I've used many of the best external hard drives for gaming over the years, and now is a fantastic time to pick up some portable storage. Sure, it's not the most exciting add-on you can buy for your console, PC, or even handheld, but it will save you from any storage stress. I'm sure many of you have had to deal with the frustration of trying to install a game, only to be greeted with an annoying out-of-space message, and it's my mission to help you prevent that.
As for which external hard drive you should pick up - it all comes down to your chosen system and what you want to do with it. If you want to bulk out your trusty old PS4's capacity, an external SSD could give your last-gen console a new lease of life with faster load times. Those of you with a PS5 or Xbox Series X will want to also reap the rewards of solid-state, but chonky HDD options will help you install even more games. If you're rocking one of the best gaming handhelds, you'll want something small that can attach to the back, especially if they come with magsafe compatibility.
That's just an outline of what's out there when it comes to the best external hard drives for gaming. Below, you'll find my top picks with use cases, pros, cons, and some expert insight. That way, when it comes to shopping for Black Friday SSD deals or even Black Friday Steam Deck deals, you'll know exactly which drive to try and grab for less.
The Quick List
The best overall
WD Black's P40 external SSD is the pound-for-pound king of external drives. It's speedy, portable, sturdy, and extremely versatile.
The best simple backup drive
Seagate's cheap and cheerful HDD is your best bet for backing up old game files. Its speeds won't be anything to write home about, though.
The best value HDD
The WD My Passport name is a staple of the hard drive scene. Like any HDD, what it lacks in read and write speeds, it makes up for in capacity per dollar.
The best value SSD
Cheaper than the P40, but boasting speeds that aren't too far removed from it, the WD Black P50 is a great option to shoot for if you're looking for an SSD.
The most portable SSD
The Crucial X10 Pro is up there with the best externals we've tested, but its tiny footprint makes it perfect for anyone needing to take games on the go.
The most durable
The Samsung T7 Shield may be slower than the newer T9, but the price-to-performance makes the T7 really worth buying. Not to mention, it's as sturdy as externals get.
The best for content creators
If it's quick and easy transfers of 4K content you're looking for, the Samsung T9 is hard to beat right now. This is the drive I use for all my content creation tasks right now.
Best for big storage
If you record every gaming session, or you just hate the idea of deleting your games, a massive hard drive like this will mean you're sorted for years to come.
Most underrated SSD
This brilliant little external SSD is well worth checking out, even if it's made by a brand you might not have heard so much about. Great speeds, reasonable price.
The best external hard drive for gaming overall
The WD_Black P40 SSD is the latest in WD's gaming-focused external hard drives, and it's one of the best performers you'll find. It takes the specs and design of the P50 and carries both over to a compact build that makes use of some beautiful RGB lighting.
Disappointingly, the P40 is one of the pricier options up and down this list, particularly because it's a newer release from WD. For your money, you get the drive which comes with WD's Windows dashboard, a USB-C cable and USB-A adapter, a quick install guide, and a 5-year warranty I'd be surprised if you need to use. WD's solid build with forged aluminium means it's a sturdy piece of kit.
Read and write speeds were great in testing. The 2000MB/s speed you see on the box is as good as you'll get in an external hard drive, but in reality, it translates to some great load times and transfer speeds on PS5 and PC. I had a load of game capture footage stored on my PS5 I had been meaning to move across to my computer for video editing, and even though it was about 30 clips spanning a total of 22GB, the P40 swallowed it up from the PS5 in about a minute. The same was true of games once I formatted it for some extra storage. I transferred three games that added up to 18GB, and it transferred in just shy of a minute.
| Value | ★★★★☆ |
| Speed | ★★★★☆ |
| Capacity | ★★★★☆ |
| Portability | ★★★★☆ |
| Compatibility | ★★★★☆ |
The best for simple backups
The Seagate Portable Drive isn't going to knock your socks off. If you want to play games off an external drive, or you want to transfer games back and forth in record time, this probably isn't what you should go for. On the other hand, if you need a simple HDD for backing up files, storing older games you don't want to have to download, or just a basic hard drive for storing documents and media, it's hard to argue with what Seagate has here.
