Best SSD for gaming 2024

The best SSD for gaming will help you get the most out of your favourite titles, and allow you to download and install more of them at the same time too.

The rapid improvements seen in some of the best SSDs have been a huge boon for gaming because they now offer massive capacity and, more importantly, absurd speeds. This means that you can install games faster, sure, but they can also help eliminate loading times, which makes games feel far smoother. Quite frankly, it's impossible to go back to the before times once you've tried an SSD that boasts speeds of 2,000 MB/s or more.

With that in mind, we've made a list of the best gaming SSDs based on not only their raw speed but also their capacity, physical size, price, reviews, and any bonus features like heatsink to reduce the chance of overheating.

Let's get stuck into the list and help you find your next upgrade...

Best gaming SSDs

1. Samsung 990 Pro Heatsink - Best overall
2. WD Black SN770 - Best alternative
3. Crucial P5 - Best budget option
4. Sabrent Rocket 2230 - Best for Steam Deck
5. Adata SE800 - Best external SSD

Credit: Samsung

1. Samsung 990 Pro Heatsink

Best SSD for gaming overall

The Samsung 9900 Pro is a top contender when it comes to finding a great SSD for gaming, and this particular heatsink version is probably one of the best SSDs you can find in general.

This compact device has speeds of up to 7,450MB/s, which are some of the fastest around, and it somehow doesn't cost an ungodly amount either. On top of that, you can get it with up to 2TB of storage capacity, and the heatsink means that it can deal with temperature fluctuations easily, offering a more stable and consistent experience.

On top of all of that, it works with the PlayStation 5, which means that you'll be able to use it in more than one device if you end up feeling the need to switch things up.

It's the best of the best, and nothing short of a great option for gaming.

• Read More: Best SSD deals

Credit: Western Digital

2. Western Digital Black SN770

Best alternative SSD for gaming

If you don't like Samsung for some reason, then we've got an alternative to the 990 Pro for you in the form of the WD_BLACK SN770 - a mighty device that boasts very similar specs.

This SSD has a big old 2TB capacity, which is more than enough for a huge slew of modern games, including the likes of Call of Duty. It also boasts speeds up to 5,150MB/s. This means that you can pump it full of your favourite games and access them almost an instant.

If you've got this SSD in your PC, you'll be able to enjoy almost non-existent loading times, a nice boost in general smoothness in your games, and a big boost in how many games you can have installed at once, which is really the dream for a lot of us.

• Read More: Best PCIe SSDs

Credit: Crucial

3. Crucial P5

Best budget SSD for gaming

You don't actually have to spend a huge amount of money to get a good amount of storage, and the Crucial P5 proves it in spades.

With speeds of up to 3,400MB/s, and a 1TB capacity, this thing can handle a large volume of games comfortably, and deliver a smooth gaming experience when using it. It's not the most powerful on the market, but it costs substantially less, and that's exactly what it makes our list.

However, if you want to wait for an even cheaper option, the P5 Plus is actually going to be even less expensive, but it's not out yet, so you may have to wait a while.

• Read More: Best NVMe SSDs

Credit: Sabrent

4. Sabrent Rocket 2230

Best SSD for Steam Deck gaming

The wave of handheld gaming PCs we've had in the last handful of years, mostly fronted by the Steam Deck and ASUS Rog Ally, is truly wonderful. However, it comes with a new storage issue. Thankfully, with any gaming issue, there's always a fix worth investing in, and the Sabrent Rocket 2230 is just that fix.

This SSD is built to be incredibly small, which means that it can easily be installed into the likes of both of these handheld gaming PCs, but also any mini PC builds you might have in mind.

Furthermore, it's got a good capacity, and fairly impressive speeds up to 5,000MB/s as well. It's also surprisingly power efficient, which is a big win when the Steam Deck et al. already eat through their battery power quickly.

• Read More: Best CPU deals

Credit: Adata

5. Adata SE880

Best external SSD for gaming

Some people just don't want to mess around with the internals of their consoles or PC. We respect that a lot because it can be kind of uncomfortable to try and do if you're new to the whole thing. That's where a good external SSD comes in, like the ADATA SE880.

This SSD has speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s, which isn't the best on this list, but is still an impressive speed given that it's all going through USB ports instead of through all of the components themselves. That's still fast enough that you'll be enjoying good speeds though, and that's the main thing when gaming.

Along with that, the capacity can go up to 4TB, which is great if you've got a larger budget and need the extra storage. And it's incredibly small, making the most of the external and portable factors of an SSD. This is a great choice for those who don't want to open up their gaming rig, Xbox, or PlayStation 5 and tinker with its pre-existing storage.