also capable of more storage and faster speeds than a portable hard drive. It also has a three-year warranty for that peace of mind.

See at Amazon