Best external hard drives to buy for PS4 or Xbox One (and how to install them!)


It’s been over six years since the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launched, and after that sort of time period, storage runs out. You may need to add an external hard drive to help your console out.

It’s inevitable if you’re a gamer; it’s simply one of those things. The 500GB that came on a PlayStation 4 soon ran out, and even the higher capacity options released later in the two console’s lifetimes all ran low eventually.

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Even filling 1TB isn't that difficult if you're keen on recording your gameplay footage and downloading big titles onto your Xbox One or PS4 console.

Here, we will give you an overview of the hard drives available to buy for each console, and just how to connect them up to the console.

Best hard drive to buy for Xbox One or PS4

Whether you're a PS4 or an Xbox One owner, the important factor to keep in mind is this: how much storage do you think you will need?

If you want to capture a lot of video, then the bigger storage, the better. But if it’s just games and the occasional screenshots, then 2TB at the most.

If you only need one extra terabyte, try one of these: the WD My Passport 1TB would currently set you back £57 on Amazon, or the Samsung T5 would set you back £154 on Amazon.

If you need a bit more storage, we'd recommend the Seagate Game Drive 2TB, which is £74 on Amazon. Or if you need even MORE, try the WD Black 4TB for £109 on Amazon.

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How to add a hard drive on Xbox One

Any of the above simply need to be plugged into the USB port on your console - that’s always a good first step.

The console should detect the hard drive, and will prompt you to ‘format’ it. Select yes.

Enter a name for the drive, such as ‘R2Drive2’

If you wish, you can select ‘Install here’ for any future downloads to go onto the external hard drive

Done! You’re now set up.

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How to add a hard drive to PS4 to get some extra storage

Step one: Plug in your new hard drive to the USB port on the console.

Go to Settings > Devices > USB Storage Devices

See the new drive? Select it.

Choose ‘Format as Extended Storage’

Done!

There you have it; your 4TB PlayStation 4, ready to install Warzone and its patches, alongside Streets of Rage 4 to keep you occupied.

We may be stating the obvious, but make sure that the hard drive is always plugged into the console when it’s switched on. Otherwise, the console may become confused, and start to bring up a barrage of errors. And you don't want that!

READ MORE: How to hard reset PS4, Xbox One or Switch

For more articles like this, take a look at our Buying Guides and How To page.