The latest technical reports, based on leaks specialized in tracking game data and confirmations from the Insider Gaming platform, indicate that the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI from Rockstar Games will require a download space of approximately 210 GB on the PlayStation 5 platform.
It remains unclear whether this figure represents the total size required for the final installation of the game, including temporary installation spaces, or if it is just the size of the download files alone. However, this figure represents a massive size compared to previous releases; this space exceeds the size of Red Dead Redemption 2 by 61 GB, which required 149 GB of free space when it was released on the PlayStation 4 platform in 2018.
What does the game size mean practically for users?
A size of 210 GB represents more than half of the usable storage capacity on a standard Xbox Series S, which is estimated at about 362 GB out of 512 GB. If a Day One launch update is added to that, players may spend a long time downloading the core files before being able to run the game.
These indicators come amid a general trend seen in AAA games, where file sizes are constantly inflating due to evolving graphical standards, massive open-world gameplay, and online multiplayer features. Despite attempts by some developers to improve game storage efficiency and separate large files, as seen with other games, storage challenges persist.
Pre-load and Launch Dates
According to leaked information published by a PlayStation game size tracking account, players will be able to start the pre-loading process for the game starting from November 12, in preparation for the official market launch planned for November 19 at midnight.