GTA 6 is reportedly a 210 GB download. What if your console can't hold it?

Short version first. GTA 6 is reportedly a 210 GB download on PS5. That is not from Rockstar, and it is not on the store page yet, but it is the first number with real store data behind it. Plan for it, clear about 260 GB, and do it before pre-load opens on November 12, sixteen days from now.

I'm Rolo. I do the hardware on this site. Two days ago I told you to check your console storage tonight and promised I would come back the moment a real-looking number turned up. Here it is.

What is confirmed, and what isn't

Confirmed: GTA 6 launches November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and pre-load opens November 12. That is all Rockstar has said on timing. It has still not published an install size.

Reported: on October 27 the PlayStation Game Size account, which tracks data from the PlayStation Store's back end, posted a download size of 210 GB for the PS5 version. Insider Gaming said it matched what it had seen, and Engadget, GamesRadar, GameSpot and ComicBook.com all reported it the same day.

Not known: whether 210 GB is the download or the space it takes once installed, how big the day-one patch is, and anything at all about Xbox. ComicBook.com says the Xbox size is simply not known yet.

So treat 210 GB as a good working number, not a promise. It is in the range we expected, and a lot smaller than the 676 GB fakes from earlier this month, which our download size page took apart.

What 210 GB means for your console

This is roughly what each console can actually use, and how much of it GTA 6 would take:

• PS5 (825 GB), about 667 GB usable: just under a third.
• PS5 Slim (1 TB), about 848 GB usable: a quarter.
• PS5 Pro (2 TB): comfortable.
• Xbox Series X (1 TB), about 802 GB usable: about a quarter.
• Xbox Series S (512 GB), about 364 GB usable: nearly 60 percent. This is the console I am worried about.
• Xbox Series S (1 TB): about a quarter.

Why 260 GB and not 210? General advice: consoles need some working room while they install, and patches get added on top. A 50 GB buffer is how you avoid the "not enough space" message at 11 p.m. on November 18.

What if it can't hold it?

Here is the plan, in order. Stop at whichever step gets you to 260 GB free.

1. Delete what you finished. Same as last time. It is the fastest fix and the right one for most people. On PS5 your saves are kept separately when you delete a game, and on Xbox they sync to the cloud for almost every game. If a save matters to you, check it is backed up first.

2. Cut big games down instead of deleting them. Some huge games let you remove modes you never play. On PS5, press Options on the game in the storage list. On Xbox, go to Manage game and add-ons.

3. Park your backlog on a USB drive. Both consoles can store current-gen games on an ordinary USB drive, they just have to come back to the internal drive to be played. Last-gen games can run straight from it. My storage piece has the details.

4. Buy more space, this week. A PS5 takes a PCIe 4.0 M.2 drive with a heatsink. A Series X or S takes a Seagate or Western Digital Storage Expansion Card. Fit it before November 12 so the pre-load lands on it directly, instead of downloading 210 GB twice.

Series S owners, this part is for you

General advice: if you have the 512 GB Series S, assume GTA 6 will be the main thing on your console this winter. With about 364 GB usable, a 210 GB game plus a patch leaves you room for one or two other big games at most, and they may have to live on a USB drive between sessions. If you were already thinking about an expansion card, this is the month. Our Series S piece covers how the game should run on it.

Boxed copy? Same download

The boxed Standard Edition comes with a download code, not the game on a disc, and the code arrives with the box, not before. So the full download applies to you too, and it cannot start until the box turns up. Details are in How much does GTA 6 cost?

How long 210 GB will take

Rough times, on a decent night:

• 25 Mbps: 19 to 23 hours
• 50 Mbps: 10 to 12 hours
• 100 Mbps: 5 to 6 hours
• 200 Mbps: 2.5 to 3 hours
• 500 Mbps: about an hour
• 1 Gbps: 30 to 40 minutes

Pre-load runs for a week, which is plenty on any of those, as long as you start on November 12 and leave the console in rest mode or sleep with a cable to the router.

What I'd do tonight

Check your free space. If it is under 260 GB, delete and park until it isn't. If you are on a 512 GB Series S, decide this week whether you are buying a card. Then forget about it until November 12.

I will update this page and the download size page when Rockstar or the store pages show an official figure, or when an Xbox number turns up.

The launch checklist: pre-load, storage and unlock times