Prefer to work with a drive that is specifically designed for PS4? If so, then the Seagate game drive is just the best external drive for you. Launched early last year, this drive is officially licensed, which means it resembles the exact look of your PS4 and even has the PS4 logo. It has black and blue color variations and boasts a durable aluminum build which means it can take a few falls without as much as a scratch.

Other than physical resemblance, being an officially licensed drive for PS4 set up is a walk in the park because no special software is required. Just connect it to your PS4 using the USB 3.0 cable that comes with the drive and leave the rest to technology. It also means you can take and enjoy all your PS4 games everywhere. For instance, if you are visiting a friend for the weekend and they are just as passionate about gaming as you, all you need to do is plug the Seagate game drive into their console, sign in, and all the PS4 games you enjoy at home will be instantly accessible.

The performance of the Seagate game drive is equally appealing. It is equipped with a USB 3.0 port which means transmission speed is lightning fast, and your gaming experience will be the same as when your games are installed on the console’s internal drive. With this product, you get up to 2TB of storage. With this amount of storage, you can store up to 50 games without having to clear your past favorites.

Sony, unlike its competition, delayed including external hard drive support for its gaming consoles. When it finally did, it was met with much enthusiasm by gamers and hard drive manufacturers alike. Seagate is one such manufacturer who developed the first-ever PS4 branded external hard drive. The STG4000400 is one of the models and arguably comes in a unique color scheme.

Previous models either had a red, green, or white color, but the STG4000400 features a pure black color at the top and bottom with dark blue outlining on the sides. It also has a smaller build with about 50% less depth, which makes it even more portable. Moreover, the logo is slightly textured and heightened, creating a more attractive appearance.

As for compatibility, the STG4000400 is compatible with PS4 gaming consoles as long as they are equipped with the 4.50+ software version. Being a 4TB hard drive, it allows you to add more than 400 games. However, the drive is designed to support only one drive at once when transferring files. This means you need to turn one of them off to access the other. Also, it would help if you did a little bit of menu searching for formatting the drive used on the PS4, but once set up, moving data between the drives is easy.

When playing games from the hard drive, the load times are reduced significantly, giving you the best gaming experience. By comparison, single-player games like the Shadow of the Colossus load faster from the hard drive than when played from the system’s storage. Tests show the game takes 33-38 seconds to start loading on screen and 31 seconds on the hard drive.

Looking for an external drive for PS4 with tons of space but with excellent portability? If so, then the WD 4TB WD Elements external hard drive would make an excellent buy for you. Like other Western Design hard drives, this 4TB unit features a simple plastic and metal build with a nice black finish and rounded corners.

With this unit, Western Design emphasizes portability. It is, therefore, no surprise that it lacks the bulky power supplies other external hard drives feature and instead has a slim form factor with only USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports. It has a small white light that you can use to tell when the drive is active or idle. At only 8.3 ounces, and measuring 4.4x3.2x0.83, the WD Elements hard drive is a pretty compact unit considering it offers you up to 4TB of storage.

When it comes to performance, this hard drive also does pretty well. It is compatible with Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7 and can also be formatted for macOS X. It has a maximum read and write speed of up to 100mbs, and it is equipped with 5,400RPM spinning platters, each equipped with 2TB. It, however, lacks critical utility tools such as security and backup. However, other than that, it is one of the best external hard drives for PS4. Besides, it comes with a two-year limited warranty, which means it is a worthy investment, and you won’t have to constantly delete your games to install others because you’ve got more than enough storage.

The Toshiba Canvio external drive review is made up of drives with excellent storage and transmission speeds at a budget price, and this 2TB unit is no exception. It weighs about five ounces and is one of the most portable hard drives on our list. It has a smooth black finish with a Micro USB 3.0 port on the rear end and Toshiba’s logo on top. As with other drives in the Canvio Basics series, this one also features the same old flat USB connector. Although the design is quite basic, we like that it is smudge-free. This means you don’t have to wipe fingerprints off frequently.

