Is 256GB SSD good for gaming?

by Paul | Last Updated: July 5, 2022

A solid state drive can only do so much for your gaming experience, if your intention is to speed up your frame rate, the SSD isn’t a fix for issues like that, your SSD comes in handy when you want your game to load faster, and choosing an SSD with enough storage capacity will help you do just that.

Is 256GB SSD good for gaming?

256GB is good enough for gaming, but on another hand, it depends on the game you want to install on the 256GB SSD, it also depends on the number of games and the size of the games as well. There are a lot of games that don’t have huge sizes that can suit a 256GB SSD perfectly, but there are also some games that could take up a lot of space, and in cases like that, you’d much rather have more than enough space instead of having manageable space.

In most cases, it is better to get a 500GB SSD to be on the safe side, this is recommended in cases where you have quite a number of games with high ranged sizes, this will give them enough room to be saved on.

The 256GB is sufficient for gaming, there are a lot of games you could use that SSD for, but if you’re an avid gamer with a high taste bud for intensive games, then you might want to go wild on a larger SSD, most gamers would rather choose from a 500GB upwards.

There are a lot of factors to look at when it comes to your gaming, if you have 256GB that is enough for your gaming, then it is okay to stick with it, especially if it is aligning with your budgetary constrictions. The price of SSDs is slightly more than that of HDD, so getting an SSD might not be as smooth as you think.

A 256GB SSD is good enough, especially if you have a traditional hard drive as a backup of some sort, that way, you can prioritize the space you have adequately. You can save up some of your games on the 256GB SSD, and have your other files on the HDD, leaving your games with more than enough space to breathe.

There are so many reasons why a 256GB could be good for gaming and there are also many reasons why it might not be good enough for your gaming, either way, it all depends on the gamer and the type of games you intend to play.

Reasons Why The 256GB Is Good For gaming

If you’re just a casual gamer who doesn’t require a lot from your SSD, then 256GB will be just the right amount you need, your gaming experience wouldn’t be affected because the number of games you have won’t be that much.  At the very most, you’d have one game that isn’t up to 128GB, and that means the 256GB could work.

Using the 256GB isn’t so expensive, you could upgrade to this SSD size for a reasonable amount of money, so your budget doesn’t have to be put to the test in any way at all, all you need is the right SSD that can allow you have the best gaming experience without breaking your bank,  and the 256GB will give you just that.

The importance of an SSD usually revolves around giving your game faster loading time, so if you have a game that is 200MB, you’ll find that the 256GB is more than enough for you and your gaming experience.

Reasons Why The 256GB Isn’t Good Enough

There are so many things you will have to consider if you choose to go for the 256GB for your gaming, first of all,  are you using your SSD for just gaming?  If you are, you would also have to consider what kinds of games you would be playing.

The size of the games matter a lot, if you’re playing games that go beyond 70GB, you need to be ready for when the drive will fill up fast, if the number of games you’re playing are a lot, you will have to consider deleting your games to free up space for new games, this is why it is better to go for a 500GB option instead.

If you’re a gamer that plays state of the art games consistently, then a 256GB SSD might not be a good choice for you, most games that are high end could take up all of that space, for instance, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will require you at least 230GB, that is all of the 256GB gone, so in a case like that, you need to go for 512GB and even 1TB if possible.

The main thing to consider here is the size of games you will be playing, and also the number. If you know the games you’re interested in are very high in size and probably multiple in number, then you should aim for more than 256GB,  anything less would only reduce your game flow.

Another aspect to think about is the operating system, most of the time, you could run your OS on an SSD, and that could take up some of your space, and that could mean less space for your games as well.

How Much SSD Is Ideal For Gaming?

Getting a 256GB SSD is enough if your games aren’t too many, you could have about thirty games, as long as they all have accurate sizes that could fit into the 256GB. In cases where your games aren’t extravagant or too many,  the 256GB will be ideal and enough for you.

There are cases where you would require space for big games, most AAA games require 50 to 80GB of storage space, and in cases like that, the 256GB isn’t ideal, so you would have to aim for the 512GB to 1TB.

When you have 256GB SSD for general purposes, it is more than enough, if you also have the 256GB for a few games that aren’t so big in size, then you could comfortably use your SSD. However, if you want to play games like FIFA 19 and Witcher 3, you may want to aim higher.