Buying Guide
Best Storage for Xbox Series X/S
Xbox Series X/S uses USB 3.2 external SSDs to store and play backward-compatible Xbox One, Xbox 360, and original Xbox games. For native Xbox Series X/S games, use the proprietary expansion card slot. These portable SSDs give you fast, reliable storage for your extended game library.
Top picks — ranked by value score
| # | Product | Capacity | Read | Write | TBW | Warranty | Score | $/TB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  SanDisk Extreme 1TBBest value SanDisk | 1TB | 1.1 GB/s | 1.0 GB/s | — | 5 years | 71.6 | $48.99/TB | $48.99 | $48.99 |
| 2 | 2TB | 1.1 GB/s | 1.0 GB/s | — | 5 years | 54 | $150.00/TB | $299.99 | $299.99 | |
| 3 | 1TB | 1.1 GB/s | 1.0 GB/s | — | 5 years | 47.4 | $187.90/TB | $187.90 | $187.90 | |
| 4 |  Samsung | 2TB | 2.0 GB/s | 1.9 GB/s | — | 3 years | 46.2 | $240.00/TB | $479.99 | $479.99 |
| 5 | Samsung | 1TB | 2.0 GB/s | 1.9 GB/s | — | 3 years | 44.5 | $249.99/TB | $249.99 | $249.99 |
| 6 | 1TB | 1.1 GB/s | 1.0 GB/s | — | 3 years | 36.1 | $229.99/TB | $229.99 | $229.99 | |
| 7 |  Samsung | 1TB | 1.1 GB/s | 1.0 GB/s | — | 3 years | 35.2 | $234.99/TB | $234.99 | $234.99 |
Prices updated daily from Amazon. Value Score combines price/TB, speed, endurance, and warranty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play Xbox Series X games from an external SSD?
You can store Xbox Series X/S games on an external SSD, but you need to transfer them back to the internal drive (or Seagate expansion card) to play them. Backward-compatible Xbox One, 360, and original Xbox games can be played directly from a USB external SSD.
What speed does an Xbox external SSD need?
Xbox Series X/S supports USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) and Gen 2 (10Gbps). A USB 3.2 Gen 2 SSD achieving 900–1000 MB/s is ideal. Even USB 3.1 drives are significantly faster than the HDD they replace for storing backward-compatible games.