Hey everyone! I'm running low on storage and I'm curious if I can play smaller games like Undertale or Terraria from a flash drive. I came across a post saying flash drives can overheat and fail, and I'm wondering if that risk applies to these smaller titles since I won't be playing heavy games like RDR2 or The Witcher. Here's some info on my flash drive: it's a Kingston DataTraveler 3.0 with USB 2.10 protocol, high speed, and a maximum current of 100mA. Would really appreciate your thoughts on this! And pardon my English, it's not my first language.
4 Answers
Playing games off a flash drive can work, but be prepared for some lag. The speed issues come from how flash drives access files. Also, there's a real risk of the drive overheating, which can lead to data loss. If you can, invest in an external SSD for better performance—it's worth it.
I really wouldn’t recommend booting from a flash drive. They’re not built for the intense read/writing that gaming requires. Consider using something like a USB SSD instead; the performance difference is huge!
Technically, yes, you can install games on a USB flash drive, but it’s not the best idea. Flash drives can overheat from constant read/write operations, especially when playing games. Plus, you might experience lag due to the slower access times. If you have a way to use an external SSD, that would definitely give you better performance and less risk of overheating.
I tried playing games off an external NAS, and it worked surprisingly well, but loading times were definitely slow. If you're gonna use a flash drive, I'd suggest keeping it to smaller games, but an SSD is really the way to go.
Yes, you can, but it might not be the best experience. The performance will really depend on your flash drive's specs, and there’s a decent chance it could overheat. Using a good external SSD would definitely be a better choice if you’re serious about gaming.
Exactly, I had No Man's Sky installed on an external drive once. It was okay for a bit, but then it overheated and disconnected. I learned the hard way that it's not ideal for larger games.