There is one GTA 6 question I would want answered before November: will it even fit on my PS5? Nobody outside Rockstar can answer that with a number yet, because the install size has not been announced. But there is one line in Rockstar's pre-order announcement that made me stop putting this off. The physical edition of Grand Theft Auto VI comes with a download code in the box. Disc or digital, the whole game is going onto your SSD.
The game launches on 19 November 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and digital pre-orders can start pre-loading on 12 November. If your console storage is already full of last year's games, that pre-load window is the deadline that actually matters, not launch day.
What Sony Actually Requires
The PS5 expansion slot is less forgiving than a desktop motherboard, and it is worth reading Sony's rules before buying anything. The drive has to be a PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD, between 250GB and 8TB. Sony suggests sequential reads of 5,500MB/s or more. It also requires a cooling structure, which in practice means a heatsink, and the whole assembly has to fit inside the slot: no more than 25mm wide and 11.25mm thick in total.
That last number is the one people miss. A drive can be fast, PCIe 4.0, and sold with a heatsink, and still not let the slot cover close.
The Drives I Would Shortlist
Every drive below is PCIe 4.0 x4 and M.2 2280, and every one either ships with a heatsink or gives you a PS5-friendly heatsink option. I have listed the heights from the Newegg spec sheets where they are published, because that is where mistakes happen.
| Drive | Capacity | Max read | Height with heatsink |
|---|---|---|---|
| WD_BLACK SN850X | 2TB | 7,300MB/s | 8.80mm |
| WD_BLACK SN850X | 8TB | 7,200MB/s | 10.31mm |
| Seagate FireCuda 530R | 2TB | 7,400MB/s | 11.10mm |
| Samsung 990 PRO | 1TB | 7,450MB/s | 8.10mm |
| SanDisk Optimus GX PRO 850P | 2TB | 7,300MB/s | 9.89mm |
The safe default: WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB
If someone asked me to pick one drive without asking any follow-up questions, it would be the WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB with heatsink. It reads at up to 7,300MB/s, sits at 8.80mm tall with its heatsink, and is rated for 1,200TB written. Two terabytes is the size I think most people should buy right now: enough for GTA 6 and a handful of other big games, without paying for space you will not fill for years.
The SN850X 8TB is the same family at the maximum capacity the PS5 accepts. Read speed drops slightly to 7,200MB/s on the spec sheet, and it is thicker at 10.31mm, but still inside Sony's limit. It only makes sense if you never want to delete anything again.
The licensed option: SanDisk Optimus GX PRO 850P
The SanDisk Optimus GX PRO 850P 2TB is the one drive here sold as officially licensed for PS5. Its listed numbers, 7,300MB/s reads and 1,200TB written, match the SN850X 2TB, so I would not expect a performance difference. What you are buying is the licensing and the peace of mind that comes with it.
Closer to the limit: Seagate FireCuda 530R
The FireCuda 530R 2TB with heatsink is the fastest 2TB drive here on paper, at 7,400MB/s reads. It is also 11.10mm tall. That is under the 11.25mm limit, but there is not much room to spare, so seat it carefully.
Good 1TB choices
For a smaller top-up, the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB with heatsink is the quickest drive in this list at 7,450MB/s and also the slimmest drive in my table at 8.10mm. The Crucial P310 1TB with heatsink is the more modest pick at 7,100MB/s, which still clears Sony's suggested minimum comfortably.
Two that need a little care
The Kingston FURY Renegade 2TB with heat sink is sold as PS5 ready with 7,300MB/s reads. Kingston's listing does not publish a height, which is why it is not in my table, so I would treat it as a solid drive rather than the one to buy if fit is your main worry.
The T-FORCE CARDEA A440 2TB is my favourite example of why the height rule matters. It ships with two heat sinks. With the aluminium one fitted it measures 12.90mm, which is over the PS5 limit. With the graphene one it measures 3.70mm. For a PS5, use the graphene sink.
How I Would Decide
Most people: SN850X 2TB. If you would rather pay for an officially licensed PS5 drive: SanDisk 850P. If you want the quickest 2TB drive and do not mind a tight fit: FireCuda 530R. Smaller budget: Samsung 990 PRO 1TB or Crucial P310 1TB.
Update your PS5 system software before you open the console, install the drive, and let the console format it. Then move a few older games across before 12 November, so the pre-load has somewhere to go. The wider range is in Newegg's PS5 SSD listings.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is GTA 6 on PS5? Rockstar has not announced an install size. The numbers you see online are estimates. What is confirmed is that the physical edition includes a download code, so the full game is installed to storage either way.
Does a PS5 SSD need a heatsink? Sony requires a cooling structure such as a heatsink, and the drive plus cooler must stay within 25mm wide and 11.25mm thick. A drive that already has a heatsink should not get a second one.
Is a PCIe 5.0 SSD faster in a PS5? The PS5 slot is PCIe Gen4, so a Gen5 drive will not run at its Gen5 speed there. A good Gen4 drive above 5,500MB/s is the sensible choice.
What size SSD should I get for GTA 6? I would buy 2TB. It leaves room for GTA 6 alongside your other large games without paying for an 8TB drive.
When can I pre-load GTA 6? Digital pre-orders can start pre-loading on 12 November 2026, a week before the 19 November launch, according to Rockstar.
Read More
- PlayStation: How to Add M.2 SSD Storage to PS5 -- Sony's official size, speed and cooling requirements for the PS5 expansion slot.
- Rockstar Games: Grand Theft Auto VI Pre-Orders Announcement -- Confirms the 19 November launch, 12 November pre-load and the download code in physical copies.
- Tom's Hardware: The Best PS5 SSDs -- Tested picks for PS5 storage expansion with performance notes.
- WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD -- Western Digital's official specs for the SN850X, including heatsink models.
- Newegg: PS5 SSD Listings -- Compare PS5-compatible M.2 SSDs by capacity, speed and heatsink.