It is a plug-and-play external hard drive for PS4. This means anyone, including the novice gamer without much knowledge about hard drives, can use it as all they need to do is plug it in, and it will automatically set up.

It doesn’t feature a bunch of bells and whistles, but it offers you up to two-terabyte storage at a price you will love. As mentioned earlier, it has a USB 3.0 Port, which means it boasts high transmission speeds, and you can store and play games right from the drive. Similar to others on our list, it has a spindle speed of up to 5,400rpm. It is compatible with a wide array of operating systems, but you will have to reformat it for your macOS. With most affordable products, quality is often an issue. However, this Toshiba 2TB Canvio Basics is an exception. Besides, it features a one-year warranty for quality assurance purposes.

When you first lay your eyes on the Maxone 500GB external hard drive, one thing is set to blow your mind away; its incredibly sleek design. It measures 4.7 by 3.3 inches, and it is ultra-slim. It comes in an appealing charcoal grey finish and an aluminum build.

Therefore, it is not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly durable and scratch and smudge-resistant as well. Its sleek size means it will comfortably fit in your palm or slip into your pockets whenever the need arises.

Looks aside, the Maxone 500GB portable hard drive also boasts excellent functionality compared to its pricing. It has a USB 3.0 interface, which, as you may know by now, has fantastic read and write speeds and offers the same gaming performance as the internal drive. It also features backward compatibility, which means you can also connect it to your USB 2.0 devices.

It is a plug-and-play drive, which means no software is required for setup. With this product, you get up to 500GB of storage. At a glance, this may not seem like a lot, but it means you will not be deleting games or your data every time you need to install that new game. It is compatible with a wide range of operating systems, including Windows and Mac. Moreover, you get three years warranty, so you don’t have to question the quality. So, if you’ve been looking for a sleek but functional drive, the Maxone 500GB is the best external drive for PS4 for you.

If the other Western Digital external hard drive did not tickle your fancy, this one probably will. It is one of the most visually appealing drives not only on our list but also in the market. This is because it is super compact, and other than black, it comes in fancy colors such as blue and red. It sports a plastic shell that feels smoother than previous versions of WD external drives.

WD put some work into the design of this hard drive because other than the stunning color variations, the case is also quite impressive. One part is smooth and has the WD logo, while the other features diagonal lines, giving the entire unit a sleek and premium look. If you would like to add a bit of personalization to it, you have the option of buying Western Digital’s grip packs.

But what we like about the WD 2TB My Passport external hard drive is that it doesn’t just look good; it also performs well. As the name suggests, it offers you two terabytes of storage. This is enough even for the avid gamer to store a bunch of games and even other personal files. It has a USB 3.0 interface, which means file transfers are pretty seamless. Also, it features backward compatibility for USB 2.0 interfaces.

The outstanding feature on the WD 2TB My Passport hard drive, however, is its utilities. It supports 256bit encryption, which makes it easy to secure your drive, and is a handy feature if you have kids and you would like to keep them away from your PS4 games. It also boasts the WD backup software application utility.

WD is one brand famous for producing the best external hard drives. Its mission to offer optimized speed boosts and improve gameplay is evident in this Black 2TB P10 Game Drive. With up to 5TB of storage, you have adequate space to store up to 125 games. Moreover, it’s compatible with PS4 Pro equipped with 4.5 system software, the Xbox One, macOS, and PCs (Windows 8.1, 10), providing an agnostic solution for all your systems.

Its overall construction is hard-wearing. The exterior is made of plastic and has a rugged feel adding to its sturdiness. However, the top part has a metallic build protecting the device from dents in case of drops. Also, each corner features a T8 security bolt known for its ability to resist cam-out better than slot head screws.

As for its performance, the 2TB model allows you to store files immediately after plugging it into an Xbox One, PC, PS4, or Apple Mac. It touts a speed of up to 140MB/s, enhancing your gaming experience wherever you are. The larger 4TB and 5TB models perform just as well. The only notable difference is with regard to their capacities.

