PlayStation 5 games cannot be stored or played from an external drive; though Sony Interactive Entertainment have stated can be stored with a future update.

We previously reported how reviews of the PlayStation 5 revealed it had 646.7GB of usable storage out of the box, and SSD storage expansion was “reserved for a future update.” While installing games onto standard external drives seemed like a possible solution, this will not be the case with PlayStation 5 games.

GameSpot and VG247 report that PlayStation 5 games cannot be installed on to an external drive (via transferring from the console itself), and therefore cannot be played from them (even at the cost of load times). External drives can still be used to install and run PlayStation 4 games.

VGC247 would later update their article, noting an update to the PlayStation Blog’s “PS5: The Ultimate FAQ” post. The update revealed that while players currently cannot store or play PlayStation 5 games on a USB drive, a future update will allow the games to be stored on them.

“Can I store or play PS5 games from a USB drive?

No, players cannot transfer PS5 games to a USB drive. PS5 games must be stored on the console’s internal ultra-high speed SSD for gameplay. Explorations for allowing players to store (but not play) PS5 games on a USB drive in a future update are underway.

You can, however, store and play PS4 games from a compatible USB drive connected to PS5. For more details, keep reading.”

[…] “On day one, you’ll be able to connect a compatible USB drive and use it to store and play your PS4 games. You’ll be able to play PS4 games while they remain stored on the external device. PS5 games need to reside on PS5’s internal SSD before play.”

The PlayStation 5 will launch November 12th in the US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea. For the rest of the world, it will launch November 19th. The PlayStation 5 will cost $499.99 USD, while the Digital Edition will cost $399.99 USD.

Image: PlayStation Blog