If you’re getting ready to download Genshin Impact for the first time, or you’re prepping for an upcoming major region update, one of the first questions you’ll probably ask is how big is Genshin Impact PC. Open world live service games are notorious for bloating in size over time, and Genshin is no exception after years of new region drops, character additions, and quality of life updates. I remember panicking a few years back when the Sumeru region update hit, and my launcher kept throwing random error codes for 3 hours before I realized I only had 7GB of free space left on my SSD. This guide breaks down exactly what size you can expect, hidden costs you won’t see on the official download page, and how to avoid the same headaches I went through.
How Big is Genshin Impact PC for Fresh Installs vs Updated Versions
As of the latest major version release, a fresh base install of Genshin Impact for PC with only the default English voice pack clocks in at roughly 85GB. That number jumps to just over 100GB if you choose to install all four available voice packs (English, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese) for full character audio flexibility. The initial installer you download from the official site or Epic Games Store is only around 30GB, but don’t let that small number fool you, because the files unpack to nearly three times that size during installation.
For players who have had the game installed for multiple updates, your total file size will likely be a bit higher, usually between 90 and 95GB for single voice pack users. HoYoverse pushes a major version update every 6 weeks, and each of these updates adds between 5 and 12GB of new content, depending on whether it includes a full new region or just character banners and event content. Never allocate just the listed installer size for Genshin Impact, as unpacking and post-install patches will double that requirement at minimum.
If you play through the Epic Games Store instead of the official HoYoverse launcher, you can expect roughly the same total install size, though Epic sometimes stores extra backup files that can add 1-2GB of extra space over time. The difference is negligible for most users, so you don’t need to switch launchers just to save space.
Hidden Extra Storage Requirements You Don’t See on the Official Download Page
The official listed install size only covers the core game files, but there are a handful of hidden storage costs that many new players don’t account for until they run into update errors. These extra files can add anywhere from 5 to 20GB of additional space use on top of the base install, depending on your play habits and settings.
Some of the most common hidden space hogs include:
Shader cache is one of the most commonly overlooked space hogs, especially if you run the game on max settings at 4K resolution. These files help reduce stutter when you load new areas for the first time, but they can take up 2 to 6GB of space depending on your hardware and how much of the map you’ve explored. You should always leave at least 30GB of extra free space on your drive after installing Genshin Impact to avoid update failures. That buffer will cover you for at least 3 to 4 major updates before you need to clear more space.
How to Reduce Genshin Impact PC Storage Footprint Without Breaking the Game
If you’re working with limited storage on your PC, you don’t have to uninstall other games just to make room for Genshin updates. There are a handful of safe, easy tweaks you can make to cut down your total install size by 10 to 15GB without impacting gameplay performance at all.
The fastest and most effective fix is to uninstall any unused voice packs. Most players only need one language pack for their native language, and removing the other three will free up 10 to 12GB of space instantly. You can do this directly through the launcher settings under the “resources” tab, and you can always redownload them later if you change your mind. Uninstalling unused voice packs is the fastest way to free up 10GB or more of space without impacting core gameplay at all.
You can also clear old patch installation files from the launcher settings, as these files are only needed during the update process and serve no purpose once the update is installed. Most players accumulate 5 to 10GB of these old patch files over a year of play, so clearing them out every few months makes a big difference. If you take a lot of screenshots or record gameplay, you can move those files to a separate drive instead of leaving them in the default Genshin folder.
It’s worth noting that you can install Genshin Impact on an HDD instead of an SSD to save space on your faster drive. The only downside is longer load times when teleporting or entering new regions, but the game runs perfectly fine otherwise if you don’t mind a few extra seconds of wait time.
What Happens If You Don’t Have Enough Space for Genshin Impact PC
It’s tempting to just hit “install” even if you only have the exact listed amount of free space, but that’s almost always a mistake that will cost you more time in the long run. The most common issue you’ll run into is a failed mid-update crash, which can corrupt your existing game files entirely.
When an update fails because of insufficient space, the launcher rarely tells you exactly what went wrong. Most players end up troubleshooting internet connections, restarting their PC, and even reinstalling the launcher before they realize they just need more free space. Corrupted game files from failed updates will force you to redownload the entire 80+GB game, which is way more of a hassle than clearing extra space ahead of time.
Even if the game installs correctly with almost no free space left, you’ll likely run into in-game stutters, random crashes, and missing texture bugs when the game tries to write temporary save or cache files and has no room to do so. If you’re really tight on space, you can run the game off a high-speed external USB 3.0 drive, though you will see slightly longer load times compared to an internal drive.
At the end of the day, how big is Genshin Impact PC will keep growing as HoYoverse adds new regions, characters, and features for years to come. For most casual players who only keep one voice pack installed, planning for a total of 120GB of space will cover you for at least a year of upcoming updates without needing to constantly clear space. For most players, planning for 120GB of total space for Genshin Impact PC will cover you for at least a year of upcoming updates. Don’t make the same mistake I did and skip checking your free space before a big update, or you might end up wasting half a day troubleshooting instead of playing new content.