There is no confirmed storage capacity or expansion standard for an unspecified next-generation console, so no single terabyte recommendation is reliable. Size your storage around the games you want installed and playable at once, then check the exact console’s expansion options before buying: an internal expansion SSD may play games directly, while an external USB drive may only store them for transfer.
How to estimate the storage you need
Start with your real installed library, not a promise about how many games fit on a terabyte. Install sizes vary by title and can change with updates, expansions, and language packs.
- List the large games you regularly play. Include the games you want ready to launch without deleting or moving anything.
- Add smaller games and captures. Include any other content you want available on the console.
- Leave working room. Do not plan to use every available gigabyte; updates and new installs need space too.
- Compare your estimate with usable internal capacity. If the internal drive will not accommodate that library, check which expansion types the console supports and their total cost.
As an illustration rather than a universal average, SanDisk’s undated manufacturer guidance, accessed in 2026, estimates 40–50 games on a 2 TB SSD based on an average game size of 36 GB, while noting that file size and other factors affect the result. SanDisk also gives examples ranging from a few gigabytes for some smaller games to over 50 GB for many AAA games and 100 GB or more for some games with updates and expansions. These examples are not a forecast of how many games will fit on a future console. SanDisk’s storage guidance
Decide whether added storage must play games directly
Before comparing capacities, distinguish between a drive that can run games and one that is mainly an archive. Console support determines what an external drive can do; a USB connection alone does not guarantee that every game can launch from it.
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| Current console example | Storage option | What it can do | Key qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| PS5 | Compatible M.2 NVMe SSD | Download, copy, and launch PS5 and PS4 games | Must meet Sony’s requirements, provide effective heat dissipation, and physically fit. M.2 SATA is unsupported, and performance may not match the internal SSD. Sony’s M.2 SSD requirements |
| PS5 | USB extended storage | Play PS4 games directly; store PS5 games | PS5 games must be copied back to console or M.2 storage before play. Sony lists a capacity range of 250 GB to 8 TB. Sony’s USB extended-storage guidance |
| Xbox Series X|S | Storage Expansion Card | Play Series-optimized games directly | Xbox Wire’s September 2020 launch-era explainer describes a console-specific card matching the internal SSD’s sustained performance; check current options and availability. Xbox Wire’s storage explainer |
| Xbox Series X|S | USB HDD or SSD | Store Xbox games and directly play Xbox One, Xbox 360, and original Xbox titles | Series X|S-optimized games require internal storage or an Expansion Card for direct play, according to the same launch-era Xbox Wire guidance. |
What current consoles show—and what they do not
PS5: M.2 expansion is not a buy-any-drive upgrade
If using a PS5 as a planning example, a compatible M.2 NVMe SSD can add playable capacity, but it must meet Sony’s specifications, have effective heat dissipation, and fit the console. Sony does not support M.2 SATA drives and cautions that M.2 performance can differ from the built-in SSD. Check Sony’s current requirements and the exact drive’s dimensions before purchase.
A USB drive offers a different trade-off: it can hold PS5 games, but those games have to be moved back to console or M.2 storage before they can be played. It can play PS4 games directly. If a game-library download is practical for you, another option is to delete games and applications and re-download purchases from your library later; Sony also notes that players can move games to another supported location or, where a game allows it, delete selected portions of its data. Sony’s guide to managing PS5 storage
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Xbox Series X|S: expansion cards and USB drives serve different jobs
Xbox Wire’s 2020 explainer distinguishes the console-specific Storage Expansion Card from USB HDDs and SSDs. It says optimized Series X|S games need internal storage or the Expansion Card to launch directly, while USB storage can hold games and directly run compatible older-generation titles. In that launch-era interview, Jason Ronald, Xbox Director of Program Management, said: “You can play directly from the Storage Expansion Card and you will have the exact same experience and performance as if the game was running from the internal SSD.” That statement describes the Series X|S card in that context, not an expansion standard for an unreleased generation.
Future generations: confirm the specific console first
The current-console examples above do not establish the storage capacity, drive compatibility, or expansion standard of a future console. Treat any capacity estimate as a planning choice based on your own library—not as a confirmed specification—and verify the exact console’s official requirements before purchasing storage.
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