For starters, you're not going to find many external hard drives that come cheaper than this. You're talking 1TB under $50 / £50, and capacities of up to 5TB should you really need more space. While there's no USB-C out of the box, the Seagate Portable Drive is compatible with USB 3.0, so it's not all doom and gloom in terms of read and write speeds. Using USB 3.0, I've done hours of video editing off of this drive and never once encountered any stuttering or freezing, so it's reliable enough for a traditional spinning disc drive.
The reasons you should avoid this drive are if you need anything more than what HDD can provide. If you want the speediest offering in a portable drive, opt for something more expensive. Similarly, the plastic casing doesn't feel very sturdy, so if you want to avoid damage and some extremely tricky repairs, maybe opt for something else.
| Value | ★★★★★ |
| Speed | ★★★☆☆ |
| Capacity | ★★★★★ |
| Portability | ★★★☆☆ |
| Compatibility | ★★★★☆ |
The best value external HDD
The My Passport drive from Western Digital has gone through several iterations over the years, and we'd bet it'll go through several more as time goes by. Even in a world moving slowly but surely toward SSDs, there's still more than an important place for an HDD and there's a reason why this one tops our best external hard drive list (not to mention our guide to the best PS4 external hard drive). And that's because the My Passport combines capacity, price, value, build-quality, and performance in one excellent package.
Looking at it in more detail, the My Passport drive works via a simple USB connection that helps keep the size down. It is a small and robust unit (about the size of a mobile phone) and the aesthetic isn't bad either - it's a chic half-ribbed, half matte and smooth metal finish. It'll also look at home in almost any setup.
Our favourite in terms of specific capacity remains the 4TB version. The reason for this is is largely two-fold: first, a 4TB HDD will provide easily enough space for lots of games, data, files, photos, videos and music; and, secondly, we've seen the biggest savings on the 4TB. This very much fits the established theme of 'bigger drive = better value'.
It won't win the prize for speedy file transfer, but it earns its place at the top of this list nonetheless. The My Passport is an all-round great external hard drive - especially if you're not fussed about an SSD or want to shave some dollar signs off the price tag while waiting for the seemingly inevitable wave of PS5 SSD deals.
| Value | ★★★★★ |
| Speed | ★★★☆☆ |
| Capacity | ★★★★★ |
| Size | ★★★★☆ |
| Compatibility | ★★★★☆ |
The best value SSD
In your search for the best external hard drive, you'll need to consider a top SSD. And Western Digital's Black P50 drive is probably the best external hard drive we've tested in a while in terms of value for money. Now that the P40 is out and about, the P50 will likely get cheaper, while sharing a lot of the same benefits and specs.
As a proper external, portable, SSD package, it offers everything: a robust and cool design, and exquisite file transfer speeds that are often only seen in the best gaming PCs. That makes it a real contender in the console arenas too, scoring highly in our best PS4 SSD list.
Yes, this SSD does err on the side of a gaming drive, and it features in many of our console external hard drive guides, but its performance cannot be denied. The stated speeds of 'up to 2000MB/s' were on the money in our testing, but what this translates to in real-life scenarios is that games are loaded incredibly quickly, and files and media are retrieved and stored in an instant (you know what I mean), and all this is done incredibly consistently.
In terms of what the drive looks like and how it feels, the P50 has a military metal style and is a rectangular drive featuring sleek molded metal, and it'll easily fit in the palm of your hand. Its USB-C port can be used on your devices as either a USB-A or USB-C connection meaning you can hook it up to multiple different devices of its life span, and benefit from the same speeds. One small criticism is that it does get a bit warm in use but that's sort of fair enough as a small compromise for the performance - just be aware of it when you place it or leave it in one position for a while.
| Value | ★★★★☆ |
| Speed | ★★★★★ |
| Capacity | ★★★★★ |
| Portability | ★★★★☆ |
| Compatibility | ★★★★☆ |
The most portable SSD
Crucial by Micron is no stranger to anyone that knows the digital storage market. In this portable SSD, the Crucial X10 Pro, the brand gives you either 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB of space in a tiny drive you can fit in your pocket. While I was a bit too scared to test its durability properly, it's marketed as being resistant to splashes, dust, and drops. For those reasons, we award it with the best external hard drive for portability.
