So if you have Xbox Game Pass, you can have loads of games ready. Instead, we'd recommend using these other drives as storage for unused games to save you the hassle of re-downloading them all the time - or if you're not bothered about the optimization or enhancements and have games you just play super casually. Any of the other Xbox Series X hard drives listed on this page, even external SSDs rather than HDDs, won't give you these new-gen enhancements.
So if you have a game specifically made for the new console, or you have a last-gen game that's had a patch for a Series X version to take advantage of the new hardware (aka 'optimized for Series X/S'), you must run the game off the internal SSD, or the official Seagate Storage Expansion Card (more on the card later).
The bespoke internal NVMe SSDs inside the consoles are specially made and are capable of loading at incredible speeds and essentially help power Series X games. So yes, let's get an upgrade so you can fit more than Call of Duty: Warzone and a few more of today's average-sized triple-A games on your new machine. As for the cheaper Series S console, the listed 512GB works out at a rather horrifying 364GB of usable space. The Xbox Series X doesn't come with much storage as the 1TB listed on the box actually translates into about 802GB of usual storage. We'll guide you through which one best suits your needs and we'll show you the cheapest prices for them too. There are plenty of other storage options to choose from too, like a faster (but more expensive) external SSD, or you can go for the ultimate deluxe experience with an Xbox Series X storage expansion card.
Picking up an Xbox Series X hard drive is one of the first items we'd recommend if you've recently bought one of the super-powerful next-gen gaming systems - especially if you have Xbox Game Pass too.