Best gaming SSDs and storage: NVMe, PS5 and console drives

Games keep getting bigger, and an NVMe SSD cuts load times compared with a hard drive or SATA SSD. For a gaming PC, a 2 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive is the sensible choice in 2026; PCIe 5.0 drives are faster on paper but cost more. Console players have their own options: an M.2 drive with a heatsink for the PS5, or external and expansion storage for PlayStation and Xbox. This guide groups current drives by tier, based on list prices.

We write from manufacturer specifications and published reviews, mainly Tom’s Hardware’s best SSDs guide (updated 23 October 2026). We have not hands-on tested the products mentioned. Building a PC? See our gaming PC builds.

How to choose a gaming SSD

• Capacity. Tom’s Hardware notes a big AAA game can use more than 100 GB and Windows 11 about 60 GB. It calls 2 TB the sweet spot. 1 TB is the practical minimum.
• PCIe 4.0 or 5.0. Tom’s Hardware’s best SSD overall is a PCIe 4.0 drive, the Samsung 990 Pro. PCIe 5.0 drives double sequential speeds but you may not notice the difference in games. They need a Gen5 M.2 slot to reach full speed.
• DRAM and flash. Budget drives may skip DRAM or use QLC flash. That is fine for a game library, but they slow down during long file copies.

Compatibility checklist

1. M.2 2280 slot. All internal picks here are M.2 2280. Check your board has a free slot and whether it is PCIe 4.0 or 5.0.
2. Heatsink. Most current motherboards include an M.2 heatsink, so buy a bare drive for a PC. The PS5 needs a heatsink; buy a heatsink version or add one.
3. PS5. Sony requires a PCIe 4.0 M.2 drive and recent system software. WD lists the SN850X heatsink model as PS5-compatible with system software 21.02-04.00.00 or later.
4. Xbox Series X|S. Internal M.2 upgrades are not supported. Use the official expansion card to play Series X|S games, or a USB drive to store them.
5. Shared lanes. On some boards, using certain M.2 slots disables SATA ports or slows the GPU slot. Check your board’s manual.

Budget gaming SSDs

Kingston NV3 1TB. Tom’s Hardware’s ultra-bargain M.2 pick, up to 6,000 MB/s on PCIe 4.0. Tom’s notes Kingston can change the parts inside, including slower QLC flash, but it is still a sound low-cost game drive.

Mid-range gaming SSDs

Samsung 990 PRO 2TB. Tom’s Hardware’s best SSD overall and best SSD for gaming, the fastest PCIe 4.0 drive it has tested, at up to 7,450 MB/s.

WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB. Tom’s Hardware’s alternate best SSD, with a large and consistent cache, up to 7,300 MB/s. Buy this bare version for a PC.

WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB with heatsink. Tom’s Hardware’s best SSD for the PS5. The heatsink version fits the console’s expansion slot.

Samsung T7 Shield 2TB portable SSD. A rugged USB-C drive (IP65, up to 1,050 MB/s) for extra storage on a console or laptop. PS5 and Xbox Series X|S can store current-generation games on USB drives but must move them back to internal or expansion storage to play them.

Premium gaming SSDs

Samsung 9100 PRO 2TB. A PCIe 5.0 drive at up to 14,700 MB/s. Tom’s Hardware notes it is no longer the record holder, but it is a solid Gen5 drive from a strong brand.

WD_BLACK SN8100 2TB. Tom’s Hardware’s alternate pick for the fastest SSD, at up to 14,900 MB/s, and power-efficient for a Gen5 drive. Tom’s warns it is not an inexpensive drive.

Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S 1TB. The official plug-in card for Xbox Series X|S. It plays Series X|S games at the same speed as the internal SSD.

Check current prices

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FAQ

Is PCIe 5.0 worth it for gaming? Rarely today. Tom’s Hardware’s best SSD overall is still a PCIe 4.0 drive, and you may not notice the difference in game loading.

How much storage do I need? 2 TB holds a good library of large games plus Windows. Add a second drive later if you need more.

Can I use a PC SSD in my PS5? Yes, if it is a PCIe 4.0 M.2 drive and has a heatsink that fits. The SN850X heatsink model is ready to install.

Verdict

For most gaming PCs, buy a 2 TB Samsung 990 PRO or WD_BLACK SN850X. The Kingston NV3 is the low-cost option, and the Samsung 9100 PRO or WD_BLACK SN8100 suits a high-end build with a Gen5 slot. For a PS5, the SN850X with heatsink is the simple pick, and Xbox Series X|S owners should use the Seagate expansion card. See which drive goes in each of our gaming PC builds, and pair your build with a graphics card.