1. The list in brief
2. Best overall
3. Best budget
4. Best value for Xbox Series X
5. Best external SSD
6. Best value HDD
7. Best for back compat
8. FAQs
When it comes to the best Xbox Series X hard drives and SSDs in 2023, there’s admittedly not a ton to choose from. In fact, there are only a couple that can natively run games designed for the console, whether they be exclusive to Xbox Series X|S or upgraded from the previous generation via an enhancement patch. The upside of that is it's relatively easy to shop for the best.
Those few drives that do support the best Xbox Series X games are well worth your hard-earned cash. If only because they greatly expand the console’s approximate 800GB of workable storage. Yes, the box might claim 1TB from the get-go, but that’s not including the space required for the Xbox Series X’s operating system. It’s a similar story on the Xbox Series S, too, which only features roughly 364GB of operational storage despite the 512GB claim.
Besides our top two choices, you’ll still be able to store your Xbox Series X|S games on all of our other options. The difference is that you won’t be able to run the games from them.
However, previous-gen Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles can be run from these drives with a slight bump in load times, though. Read on, then, to learn more about the best Xbox Series X hard drives and SSDs to help boost storage and performance for your console.
The quick list
The best overall Xbox Series X SSD
With fast speeds and larger storage options, Seagate's card is still king of the hill. It's on the pricier side, but remains one of the most worthwhile investments for your console.
The best budget Xbox Series X hard drive
If you're budget-conscious, the Toshiba Canvio Basics hard drive provides big storage upgrades for less.
The best value SSD for Xbox Series X
While only maxing out at 1TB, the WD Black C50 provides excellent value if you're only after a modest storage boost.
The best external SSD for Xbox Series X
The WD Black P40 is an impressively fast external drive perfect for storing and running previous-gen titles.
The best value hard drive for Xbox Series X
With up to 5TB of storage and an affordable price tag, Seagate's HDD is among the best you can buy.
The best Xbox Series X card for backwards compatibility
Sturdily designed and extremely reliable, Samsung's portable SSD is a great match for your backwards compatible titles.
The best overall Xbox Series X SSD
✅ You want a hassle-free storage option: This expansion card plugs right into the back of your console and, after a quick formatting, is ready to go in no time at all.
❌ You’re after something cheaper: There’s no denying that the Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card is a pretty huge investment, potentially turning off buyers on a budget.
The Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card is the first product that arises in conversations about the best Xbox Series X SSDs. Launching the same year as the console itself, it enjoyed a reputation as the be-all-end-all of storage expansion for Microsoft’s current-gen machine. That may not be as true now as it was before 2023, but it’s still a superb choice for gamers looking to greatly increase storage capacity.
The bad news is that the Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card doesn’t come cheap. The cheapest is the 512GB model, coming in at $139.99 / £159.99. Meanwhile, 1TB and 2TB variants will run you $219.99 / £254.99 and $399.99 / £474.99. However, being a few years old now, the card does regularly see discounts at online retailers like Amazon, so it’s always worth keeping an eye out.
If you do decide to invest, you will be getting a speedy drive that’s a touch slower than the one installed in the console out of the box. It’s nonetheless still a fantastic option for extra storage, especially for all the Series X|S enhanced titles that regularly land on the Xbox Game Pass subscription service.
- Read more: Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card review
The best budget Xbox Series X hard drive
✅ You’re on a tight budget: The Toshiba Canvio Basics Hard Drive is incredibly friendly on the wallet.
❌ You want a faster HDD: Budget comes at a price of this hard drive not performing quite as swiftly as its peers.
If you’re after a cheap, no-frills hard drive expansion for your Xbox Series X|S console, it’s hard to go wrong with the Toshiba Canvio Basics hard drive, which punches slightly above its weight thanks to its reliability and affordable price tag.
There’s three sizes of the hard drive available to purchase, and you can expect to spend less than $100 / £100 for all three. First up is the 1TB variant which comes in at just $49.99 / £49.99. The 2TB model pushes up to $61.99 / £65.99. Finally, the 4TB model will cost $95.99 / £96.99 outside of a sale.
It’s not much of a looker, but as a storage device it doesn’t really need to be. Being so aggressively budget, it also performs a little slower than other models on our list. But it’s hard to find a better value HDD out there that supports Xbox consoles that are so affordably priced.
The best value SSD for Xbox Series X
✅ You’re on a budget: The WD Black C50 is much more affordable than its Seagate rival.
❌ You want more space: Capping at a 1TB model, you won’t have drastically more storage space to work with.
While second on our list, there’s still an argument to be made that the WD Black C50 Xbox expansion card is as good – if not better – than Seagate’s excellent offering. The C50 comes with its own advantages and drawbacks when stacked up against the Seagate card, but it’s still a fantastic option worth considering for buyers with smaller budgets.
