Is a Gen5 SSD worth it for the PS5?
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No. A PCIe Gen5 SSD is not worth it for the PS5, because the console's expansion bay runs at Gen4 speed. A Gen5 drive is compatible and will work, but it negotiates down to Gen4, so you pay a premium for headroom the PS5 cannot use. A good Gen4 drive that clears 5,500 MB/s is the right choice; spend the difference on capacity instead.
PS5 requirements as published in Sony's M.2 SSD support page. Prices from Amazon.co.uk.
Why Gen5 brings no benefit in a PS5
The PS5's M.2 expansion slot is wired for PCIe Gen4. A Gen5 drive is backward compatible and runs fine, but it operates at Gen4 link speed, so its headline Gen5 sequential numbers are never reached inside the console. In practice it performs like a Gen4 drive while costing more and often running hotter.
Game load times on the PS5 are already gated by the console's own storage architecture, not by squeezing extra sequential bandwidth out of the expansion drive, so even the Gen4 ceiling is rarely the bottleneck.
Gen4 vs Gen5 for the PS5
| Use case | Best choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Best value for the PS5 | Gen4 | Meets the full spec, cheaper per terabyte, runs cooler, no wasted headroom. |
| If you also use it in a Gen5 PC | Gen5 | Only worth it for the PC; in the PS5 it still runs at Gen4 speed. |
| Lowest temperature in the bay | Gen4 | Gen4 drives typically run cooler than Gen5 in the enclosed PS5 bay. |
Where to spend the money instead
Because Gen5 buys nothing extra in the PS5, the better use of the budget is more capacity: a 2TB Gen4 drive beats a 1TB Gen5 drive for almost every PS5 owner.
The table below shows the Gen5 drives we track that are PS5-compatible, but compare them against the Gen4 options on the cheapest and capacity pages before paying the Gen5 premium.
Compatible drives, live prices
Compare against the cheapest PS5 SSDs by price per TB
Related comparisons and guides
See also 2TB Gen5, 4TB Gen5, Does it need to be Gen4?, Best new PS5 SSD 2026.
Other places to go from here: PS5 SSD requirements, Which SSD is compatible?, The 11.25mm height rule, With heatsink, 2TB.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Gen5 SSD worth it for the PS5?
No. The PS5 expansion bay runs at Gen4 speed, so a Gen5 drive operates at Gen4 and gives no benefit while costing more. A good Gen4 drive is the right choice.
Does a Gen5 SSD work in the PS5?
Yes, a Gen5 NVMe drive is compatible and will work, but it runs at Gen4 link speed in the console, so you do not see its Gen5 performance.
Will a Gen5 SSD load PS5 games faster?
No. Load times are gated by the console's storage architecture, and the bay caps at Gen4 anyway, so a Gen5 drive loads games no faster than a good Gen4 one.
Should I buy Gen4 or Gen5 for my PS5?
Gen4. It meets the full spec, costs less per terabyte and runs cooler in the bay. Only choose Gen5 if you also need it in a Gen5 PC.
Does the PS5 Pro support Gen5 SSDs?
The PS5 Pro accepts a Gen5 drive but, like the standard PS5, runs the expansion bay at Gen4 speed, so Gen5 brings no benefit there either.
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