Its speeds aren't too shabby either. Used with the PS5, I managed to move a hefty 439.5GB from the console to the X10 Pro in 34 mins. While that might seem like a small eternity with today's Gen 5 SSD speeds, just imagine the time it'd take to download that much raw data. Transferring 46GB worth of 2018's God of War from the hard drive to console storage, meanwhile, took only 5 minutes and 16 seconds. The speeds on the box here are 2,100MB/s read, and 2,000MB/s write, so it wouldn't shy away from the absolute best options on the top of this list.
The only problem is, this is meant for professionals, not necessarily gamers. That means it's arguably missing some gaming flare in its design, but I think for such a powerful drive in as small a package as it is, we can't make too many demands. On that "meant-for-professionals" note, it is fairly pricey. Regardless, this is definitely one of the best external hard drives on the market if you want a portable solution for gaming, work, or content creation.
| Value | ★★★★☆ |
| Speed | ★★★★☆ |
| Capacity | ★★★★★ |
| Portability | ★★★★★ |
| Compatibility | ★★★★☆ |
The most durable
The Samsung T7 Shield has now been supplanted by the new Samsung T9, which we deem the best external drive for content creators thanks to its extreme performance levels. This older model still packs decent speeds inside a small body but is protected by some rugged armor that makes it easy to recommend for its durability.
The T7 Sheild is still up there with the highest-speed external SSDs on the shelves today, and it has more of an emphasis on durability. The brand claims that the T7 boasts double the performance of the T5, and our testing proves that's very much the case. While the 1,050 MB/s read and 1,000 MB/s write don't exactly rival NVMe counterparts, as far as external drives go, the Samsung T7 Shield is certainly up there in terms of sequential performance. At $159.99 / £134.79 for a 1TB model or $289.99 / £250.99 for 2TB, it's far from the cheapest PS5 external hard drives around, but those speeds, and tank-like shell, may justify the added cost for you.
We found that the claimed figures were largely lived up to with game transfers, as Demon's Souls (53.73 GB) made the leap from the PS5's internal storage to the Samsung T7 Shield in 4 minutes 30 seconds. That's roughly in keeping with the maximum sequential performance, and solid figures from an external drive plugged in via USB 3.2 on the back of the console. There's also an included USB C to USB C cable in the box, too.
Another main selling point of this drive, much like others in the line-up, is the rugged nature of its outer casing. Samsung has stated that the T7 Shield is able to withstand all manner of harsh conditions, with drop tests being done four times from three meters in the air onto solid concrete with no signs of physical damage to the casings or internals.
| Value | ★★★★☆ |
| Speed | ★★★★☆ |
| Capacity | ★★★★★ |
| Portability | ★★★★☆ |
| Compatibility | ★★★★☆ |
The best external drive for content creators
The Samsung T9 has some of the most ridiculous read/write speeds of any external drive we've tested. If it were more affordable, it might just be our pick for best overall on this list. As it stands, you'll need to pay a bit more for this product, but that makes it a perfect choice for anyone who's serious about investing in their content creation gear.
That's not to say other use cases won't be suited for this portable SSD, just that we recommend it most to content professionals who are tired of slow transfers of 4K content. I use this credit card-sized drive for all my video editing these days, even editing 4K footage straight off it. The T9 has absolutely no issues performing under that kind of pressure, and when it comes to transferring those beefy video files back and forth, it saves me so much time.
The rubberized surface on it is said to offer drop protection from up to 3 meters. It also gives it a premium look, and a professional feel. One downside to its surface is that it can be a bit of a dust magnet if left sat on a desk too long, but that's hardly a dealbreaker. Like its older sibling, the T7 Shield, it's a durable drive that'll keep your data and games safe, no matter the platform you're on.