The WD Black C50 comes in two variants: a 512GB model for $79.99 / £89.99 and a larger 1TB version which’ll run you $149.99 / £149.99. Overall, the 1TB model we found to be better value overall, and we’d recommend purchasing it over the smaller offering if your budget allows for it.
Unfortunately, there’s as of yet no 2TB model, or larger, for the WD Black C50. If you’re looking for monumental storage, then, you’ll be better served with the Seagate Xbox Expansion Card.
- Read more: WD Black C50 review
The best external SSD for Xbox Series X
✅ You want a drive that’ll go the distance: Thanks to its rugged build quality, the P40 should stand the test of time for years to come.
❌ You’re on a budget: You might want to look elsewhere if you were hoping to spend less overall on an external SSD.
Now we’re getting into the best of the rest; namely, the drives that can still store Xbox Series X|S games, but won’t be able to run them from the drive itself. That’s certainly the case with the WD BLack P40, but should still be considered by those who still own previous-gen games, or have them downloaded to Microsoft’s current-gen console.
Price-wise, it’s not the cheapest in our list, but is fairly competitive when it comes to the largest model size. The P40 can be picked up for $119.99 / £109.99 for the 500GB model. Alternatively, it’s $179.99 / £149.99 for 1TB and $329.99 / £232 for the largest 2TB variant. You’re paying less here than for Seagate’s 2TB expansion card model, albeit at the cost of not being able to run Xbox Series X|S games natively.
Overall, it’s one of the more stylish hard drives on our list. We love the rugged, tough design that helps fight long-term wear and tear. Additionally, a line of RGB lighting here is quite pleasant, and glows nicely when placed on the surface of your console.
The best value hard drive for Xbox Series X
✅ You want a hard drive that’s both style and substance: 5TB of space rings even better with this stylish designed HDD.
❌ You want to store and run Xbox Series X|S games natively: The drawback here, and with other HDDs, is their incapability of running current-gen games natively.
The Seagate FireCuda Gaming Drive is utterly fantastic value for money if your aim is to store as many games as possible without needing to delete them. Once again, it’s unable to run Xbox Series X|S games natively, but for last-gen and backwards compatible titles it comes highly recommended by us.
You can pick one up for yourself from Seagate’s official website for just $79.99 / £89.99 for the 1TB model. Upgrading to 2TB will cost you $109.99 / £119.99. However, the star of the show is the huge 5TB variant, which doesn’t cost too much more at just $179.99 / £209.99. This, in our opinion, is the model to go for for sheer bang-for-your-buck value.
It’s a lovely looking drive, too. While a bit on the bulkier side compared to other entries in our list, you’re also getting slick RGB lighting much like the WD Black P40. If you don’t mind its relatively large physical size, you’ll be hard pressed to find a hard drive that’s better value than this for your Xbox games.
Best Xbox Series X hard drive for backwards compatibility
✅ You want an SSD on the cheap: The Samsung T7 Portable SSD won’t break the bank, and still offer surprisingly good speeds for its price.
❌ You’re after more space: As it can’t run Xbox Series X|S games natively, you may want to opt for a HDD for more storage space overall.
If you download and play a lot of backwards compatible titles on Xbox Series X|S, be that from the Xbox One, Xbox 360 or original Xbox generation, the Samsung T7 Portable SSD is well-positioned to play these legacy titles. You’ll be paying more here than for a HDD, but the faster speeds make it a worthy option nonetheless.
The Samsung T7 Portable SSD comes in three sizes. The base 500GB model will run you $69.99 / £62 at Samsung’s official website. Alternatively, the 1TB and 2TB models can be bought for $89.99 / £80 and $159.99 / £131 respectively.
Being a portable SSD, security and durability are paramount. Thankfully, the Samsung T7 nails both, with a sturdy, resistant shell and additional features like password protection able to protect your files in both a physical and digital sense.
The best Xbox Series X hard drive 2023 - FAQs
Does it matter what hard drive you buy for Xbox?
In short, if you want a device that can natively run Xbox Series X|S titles, rather than just store them, you’ll want to check out either the Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card or the WD Black C50 card. At present, these are the only two cards on the market that have the capability to do so. All other SSDs and external hard drives can store Series X|S games, but can’t run them.
Is an SSD or HDD better for Xbox?
SSDs are typically much faster than HDDs, but that can mean they’ll typically be more expensive. SSDs typically also have smaller storage capacities overall, unless you choose to pay a princely sum for a larger capacity model. HDDs are much more space friendly, with some models offering up to 5TB or 8TB worth of space. They’re often cheaper, too, but perform slower on average than SSDs.
Shopping for PS5 products instead? Our guide to the best PS5 accessories will help to kit out your console and overall gaming setup. For storage, consider checking out our best SSD for PS5 guide.