We’re only a few months away from the November launch of Grand Theft Auto 6, and following the recent preview of the game on Netflix, fans have even more questions about Rockstar’s highly anticipated game–namely, just how big is the download going to be? We already know that you can preload the game a week before launch, but is that because you’ll need multiple days to download all the files?
GTA 6 fans are currently speculating just how big the install is going to be, with the majority of people taking part in a ResetEra poll guessing that it’ll clock in between 100GB to 250GB. That’s a fairly generous margin–and highly likely–given the history of Rockstar’s previous games and the current state of game-install sizes. Considering that GTA 6 is a download-only game–physical copies are just a code in a box–you’re going to want to make some space available on your PS5 or Xbox Series X|S.
For example, Red Dead Redemption 2 requires approximately 105GB to 150GB, depending on your platform, and was released in 2018. Video games have only gotten bigger and even more detailed since then, leveraging the power of modern hardware to create detailed worlds. High-resolution graphic textures and detailed character models only add to the install-size bloat, with some games even offering options to reduce that digital footprint by selectively installing parts of the experience.
Call of Duty was a prime example, as the game typically offers an option to install it piecemeal. Modern Call of Duty games used to be up to 150GB in size, and once you started slotting in extra content like the Call of Duty HQ unified launcher, shared texture packs for older titles, Call of Duty: Warzone, and carry-forward content, the install size neared 300GB. Fortunately, things started to change with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, as the developers made big changes to the installation process.
Other game developers have also made an effort to better optimize their titles, as Marvel Rivals is now considerably smaller on PC and consoles, so there’s hope that Rockstar Games has used some technical wizardry to make the download more manageable–after all, with the rising price of memory, not everyone has the budget to give their console a quick SSD upgrade just for a single game.