Also, the drive comes pre-formatted in the exFAT structure, which means it is ready for use out of the box. Many gaming consoles hardly have mechanisms for opening encrypted drives making its pre-formatted exFAT system pretty handy. The feature also favors gamers who don’t like performing manual installation and those who don’t like dealing with file format selection when assigning drive letters. What’s more, it’s possible to format the drive to any layout convenient to your device, including the Linux format.

With more massive AAA-rated titles being developed every day, storage plays a significant role in your overall gaming experience. While gaming consoles like the PS4 Pro feature relatively large storage capacities (sometimes as large as 1TB), they aren’t enough for gamers looking to add more games. WD’s 2TB Gaming Drive is a pretty handy solution for such gamers.

Out of the box, the drive comes with everything you need to connect to your PS4, including a USB 3.0 cable. It has a relatively small construction compared to other WD drives, measuring 4.33 x 0.5 x 4.33 inches making it easy to carry your games wherever you go. However, with only a 2TB capacity, the drive only provides space for 50 different games. If planning to store more games, opt for the 3TB or 4TB hard drives.

The installation is almost non-existent; you only need to turn off the console and power it back on to transfer the files. The drive directs you to a wizard that formats the drive for your PS4 and provides the option to copy the existing data to the new drive. Its speed is impeccable, providing a similar experience as an inbuilt drive. This means your gaming experience is also seamless, especially if streaming games directly from the drive.

If you are looking for a portable drive that can withstand harsh environments, Silicon’s 2TB Ragged Portable External Hard Drive is a good buy. It has a bulky construction that adds a layer of protection, and the edges are covered with soft rubber to protect it from scratches. Also, it has been constructed according to the US militaryMIL-STD-810G standard, and it is compliant with IPX4 splash resistance specifications. This means it remains functional even when submerged in water for at least five minutes.

Besides its sturdy construction, the Armor 60 is fitted with a male-A-to-male-A USB 3.0 cable known for its versatility. The beauty of this cable is that you don’t need to fit a specific end to the host computer or other device; either end can be used to transfer files.

When it comes to transferring files for storage, the A60 hard drive is ready out of the box. It has been pre-formatted using the NTFS file system, which means it is ready to use on your Mac and Windows computers. However, if transferring 4TB or larger files, you need to reformat the drive into NFS+ (for Mac devices) or the exFAT (for Mac and Windows devices). Also, the hard drive is not equipped with any software; instead, it has been preloaded with a registration shortcut for activating a three-year warranty.

As for its performance, the A60 transfers files at impeccable speed. It touts a sustained speed of 114MBps for reading and 104 MBps for writing, which is slightly faster than similar portable drives. When used with the USB 2.0, however, the speed drops to 35 MBps for reading and 29 MBps for writing, which is just as fast as most USB 2.0 drives.

The shift to solid-state drives has caused a rapid fall in the cost of solid-state drives, as evidenced by the SanDisk Extreme hard drive. The drive is pretty affordable, has a durable construction, and has many handy features. It comes in four capacities (2TB, 1TB, 500GB, and 250GB), allowing buyers to choose a suitable drive to fit as many PS4 games as they want, and is a pretty small hardware to stash in their pocket easily.

The construction is durable, too, as SanDisk uses rubber for its chassis and adds a textured bottom that makes it easy to handle the drive. If you want to take gaming to your family and friends, this is the best hard drive for PS4 since it is less likely to be damaged by water and dust — it is IP55 rated. Moreover, it fits in your pocket with ease.

As for performance, SanDisk Extreme Portable Hard Drive doesn’t disappoint. It supports speeds of up to 550Mbps when using the Type-C connector. It outperforms non-Thunderbolt 3 drives, transferring 100GB files in 294 seconds. The high speed means fast load times for your PS4 games and an overall amazing gaming experience due to the smooth transitions.

What’s more, it comes pre-formatted, which makes it easy to use with both Mac and Windows devices out of the box. SanDisk also adds its proprietary SecureAccess 3.02 software that enhances the drive’s security. You can create a password-protected solder where you store all your data using 128-bit AES encryption.