At this point, perhaps the most satisfying aspect of playing Grand Theft Auto 6 will be the fact that people have finally managed to get their hands on the game after 13 years of waiting. However, it is a fact that the best modern AAA releases have become increasingly demanding in terms of storage space, so unfortunately, playing the newest Grand Theft Auto game might come with one more surprising challenge. For those players who have already filled their consoles with other games, making room for another massive release might be harder than it sounds.
Unfortunately, Grand Theft Auto 6 is shaping up to be quite a good example of a situation like this because the game requires 212 GB of free storage space, with pre-loading beginning on November 10, 2026. In any case, this is a substantial amount of space no matter which console we’re talking about, but those who own the original PS5 will have an even harder time than others.
GTA 6 Is a Storage Nightmare for Original PS5 Owners
The original PS5 has an 825 GB SSD, which sounds reasonable, but it’s important to mention that not all this storage space is actually available for players to use as they please because a chunk of it is reserved for the system software. In other words, the amount of space available to install games is smaller than the advertised figure, and Grand Theft Auto 6‘s 212 GB requirement will take up more than a quarter of the console’s advertised capacity. This is exactly the reason why owners of the original PS5 are in a much more difficult position than owners of consoles with larger storage capacities, and playing the game could require sacrificing a few other titles.
Guess the games from the emojis.
This is quite sad and inconvenient for most people, especially for those who like switching between different games. Thankfully, deleting a purchased game doesn’t mean that players will not be able to download it again whenever they want, but most people would agree that this could be quite annoying. Perhaps people will be happy to hear that there is a way to expand the storage capacity of the PS5, as Sony supports compatible M.2 SSD drives, which are perfect for storing and launching PS5 games directly. It is quite a straightforward process, so anyone who wants to keep Grand Theft Auto 6 installed without having to worry about the other titles in their library can take advantage of that option.
This situation is an example of how the limitations of an older console are not necessarily restricted only to graphics and performance.
However, it is important to mention that there is a slight catch because expanding the storage requires purchasing additional hardware. Yes, players could use external USB storage devices, but PS5 games cannot be launched directly from them. In any case, many people believe that spending additional money just to accommodate a new game is definitely not ideal, but considering the size of the map in Grand Theft Auto alone, this limitation actually makes a lot of sense.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of Grand Theft Auto 6‘s massive storage requirements is that the more advanced the gaming industry becomes, the more storage capacity consoles will need. And if players need to purchase more storage every time a new title is released, then we will be looking at a considerable amount of money in the long run. As far as owners of the original PS5 are concerned, this could actually be a good opportunity to reconsider their current setup and whether it is going to be sufficient for their gaming needs overall.
GTA 6 Isn’t Alone in Its Storage Problem
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Image via Rockstar Games -
Image via Rockstar Games -
Image via Rockstar Games
Of course, none of this changes the fact that the original PS5 can still run Grand Theft Auto 6; it will just be inconvenient for many people. It is also important to mention that this situation is an example of how the limitations of an older console are not necessarily restricted only to graphics and performance, and something as simple as storage could actually play a big role in the way players experience their favorite games. Of course, this is not the first time that a major franchise has had to deal with a problem like this, as back in 2024, Activision introduced several changes to Call of Duty.
They included smaller downloads, expanded texture streaming, and even greater control over the content that needs to be installed. This does not mean that Rockstar will suddenly rethink its entire approach to Grand Theft Auto 6 and introduce similar changes, but it is an example of how storage requirements could become such a big issue that developers actually have to intervene and do something about it. In any case, whether Rockstar will eventually introduce similar solutions for Grand Theft Auto 6 remains to be seen, but so far, it seems like the studio is mostly focused on delivering the title on time as promised, and some players will have to make do with the storage requirements that were already announced.
- Released
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November 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Rating Pending – Likely Mature 17+
