While the Xbox Series S has been quite popular with gamers for its powerful operating system and fast restart times, the storage space hasn’t received much praise. The storage capacity on the console is said to be 512 GB. But how much of this is really usable, and what can you do to expand your console’s storage?
The Xbox Series S only has 364 GB of usable storage since the system files take up close to 30% of the total storage capacity. You can increase the storage on your Xbox with an Xbox Expansion Storage Card or an external USB drive.
Although the limited storage space has left some users feeling quite frustrated, there are solutions to help you the space you need. Let’s take a look at how much space is really available and how to add more.
How Much Storage Is Actually on the Xbox Series S?
While the Xbox Series S (on Amazon) has been advertised as offering 512 GB of storage space, that fact can be a bit misleading. The console does have an overall 512 GB of storage but the reality is that you’ll only be able to use 364 GB of that space.
Some of the new Xbox features, such as the ability to store large game state data capture files and the auto-restart function, have resulted in the system storage taking up more space than it did for the previous Xbox models.
So, if you’re considering getting the Xbox Series S, keep in mind that up to 29% of the storage will be unusable. That said, many of the Xbox Series S games will be smaller than the Series X ones since the Series S doesn’t support 4K gaming.
Why Does Your Xbox Series S Only Have 364 GB?
The Xbox Series S only has 364 GB of usable storage space because of the large amount of space that the system files take up. The Xbox Series S is also significantly smaller than the Series X, which contributes to the limited storage capacity.
Some additional functions are directly responsible for a large chunk of the system storage space used on the Xbox console. The Quick Resume feature and game data capture are new features of the Series S that take up the most storage.
But don’t let the storage space discourage you. Let’s look at some options for increasing usable storage capacity on your Xbox Series S.
How Do You Get More Storage on Xbox Series S?
The Xbox Series S comes with two options for expanding storage. These include using the Seagate Expansion Card or using an external USB drive.
Xbox Seagate Expansion Storage Card
The Seagate Expansion Card (on Amazon) is an extension of the internal SSD storage and comes with a capacity of 512 GB, helping you more than double your available storage. It allows you to store games on an SSD system, and you can play games directly from the card.
USB External Storage
External USB drives give you ample space to store games that you don’t play frequently but still want to keep downloaded.
You can plug in an external USB drive with a storage capacity of up to 1TB, but you can’t play Xbox Series X/S games from the USB.
Nonetheless, it’s still helpful for storing game data, pictures, videos, and games that you can’t store directly on the console.