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GTA VI needs up to 212GB of storage when pre-load opens Nov. 10

Rockstar hasn't split the size by console. On usable-space figures, 212GB is about a quarter of a 1TB PS5 and most of a Series S.

Priya Shah

Priya Shah

— 2 min read
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The number 212GB in large dark type on a pink-to-orange gradient, above a nearly full storage bar and the Rockstar Games, PS5 and Xbox Series X logos
Logos: Rockstar Games, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X (public domain via Wikimedia Commons; trademarks of their owners). Illustration: EngineerPal

Rockstar Games said Tuesday (Nov. 3) that the digital pre-load for Grand Theft Auto VI will take up to 212GB "depending on your device," ahead of the game's Nov. 19 launch, according to The Verge.

Pre-load opens on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at midnight local time on PlayStation 5. On Xbox Series X|S it opens at 12 a.m. GMT, which is 7 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 9, VGC reported. Boxed copies will go on sale from Nov. 12, but they contain only a download code, and Sony's support page says no disc is included.

Rockstar announced the date in a post on X. It had passed 7 million views by early Wednesday.

Rockstar announced the pre-load date on X on Nov. 3. Post: Rockstar Games on X

Sony's GTA VI support page tells PS5 owners to "ensure you have 212 GB of storage space available." The announcements don't say how the size differs between consoles, how big the installed game will be, or whether a day-one update will add to the total.

How 212GB compares with console storage

The file matters most on smaller drives. Using usable-space figures that outlets measured on real consoles, 212GB is about 58 percent of an Xbox Series S's roughly 364GB, 32 percent of the roughly 667GB on a 2020 PS5, and 26 percent of the Series X's 802GB. On the 1TB PS5 sold since 2023, it's about 25 percent of roughly 842GB.

Bar chart comparing 212GB with usable storage on Xbox Series S, PS5 (2020), Xbox Series X and PS5 (2023): 58, 32, 26 and 25 percent
How much of each console's approximate usable storage a 212GB install would take, using figures reported by Digital Trends and GSMArena. Chart: EngineerPal

Those figures come from Digital Trends and GSMArena, and the percentages are our own math. They predate GTA VI and change with what's installed. Rockstar hasn't said whether the Series S download will be smaller than the Series X's.

What PS5 owners can do

Xbox Series X|S owners can't use a standard M.2 drive, so extra space generally means deleting games or buying a proprietary expansion card. PS5 owners have more room to maneuver. Sony's console takes a standard M.2 NVMe drive, and Sony's requirements are specific about speed, size and cooling.

Table of Sony's requirements for M.2 SSDs used in a PS5: PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe, 250GB to 8TB, 5,500MB/s recommended, heatsink required
Sony's published requirements for an M.2 SSD in the PS5. Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment. Table: EngineerPal

A USB drive won't fix it. Sony says PS5 games can be moved to USB extended storage, but must be copied back to console or M.2 storage to be played.

Prices on compatible drives have been high. On Nov. 3, 9to5Toys reported that Corsair's 1TB MP600 Elite with a heatsink was $249.99 at Amazon, down from about $305 and matching its August low. Prices can change.

Sony also recommends turning on auto-download and putting the console in rest mode before pre-load starts on Nov. 10.

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