Does buying a PS5 disc drive save storage space compared to the digital edition?

The short answer is no, the PS5‘s disc drive does not save storage space. This article will do a deep dive into the storage capabilities of the PS5 models and explain why discs don‘t actually save space despite what some may think.

Internal storage is identical on both models

A common misconception is that the PS5 with a disc drive must have more storage than the Digital Edition without a drive. In reality, both PS5 models contain the exact same 825GB of super fast SSD internal storage.

When the consoles were announced, Sony confirmed that whether you go disc or digital you get the same SSD specs and performance. The type of game you buy does not affect the storage space it takes up.

So out of the box, both consoles provide identical storage for games and applications. Don‘t assume the disc edition gives you more – it doesn‘t.

Install sizes are the same disc or digital

Now that we‘ve established the internal storage is equal, what about the games themselves? Do disc-based games take up less space than downloaded games when installed on PS5?

The answer again is no. Once a PS5 game is installed from a disc or downloaded digitally, it requires the exact same amount of storage space.

For example, installing Spider-Man: Miles Morales from disc does not give it a smaller install size than downloading it from the PlayStation Store. Both versions take up about 50GB when installed on the PS5 SSD.

This makes sense when you consider that both disc and digital games must be fully installed to the console‘s storage in order to play. The physical disc itself does not store the game data.

As you can see, whether it‘s disc or digital the install size on PS5 is identical. So discs provide no advantage in storage savings.

Reasons to choose disc or digital

With storage space being equal, what are the reasons to go for one version or the other?

Benefits of the disc drive PS5:

• Resell or lend disc games after finishing
• Find used discs for cheap
• Play 4K Blu-ray movies
• Collectible appeal of physical games

Benefits of the Digital Edition:

• Convenience of downloads without discs
• No need to swap discs when switching games
• Often digital games go on sale

Storage capacity doesn‘t come into play. But there are certainly other factors that can help decide between disc and digital.

Adding more storage to PS5

While the 825GB SSD in PS5 provides plenty of space, modern games are massive so you‘ll eventually want to expand. There are a few good options to add storage:

• External USB hard drive – You can store and play PS4 games from external USB HDDs or SSDs. This won‘t work for PS5 games though.

• M.2 NVMe SSD expansion slot – This internal M.2 slot allows you to install a compatible ultra fast SSD. This will store PS4 and PS5 games.

• 1TB vs 2TB SSD upgrades – For the expansion slot, 1TB and 2TB sizes are recommended. 1TB will store about 15-20 PS5 games as they average 35-50GB. 2TB doubles your capacity for 35+ games.

Adding a 1-2TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD is the best way to expand storage for more PS5 games. I recommend the 2TB Samsung 980 Pro which provides substantial extra capacity.

The bottom line

While the PS5 disc drive lets you play physical media, it does not actually save any storage space compared to the Digital Edition. Both models contain the same 825GB SSD. Game install sizes are also identical whether from disc or download.

The only way to get more PS5 storage is adding an M.2 SSD in the expansion slot. So when weighing up disc vs digital, think about used games, Blu-rays and convenience – not storage space. Pick the PS5 model that aligns with your needs as a gamer.