‘GTA VI’ Could Gobble Up a Third of Your Console’s Storage (or More)

I hope you weren’t planning to play any other major AAA games while you make your fated return to Vice City. Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto VI is going to require you to have at least 212GB of storage space free to preload the game. That could pose a problem for all the owners of a launch PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series S console. Even if you have a slim PS5 model, the biggest game of the year (literally, in this case) may stretch your limited SSD to its limit. The launch PlayStation 5, despite its hefty bulk compared to the modern “slim” edition, only shipped with 825GB of SSD storage. The PS5 operating system and reserved files already eat up another 158GB, so most users are already limited to 667GB of usable storage (though it may be more or less, depending on the version of the console you’re using). GTA VI‘s massive reproduction of the state of Florida and the city of Miami will then occupy close to a third of many gamers’ base storage. I too regret not buying an expanded PS5 SSD back before memory prices weren’t so obscene. Let’s not forget about Xbox Series S owners, who will be forced to consume the majority of their 512GB SSD. Those consoles only share about 364GB of usable storage with players. You’re slightly better off with a modern Xbox Series X or a slim model PS5, which both support 1TB SSDs. However, Sony recently launched a revised digital edition console, which reverted to the smaller 825GB SSD size. And you can’t forget the size of recent updates that may slim down your console storage even more. The original PS5 had less storage space than some (but not all) slim edition consoles. © Artem Golub / Gizmodo Game sizes are already obscene, especially for modern blockbusters. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 demands 191GB if you want to install the campaign and multiplayer alongside the DMZ extraction shooter and Warzone modes all in one go. Considering the file size of past games in the franchise, that’s not the worst it’s been. Both the latest CoD and GTA VI together would take over 403GB of your console. Only those gamers with a $900 PS5 Pro or a legacy 2TB Xbox Series X Galaxy Black Edition (Xbox killed off that version after its latest price hikes) can expect to feel at all comfortable with GTA VI’s game size. We’re used to games demanding so much storage space, but the lunch version of GTA VI takes the cake for 2026. It’s not the largest game available right now, though. Meanwhile, Ubisoft managed to fit Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced into a 64GB download, so there are some developers still thinking about your limited room for digital titles. GTA VI is available to preload starting Nov. 10 before it becomes available to download Nov. 12. You should try to free up some space as early as possible, considering preorders for Rockstar’s latest have already broken past a record-breaking 6.08 million, according to Sensor Tower. Any version you buy in a store will just be a dreaded code in a box, so you have no reason to buy the “physical” version unless you want a collectible hunk of empty plastic to adorn your shelf.