Upgrading to the latest play station console is cool, but you might ask yourself, will my PS4 external hard drive work on PS5?
External hard drives have become a convenient way for gamers to store their extensive high-end PS4 games to save up internal storage space.
However, with the advent of PS5, many individuals have experienced the desire to run their PS4 games on the new PS5 console. But is it possible for a PS4 external hard drive to work on PS5?
Let’s find out if you can play games from your PS4 external hard drive on your PS5.
Will A PS4 External Hard Drive Work On PS5?
Yes. A PS4 external hard drive will work on a PS5, and one can play their favorite PS4 games on PS5 using the plug-and-play feature.
However, you can’t play PS5 games directly from the external hard drive, and you must copy the game data to the internal SSD to play. Nonetheless, your PS4 external hard drive must meet certain requirements to work on PS5.
External Hard Drive Requirements On PS5 Consoles
Super Speed
The external hard drive must support super speeds of 5Gbps or later to be compatible with the PS5 console software. The PS5 runs high-quality games with top-notch graphics that can take up to 100GB of storage.
Therefore, the hard drive must be fast enough for users to have an enjoyable gaming experience.
Enough Space
The hard drive should have enough space to store multiple high-end games. The PS5 console is compatible with a hard drive with a minimum of 250GB and a maximum of 8TB of storage space.
One Hard Drive At A Time
Though you can connect multiple hard drives to your PS5 console, you can only use one at a time. PS5 does not support the use of multiple hard drives to play games. Therefore, you should have your entire PS4 game data on one hard drive before you plug it in.
Ensure you follow the procedure when disconnecting the hard drive. If you fail to properly disconnect the hard drive, there may be data loss or corruption of the console/hard drive.
Of course, just like any other modern computer, it is not guaranteed that all devices will work on a PS5 console.
Reasons Why Your PS4 External Hard Drive Doesn’t Work On PS5
Though PS4 hard drives seem to naturally work on a PS5 console, there are instances where the two might not seem compatible. It might be due to the following reasons:
Hard Drive Cable/Bridge Issue
There might be an issue with your USB connection if your PS4 external hard drive does not work on your PS5. In most cases, there is always an issue with the cable, or the USB port is defective. Therefore, it prevents proper data transfer to the PS5 console.
USB Hub
The PS5 console cannot read data in a PS4 hard drive from a USB hub. USB hubs do not meet the requirements to plug and play a PS4 hard drive in a PS5 console.
Damaged External Hard Drive
If you accidentally subjected the PS4 hard drive to physical abuse or dropped it in water, you might damage its internal components. Therefore, the hard drive will fail to work with the PS5 console.
Data Corruption
Data Corruption might be another issue preventing PS4 external hard drives from connecting to your PS5 console. Data corruption will hinder data transfer, and you cannot play games on your PS5.
Connection Of Multiple Hard Drives
The PS5 console can only accommodate a single external hard drive; if you connect multiple, it might not run your PS4 HDD.
Software Update
A PS5 might need a software update to run a program on a PS4 hard drive. Software that is not up to date might not have the necessary data to run extensive PS4 gaming programs on the hard drive.
Possible Fixes
Get A New PS4 Hard Drive Cable
If there is an issue with the cable connecting the PS4 hard drive to the PS5 console, you must get a new one.
If there is an issue with the USB port, you should try cleaning it and try again. If the issue persists, you should consider replacing the USB ports to allow for effective data transfer.
Remove The USB Hub
Since USB hubs do not work on Play Station 5 consoles, you should consider removing them and directly connecting the PS4 hard drive. If the USB hub was the problem, the hard drive would run on the PS5.
Repair/Get A New Hard Drive
If you sabotage your hard drive and hurt its internal components, the chances of it working again are close to zero. You could try taking it to a repair technician or get a new hard drive and start all over again.
Safely Eject Your Hard Drive
Data corruption will result from the unethical use of the hard drive in the PS5 console. To prevent data corruption in your PS4 hard drive, you should only eject your hard drive after you select the safely removed extended storage setting or after the PS5 shuts down.
If you corrupt your PS4 hard drive and lose all your data, you should reformat it and reinstall the games. That is why it is a good idea to have a backup where you store your games.
Connect One Hard Drive
You should connect only one hard drive to your PS5 console for it to work. Manufacturers designed the system using only one hard drive at a time.
Update Your Software
Double-check if your Play Station needs updates; if it does, you should update it and try again.
How To Play PS4 Games From An External Hard Drive On PS5
PS5 has a plug-and-play feature, making playing PS4 games from an external hard drive very straightforward.
You must locate the USB port at the back of your PS5 console and plug in the PS4 hard drive. Once the PS5 console recognizes the drive, you can start playing your PS4 games.
Can You Play PS5 Games Directly On An External Hard Drive
Unfortunately, an individual cannot play PS5 games on an external hard drive. One must transfer the game to the PS5 console to play.
Since internal storage is limited, you must store your PS5 games on an external hard drive and transfer them to the console when you want to play.
The best thing is that copying game data from your external hard drive to your PS5 console is fast.
Transferring PS5 Games To An External Hard Drive
Transferring PS5 games to your hard drive and back to the console is quick and easy.
- Step1: Head to your game library
- Step2: Highlight the data you want to move
- Step3: Press the options button
- Step4: Select move games and apps
- Step 5: Go to items. You can move to the external hard drive and select move.
If you want to play the PS5 games, move them back to the internal console storage. To do so:
- Step 1: Head to the game home
- Step2: Select games library (From the collection tab, you’ll find games you saved on your external hard drive)
- Step3: Highlight the game you want to copy back
- Step4: Press the Options Button
- Step5: Select copy
How To Format Your USB Hard Drive As Extended Storage
Formatting a USB hard drive will erase all the data in the drive. You can never recover lost data while formatting your hard drive.
Therefore, ensuring you do not have essential files in the drive before you format is vital. You will not need to reformat your PS4 hard drive to use it on a PS5 console.
If you are using a USB drive on a PS5 for the first time, you could follow the procedure below to format your hard drive:
- Step1: Locate the USB port on the back of your PS5 console and connect your USB hard drive
- Step2: Head to settings
- Step3: Select Storage
- Step4: Select USB extended storage
- Step5: Select format as USB extended storage (If you have connected multiple USB drives, you could change the USB drive that you format by selecting another USB drive option)
Ensure you do not turn off the power/disconnected the USB hard drive while the PS5 formats it. Doing so might lead to data loss, corruption, or damage to your USB hard drive/PS5 console.
It is essential to format your USB hard drive as it will optimize its performance and speed, thus enhancing your gaming experience, especially when playing PS4 games on your PS5 directly from your USB hard drive.
Failure to format might cause file system errors, denying your PS5 a chance to access files on your hard drive. Formatting will assign the USB drive a file system that the PS5 can easily access.
Conclusion
Those wondering whether their PS4 external hard drive work on PS5 should no longer worry as the Play Station gaming experience just got better.
The best thing is that PS5 has a plug-and-play feature where one can play PS4 games on a PS5 directly from an external hard drive.
A USB hard drive must have a minimum speed of 5Gbps or later and storage between 250 GB to 8TB to work on a PS5. It is important to format the drive before installing games in it.
