PlayStation 5 games can be stored on external hard drives now thanks to Sony’s new April update

The company also assured its users that copying it locally from an external drive would be faster and more convenient that copying it from the internet or from an external disc.

In a crucial development for the PlayStation users, Sony has made public its April update for the PlayStation 5 which includes addition of several vital features to the next generation console and the much awaited ability to store (but not play) PS5 games on an external storage device. The lack of space has been a constant hindrance for the PlayStation game lovers as even a few PS5 games can fill up the entire space of the device leaving users wishing if they had more space. The PS5 provides about 825GB of storage which after accounting for the operating system and other essential files leaves only 667GB space for games.

Sony allows users to stash backward-compatible PS4 titles on the external drives. However, the same feature wasn’t available for the PS5 games. The company has explained the rationale behind not extending the feature to the PS5 games as well by saying that PS5 games are designed in such a way that they run at their optimal speed only if they can take the advantage of the console’s ultra high speed SSD. Hence the users would still need to copy the games from the external drive to the console’s main SSD before being able to play the games. The company also assured its users that copying it locally from an external drive would be faster and more convenient that copying it from the internet or from an external disc.

Hence PlayStation 5 games enthusiasts will now have to settle with storing the PS5 additional games in an external storage and copy them to the console SSD as and when they want to play them. In the long run, the company might have plans to enable its users to directly play from the external hard disc. According to a Bloomberg report, the company might announce the good news this summer.

Among other features that have been added in the April update are options to quickly disable in-game chat on a system level which actually was a recurring issue with the Destruction: AllStars. Users have also been provided an option to manage the overtly loud or silent players individually.