Why are PS5 SSDs so expensive?
PS5, PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro storage, ranked by value on Amazon.co.uk
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PS5 SSDs are expensive in 2026 because of a NAND flash shortage. AI datacentres are buying enormous quantities of flash and memory, which diverts wafer capacity away from consumer NVMe SSDs. Our own tracked median for compatible 2TB drives is shown below, so you can see the level and direction for yourself. External hard drives, which use spinning disk, are far less affected.
PS5 requirements as published in Sony's M.2 SSD support page. Prices from Amazon.co.uk.
2TB PS5 SSD price history (10 days)
Good price today? Good. Today's median is in the cheapest quarter of the last 10 days. 20% of days in the window had a median at or below today's.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median price per TB today (2TB drives) | £158.92 |
| 30-day low / high | £158.59 / £162.98 |
| 10-day low / high | £158.59 / £162.98 |
| Date of the 10-day low | 12 Oct 2026 |
| Change over 10 days | +0.2% |
Daily median price per terabyte of in-stock, new, PS5-compatible 2TB drives on Amazon.co.uk, from our own sync, counting one row per model and only drives rated at 5,500 MB/s or faster. As of 21 October 2026. Our verified daily record starts on 12 October 2026; earlier figures were collected with a fault in the price refresh and are not shown.
What is actually driving prices
The shortage is a supply reallocation, not a demand spike from gamers. Memory makers are steering wafer capacity toward high-margin datacentre and AI products, leaving less for consumer NVMe SSDs, so prices per terabyte have risen across the board, including the M.2 drives the PS5 uses.
Manufacturers have been deliberately cautious about adding new capacity because past gluts crushed their margins. That caution keeps supply tight. We do not forecast when it will ease; the price history on this page shows what has actually happened.
What counts as a good deal right now
Treat anything clearly below the prevailing price per terabyte in the live table as a genuine dip. The cheapest compatible 2TB Gen4 drives are the best gauge of the current market floor.
External hard drives for the PS5 are far less affected because they use spinning disk, so if you only need to store and archive PS5 games (not play them), an external drive remains cheap. The live table below shows today's floor so you can judge any listing against the real market.
Should you buy now or wait?
If you need the storage, buy it on a day when the price sits in the cheaper half of the recent range shown above. If you can wait, the big UK sale events are when listings most often dip under the median: see the best time to buy a PS5 SSD.
Compatible drives, live prices
See the cheapest PS5 SSDs ranked by price per TB
Related comparisons and guides
Closely related pages: Price history, Best time to buy, Cheapest PS5 SSD, PS5 SSD deals.
Useful next steps: Under £150, 2TB, With heatsink.
Frequently asked questions
Why are PS5 SSDs so expensive right now?
A NAND flash shortage. AI datacentre demand is consuming flash supply and reallocating wafer capacity, leaving less for consumer NVMe SSDs and pushing prices per terabyte up sharply since 2025.
Will the PS5 SSD shortage end?
Nobody can say with confidence. Supply depends on how quickly makers add capacity. We track the daily median so you can see the direction rather than rely on predictions.
Is it a bad time to buy a PS5 SSD?
It is not a cheap time, but if you need the storage, waiting mostly risks higher prices. Buy on a genuine sales dip and check the live trend before committing.
Are external PS5 drives affected by the shortage?
Far less. The shortage is centred on NAND flash, so internal NVMe SSD prices rose most. External hard drives use spinning disk and have been comparatively stable per terabyte.
Will PS5 SSD prices ever come back down?
They will when supply catches up with demand, but we do not put a date on it. The price history above shows the current direction; buy on a dip rather than waiting for a level nobody can promise.
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Last updated: 2026-10-21 06:04:07 UTC. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date indicated on Amazon.co.uk and are subject to change. Any price displayed at the time of purchase will apply. CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED AS IS AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.