There was a time when buying a 1 TB SSD felt overkill for gaming. Unfortunately, these days, things are different, and installing just a few games can wipe out over 500GB!
The simple reality is that the biggest games eat drive space like it's nothing, and you’re faced with the dilemma of regular patches as well.
So, that got us thinking… Which are the largest games on Steam (by size, not population), and which are actually worth the real estate? Let’s take a look.
Why Game File Sizes Got This Out of Control
There are many reasons why games have gotten so large, but it all boils down to realism. 4K textures and graphical fidelity demand high-res assets and data that stack up fast. Audio also takes a huge chunk with fully voiced cutscenes in multiple languages and lossless music files. There are also extra sound effects and ambient sounds!
Many games also patch in new data, especially for online and live-service games that add seasons, events, and various skins. Destiny 2, Apex Legends, and Warzone all do this, but it’s a problem because of current storage prices. Platforms like Steam can also contribute to the problem because games are uncompressed to achieve faster loading times.
Quick-Reference Table: Largest Games on Steam by File Size
Game | Approximate File Size | Genre |
|---|---|---|
Call of Duty (full ecosystem) | Over 1,000 GB | First-person shooter |
ARK: Survival Evolved (with DLC) | 200 to 440 GB | Survival open-world |
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl | 150 GB | Action RPG |
Final Fantasy XV (with 4K pack) | 160 GB | Action RPG |
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | 155 GB | Action-adventure |
Microsoft Flight Simulator | 30 to 400 GB | Simulation |
NBA 2K25 | 110 GB | Sports |
Black Myth: Wukong | 130 GB | Action RPG |
Crimson Desert | 100 to 150 GB | Open-world action |
Baldur’s Gate 3 | 122 GB | RPG |
Mass Effect Legendary Edition | 120 GB | Action RPG |
Red Dead Redemption 2 | 120 GB | Open-world action |
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle | 131 GB | Action-adventure |
WWE 2K26 | 120 GB | Sports |
Cyberpunk 2077 (with Phantom Liberty) | 100 GB | Open-world RPG |
Call of Duty
Installing every mainline CoD title can total well over 1,000 GB of drive space, though a single modern install is closer to under 150 GB. The Call of Duty HQ launcher lets you pick which titles to install rather than forcing all of them on you. You can uninstall unwanted content later, but that initial install is always a pain. Chalk that up as the cost to play one of the biggest games today.
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ARK: Survival Evolved
ARK installs at around 125 GB, but with all the DLCs it can climb to around 200 to 440 GB. While this game still holds up well against newer sandbox titles, that space requirement is a real concern.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is reported to reach 400 to 500 GB with all the additional assets such as airports and newer crafts. While the game is unique, the required space can be a deal-breaker. Fortunately, the newer 2024 sequel solves the drive space problem by streaming certain game data during gameplay. This brings the streamed base installation down to around 30 GB, though a full local install without streaming can still reach about 400 GB.
Red Dead Redemption 2
RDR2 is an older game, but the level of in-game detail brings its drive space requirement to around 150 GB. It’s definitely worth the SSD space because this game just doesn’t run as well on older mechanical drives, which don’t deliver the fast data transfers it needs.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Mass Effect 3 is just around 15 GB standalone, but with all three games, including DLCs, the Legendary Edition easily goes up to 120 GB. This is actually modest for three whole games with updated 4K textures and a lighting system overhaul. You’re actually saving space by sharing assets between games in this collection, compared to installing the old ones separately.
NBA 2K and WWE
NBA 2K and WWE 2K26 are both qualified for this list, with NBA 2K asking for about 110 GB of storage space and WWE 2K26 at 120 GB. Both require huge amounts of data to recreate athletes and mimic the TV broadcast presentation. Luckily, you can uninstall some of the data you don’t need, which can save up to 30 GB of space.
Baldur’s Gate 3
BG3 is a game packed with detail, and the 120 GB space requirement reflects that. The game has full voice acting for thousands of dialogue branches across multiple characters, along with cutscene data and all other game assets. This is a sprawling RPG that requires a huge amount of data to match.
Black Myth: Wukong and Crimson Desert
Black Myth Wukong relies on photoscanned environments while Crimson Desert uses studio-scanned assets, and both feature hand-animated boss combat. Together with 4K textures across enormous in-game spaces, their respective sizes of 130 GB and roughly 100 to 150 GB make sense. This range of HDD requirements should be expected for upcoming games of the same type.
The 120 GB mark is looking more like the standard now, which is glaring considering how a game like Cyberpunk 2077 with Phantom Liberty sits at around 100 GB. This is just the reality of modern gaming, and we should prepare ourselves for future titles to scale up further.