Annoyingly, the cables you get in the box are once again, fairly short. More, its price really is a cut above a lot of other storage brands. Then again, this is a Samsung device, and the performance it gives you is worth investing in.
| Value | ★★★★☆ |
| Speed | ★★★★★ |
| Capacity | ★★★★★ |
| Portability | ★★★★☆ |
| Compatibility | ★★★☆☆ |
The best drive for big storage
A big attraction to some of the best external hard drives is the sheer capacity of the storage you can get. And if you never want to worry about storing your media, files, games, and pretty much whatever else, then something like this Seagate Expansion drive is for you. It gets a nod here on this list because the value it represents is incredible - it is very nicely priced, and also often sees discounts through deals and promotions, meaning it's some of the best-value storage money can buy.
Using the drive is as easy as plugging the power cable in, attaching the USB, and getting started. It is a chunky boy and will need a bit of desk or setup space (due to needing access to mains power, for example), but it keeps a nice finish and aesthetic nonetheless.
The Seagate Expansion drive is available in a variety of capacities, but the middle range, like the 6TB size, sits in a very attractive place of bang-for-buck value. A great value contender for best external hard drive, and one that features on our best Xbox One external hard drive list.
| Value | ★★★★☆ |
| Speed | ★★★☆☆ |
| Capacity | ★★★★★ |
| Portability | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Compatibility | ★★★★☆ |
The most underrated SSD
Away from the mega-big boys of the best external hard drive market, manufacturers and brands like Silicon Power quietly go about their business of making equally dependable, robust, competitively priced, and quality hard drives. And SP's Bolt B75 Pro SSD drive is exactly that.
This is an Incredibly light, but incredibly robust unit, which means it's easily transportable yet you can have great confidence in it if you're prone to mishaps, or just want that extra protection. It's military-grade shockproof, aluminium case will look after the important stuff inside easily and the casing definitely exudes the rugged quality that was intended. The unit as a whole doesn't feel solid but that comes from its lightness - some folks may prefer a more hefty unit.
The SSD's performance is very solid, but nothing too spectacular. As a result, if you're after something that offers good value, want to upgrade from an existing HDD to SSD to ensure you get that better and faster performance without number chasing too much, and you want something robust then this is a great contender.
| Value | ★★★★☆ |
| Speed | ★★★☆☆ |
| Capacity | ★★★★★ |
| Portability | ★★★★☆ |
| Compatibility | ★★★★☆ |
How to choose an external hard drive for gaming
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Choosing an external hard drive for your system of choice can be a bit tricky, especially since each drive boasts different attributes. Narrowing down which system you intend to use portable storage with is vital, not to mention you'll want to keep in mind the install size of your games and media.
Capacity is the core factor you should consider with external hard drives, as it'll narrow down which type of storage you inevitably buy. If speed is priority, you'll want to stick with an SSD since you'll be able to embrace faster read/write figures using solid state tech. Even then, different classes of drive will produce different results, not to mention USB-C will enable higher bandwidths. Those of you with a PS5 or an Xbox Series X will ultimately want to go down this route, but keep in mind you'll only be able to store PlayStation 5 games on the former rather than play them directly.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, if you're in need of a huge drive that'll hold most of your massive Steam library and other bits, mechanical hard drives are still incredibly handy. They're much slower, but can reach up to 16TB in size, which is more than enough external storage for most users.
Switching the conversation to physical size, portability is crucial if you're gaming on the go. Smaller external SSDs can make for a great way to expand storage on handhelds like the Steam Deck OLED, and some even come with a MagSafe ring to attach to the back. The key to pulling this setup off is ensuring you pick something both small enough and withy suitable cables for neatly attaching to portable PCs, otherwise you'll end up with something a bit harder to use during gaming.
