The best SSDs for your Xbox Series X in May 2023

Storage space in our consoles is an absolute must these days. Although the Xbox Series X ships with 1TB of onboard storage (the Series S only has 512GB), you might be amazed – no, shocked – at how quickly that storage space can be eaten up by games, updates, apps, etc. and saves. Game Pass members in particular should be warned that a download tour will likely (quickly) end in sadness – that is, until you upgrade your save.

If you’re constantly digging around with game installs and wondering where you’re going to find room for that next 50GB update or 148GB game – cough, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – You should purchase additional storage space for your console. Below we’ve rounded up some of the best additional storage options for your Xbox.

The best SSD of the Xbox Series X

Seagate storage expansion card

You could say that Microsoft is taking an old-school approach with its officially licensed Seagate Storage Expansion Cards. They look like memory cards, and you plug one into the back of the console. It’s even easier than opening up a PS5 to install an M.2 SSD.

Currently, this is the only Series X SSD add-on that you can load the latest games from, as it matches the speed of the console’s built-in SSD. While it’s very easy to buy a storage expansion gadget for your Xbox with only one option, the lack of competition here means you’ll be paying significantly more money per gigabyte than PS5 owners for their PS5 SSD upgrades (the 1TB add-on for Xbox gets you about 5GB per dollar spent versus 10GB or more per dollar for PS5-ready SSDs). We wish we could suggest you swap out your Xbox’s internal SSD, but the crappy facts are that it does both a difficult task and void of guarantee.

The Seagate expansion cards for Xbox are available in 1TB and 2TB configurations (a 512GB model has been discontinued). Prices start at $149.99 for the 1TB model and go up to around $280 for the top-end model. Both configurations are available at Amazon, best buy, Goalor GameStop.

Finally, Western Digital is reportedly developing its own expansion card similar to the one offered by Seagate The edge. We haven’t received any specific details on pricing or availability, but we’ll update this post with additional information as it becomes available.

External Xbox Hard Drives

There are larger external hard drives that are significantly cheaper than the official expansion cards. We have listed three below, but be warned: These can only be used to store the installation files of a Series X game. If you want to play a game that’s on the external hard drive, you’ll need to transfer the files to the console’s internal SSD (Xbox One-era games can both be saved And played from the external drive).

Providing mass storage isn’t quite as helpful as expanding the console’s SSD storage, but transferring a game’s files is still faster than having to re-download them every time you want to launch a particular title.

WD_Black D30

The WD_Black D30 Game Drive is a burly external SSD available in 500GB, 1TB, or 2TB configurations. The Game Drive connects with its USB-C-to-A cable, which offers transfer speeds of up to 900MB/s. The 1TB D30

WD_Black D30 GameDrive

Prices at time of publication.

Maximum reading speed: 900MB/s

Maximum write speed: 900MB/s

WD_Black P40

The WD_Black P40 Game Drive offers a slimmer storage solution that is slightly more expensive but takes up less space and can achieve transfer speeds of up to 2,000MB/s. Best Buy currently has the 1TB WD_Black P40 Model available for $119.99 (usually $179.99) and that 2 TB version for $189.99 (usually $329.99).

WD_Black P40 GameDrive

Prices at time of publication.

Maximum reading speed: 2,000MB/s

Maximum write speed: 2,000MB/s

Crucial X8 SSD

While it’s not quite as fast as the P40 above, the Crucial X8 SSD is still a solid option for giving you more storage space for your Xbox Series X without spending a ton. It’s also slightly thinner and more understated in design than the gamer-focused P40. Currently you can find the 1TB Crucial X8 at Amazon and best buy for $79.99 (usually $119.99).

Crucial X8 SSD

Prices at time of publication.

Sequential read speed: 1,050MB/s

Sequential write speed: Not shared

Update (May 2nd): Product prices have been verified for accuracy and linked to The Verge’s report on a new Western Digital expansion card that may launch on the Xbox Series X.