2020 is definitely a big year for games, which means it's also a big year for your console's hard drive. Having an external storage device helps you store all of your games on your console so that you don't have delete any of your favorites. Whether you have a PS4 or an Xbox One, you can easily expand the storage on both of these consoles by simply plugging in a USB 3.0 external hard drive that has a storage capacity of over 256GB.
Sony has limited the external limit to 8TB, but on an Xbox One, you can plug in up to 2 external storage devices with 16TB of combined storage space. With that being said, let us take a look at the six best external storage devices based on capacities, speeds, and portability.
NOTE: If you buy something through this post, Player.One may get a share of the sale.
Seagate Game Drive 2TB
The Seagate Game Drive has a 2TB storage capacity and offers 140 MB/s read and write speeds. The drive has been specifically built for Xbox power users. This incredibly compact storage device just requires a UBS 3.0 cable to plug into your console to get going. The drive also comes with a Jedi Fallen Order theme and includes a one-month membership to Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription.
Western Digital Elements 4TB
This 4TB external storage drive is all you need to keep hundreds of your favorite games and never have to delete them. The hard drive offers an excellent price-to-performance ratio and Wester Digital happens to have some of the best ratings on Amazon. If you're looking for an expandable external storage that is under $100, the WD Elements is what you should be considering. Assuming a game is around 50GB, WD Elements can store up to 80 games without any issues.
Western Digital Gaming Drive
The Western Digital Gaming Drive has been built with the design of PS4 in mind. It seamlessly blends in with the console and appears to be a part of the console itself. The hard drive is optimized to work with the PlayStation 4. The only complaint one might have with the WD Gaming Drive is its short USB cable, which may cause problems for some users.
Samsung 860 EVO 500GB 2.5 SSD
The Samsung 860 EVO isn't a plug and play external storage. However, with a little bit of DIY work, you'll end up with one of the fastest external storage options for your PS4 or Xbox One. To get the Samsung 860 EVO work with your console, you'll need a separate USB 3.0 caddy, which costs around $10. Considering the speed that this external storage offers, you'll notice a tremendous improvement in your game loading speeds.
Seagate 8TB Hard Drive
The Seagate Expansion offers an 8TB gargantuan storage space for a very affordable price. The expansion storage is USB 3.0 compatible. However, you will need an external power adapter to run this beast of storage device and luckily Seagate ships the power adapter along with the device itself.
Western Digital Black 12TB D10 Game Drive for Xbox One
If you still wish to take your storage game to the next level, Western Digital has a 12TB game drive that you might want to consider. This massive 12TB storage is all you need to build your Xbox One gaming collection. Additionally, the drive also features decent read and write speeds and comes with Active cooling technology to keep the drive running smoothly. If you're interested in learning more about this storage device, you might want to check out our review that will be coming soon.