Those of you on a budget will naturally also want to keep pricing in mind. It's all fine and well splashing out on the fastest drives with maximum capacity, but costs can limit your practical choices. Striking a balance between specs and MSRP is key, and sometimes opting for slower or smaller can help you still upgrade your storage in a wise fashion.
How we test external hard drives for gaming
To properly put external hard drives to the test, we like to implement a blend of qualitative real life gaming scenarios and quantitative benchmarks. That's fancy talk for using SSDs and HDDs to play our favorite games while also using speed tests to assess read/write performance on multiple platforms.
In regards to PC, we'll be looking for each drive to max out the maximum capabilities of its chosen interface. For example, we'll be looking for most SSDs with USB 3.2 to maintain 2,000 MB/s read/write speeds, whereas HDDs should land between 100–200 MB/s. There are factors that can impact performance with good reason, but outlining any related caveats and their justification is part of our review process.
In gaming, we'll be looking for drives to reliably install and run games without any hiccups. During testing, we'll take any notes in terms of load times and reliability, with an emphasis on how each drive reacts to the latest games. On PS5, we'll focus on running PS4 games and installing PS5 adventures for later use, whereas with PC we'll install a chunk of Steam games within a library.
Assessing durability is also vital, and it will ultimately impact our impressions in terms of portability. If a drive is ultra compact but extremely fragile, it means it might not travel very well, whereas something slightly larger but robust might end up a better pick. Context is key, and we always keep intended use cases front and centre when passing our scores and verdicts.
Best external hard drive: FAQs
Which brand of external hard drive is best?
The biggest names in storage will be safe bets when looking for the best external hard drives. WD, or Western Digital has great SSD and HDD options that are some of our top picks. Seagate is also super reliable, and has plenty of value HDD options, especially in larger quantities. Elsewhere, Samsung and SanDisk have great external SSD options to choose from, as you'll see from our list.
Which SSD external hard drive is the best?
In our eyes, the best external hard drive going is the WD Black P40. Whether you need to use it for game storage or files and media, it is insanely fast for an external drive and has a nice compact design that feels sturdy too. not that lighting really matters, but it has a beautiful RGB strip that gives the P40 a lovely look too. WD Black P50 is also a safe bet, and might even be available for cheaper than the newer P40.
Which is the fastest external hard drive?
The best external hard drive for pure speed is going to be an external SSD, and most likely one that's been designed for gaming. In our hands-on experience, the WD_Black P40 and P50 are insanely quick external drives which are bound to be exactly what you need for cutting down load times in your favorite games, accessing media quickly, or even for video editing.
Is it better to have an external HDD or SSD?
We'd always advocate for SSD over HDD. Especially at the moment, SSD is a lot more affordable, and has been since the start of 2022. Prices are projected to continue falling, or at least stay at a reasonable level in the first half of 2023. Some forecasters even think this could spark the final days of HDD in the storage market, particularly if external SSDs stay at competitive price points.
What is the most reliable brand of external hard drive?
There are a lot of heavy hitters when it comes to the best external hard drives, especially if you're looking for something designed for gamers. WD, Samsung, Crucial, and Seagate come to mind immediately, but it'll also depend on what type of hard drive you're looking for. Samsung is known for its "Shield" models that are sturdy, and SanDisk's Extreme models have been famously hit or miss in that department. HDDs tend to be less reliable in the durability game, but our list of the best external hard drives for gaming will point you in the right direction.
Which external hard drive lasts longest?
When you're looking for futureproofing, we'd recommend SSDs. For starters, the market is moving in their direction anyway. Additionally, you'll get better performance and more safeguarding. HDDs have a lot of moving parts thanks to their architecture, and they're both very easy to damage, and extortionately expensive to recover when you do. SSDs, as long as they're kept cool, will be very reliable for years to come, and something like the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is a good example of that. On the other hand, if futureproofing to you means larger capacities, something like the Seagate Expansion HDD that goes up to 16TB might be what you're looking for.
Looking for gaming storage on your Switch? Be sure to check in with the best Nintendo Switch SD cards.
