Editor’s opinion: Modern gaming is quickly becoming a luxury market for a small number of wealthy customers. Hardware is no longer cheap and can be difficult to find, even if you have the means. And when the hardware is there and the requirements are met, the publishers are asking players to perform some never-before-seen download jobs just to install the brand new AAA game on a local setup.
Grand Theft Auto VI is finally releasing on November 19th and players should get their machines in order so that the new open-world blockbuster lands on a comfortable hardware setup. Storage space is apparently one of the most important aspects, as the latest Rockstar production will require a lot of storage space to download the whole thing.
According to a recent tip from PlayStation Game Size, the download of Grand Theft Auto VI on PS5 should include 210 gigabytes of assets, maps and code.
PGS tracks recent releases on the PlayStation Store and scours the service’s backend to see when something interesting changes. While the installed size is expected to be under 210GB, users should be aware that they’ll need a lot of free space on their PS5’s SSD and varying amounts of time depending on how good – or bad – their internet connection is.
At this time, we don’t know if GTA VI requires a day-one patch to function properly on PlayStation and Xbox consoles. What we do know is that the game won’t have a physical disc at all (even boxed copies only contain a download code), although Rockstar is certainly trying to lure GTA enthusiasts with an expensive $400 collector’s box that doesn’t include the game and is full of plastic gadgets and useless paraphernalia that you’ll soon find on eBay for ten times the original price.
At least GTA VI should justify such a massive download with a long open world and lots of extra stuff beyond the main storyline. Still, Rockstar’s game is bound to reinforce the gigantism syndrome that affects many of today’s AAA productions. Worse, unlike “modular” games like Call of Duty, GTA VI will likely force players to download the whole thing anyway.
According to rumors, GTA VI will appear on the PC in the first to second quarter of 2027. However, Rockstar hasn’t announced a date yet, so you don’t have to start deleting games from your PC’s SSD just yet.
Currently, PC gamers can experience one of the worst download experiences ever with Phantom Blade Zero. S-Game’s wuxia action RPG requires 145GB of memory to install and 300GB to preload. The game uses the much-maligned Unreal Engine 5, which could explain the optimization problems with asset and update management.
