Why I Still Use HDDs Instead of SSDs to Store My Games in 2025
When it comes to gaming in 2025, SSDs are ubiquitous—lightning-fast, extremely efficient, and ideal for speedily spooling games.
And yet, even with a high-speed NVMe SSD in my system, I still store most of my game collection on my trusty old HDD.
Why? Oh, it's not all about speed. Storage capacity, game size, and usability all come into play.
Since I am a gamer who enjoys playing various titles but doesn't play them simultaneously, an HDD continues to make a lot of sense.
In this entry, I will discuss the reasons why I haven't abandoned my hard drive yet—and possibly why you don't have to either.
3. SSDs Are Better Reserved for OS and Critical Apps
Over time, I've figured out that the optimal way to utilize an SSD is to leave it for the operating system and critical programs that must load and run quickly—such as video editing apps or the latest games I'm currently playing.
SSDs are very fast, sure, but also costlier per GB than HDDs. That's the reason why I keep my SSD dedicated to speed-critical applications.
Booting Windows, opening my browser, or loading a game I'm in at the moment—all of that is lightning-fast since it's launched from the SSD.
For anything else, particularly games that I'm not in at the moment, I employ my HDD. It allows me to have performance and storage space without having to obsess about running out of space on my SSD.
2. Massive Storage Needs at a Lower Cost
One of the greatest reasons I continue to use an HDD is plain and simple: storage capacity. Games these days are enormous—some have over 100GB of space each!
If I put all my games on an SSD, I'd be out of space after a month, or I'd have to pay a pretty penny for a larger SSD.
Hard drives, however, provide copious amounts of space at a fraction of the price. I have a 4TB HDD with dozens of games, backup files, videos, and such, and it didn't break the bank.
For me, who prefers having a big game library but doesn't want every game at the ready to play at any second, an HDD remains a reasonable and affordable option.
1. Game Load Times Aren’t Always Critical
Let's be real—quick loading is wonderful, but it's not always a huge priority. If a game loads 20 or 30 seconds longer from my HDD, it doesn't spoil the experience for me.
I'm not always in a hurry, especially when I'm playing casually or replaying older games. For competitive or action-packed games, okay, I much rather play them on my SSD.
But when it comes to story games, strategy games, or those that I don't frequently play, loading them up from an HDD is perfectly acceptable.
After the game has started, performance is largely based on the CPU and GPU rather than the storage drive.
That's why I'm perfectly happy using my HDD for most of my library—it does the trick.
Using Both SSD and HDD Still Makes Sense in 2025
Having both an SSD and an HDD is still a good idea today. I have the best of both worlds—speed where it counts and storage where I need it.
My SSD takes care of the operating system and games that are currently running, keeping things fast and snappy.
Meanwhile, my HDD holds the remainder of my games, backups, and big files without running out of space.
It's a well-balanced configuration that is cost-effective and perfect for the way I play and use my PC on a daily basis.
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