There’s nothing more frustrating than sitting down to download your favorite open world game, only to get a pop-up warning that you don’t have enough storage left. I’ve been there three separate times in the last few years: when I switched to a new gaming laptop, when I upgraded my phone, and when I wanted to install Genshin on my PS5 to play with friends. I’ve tested installs across every major platform over the last three years, so I have the most up to date answer to how much space is Genshin Impact actually needs for a smooth experience. If you’re gearing up to download the game for the first time or install the latest version update, the first question you’re probably asking is how much space is Genshin Impact actually going to take up on your device. We’ll break down the exact numbers for every popular platform, plus share hacks to cut down the file size if you’re running low on space.
How Much Space is Genshin Impact Across Popular Platforms
Exact storage requirements shift a little bit every six weeks when HoYoverse drops a new version update, but we’ve pulled the latest numbers from official patch notes and real user installs to give you the most accurate estimates. Keep in mind these numbers include all current regions (up to Fontaine as of the latest update) and default voice packs, so your total may be lower if you skip extra assets. If you’re wondering how much space is Genshin Impact going to take after the next update, plan for an extra 1 to 3 GB of free space to avoid installation errors.
PC (Windows) currently requires between 82 and 88 GB of free storage for a full install. If you choose to download all four available voice packs, that number can jump to almost 95 GB, so you’ll want to make sure you have extra space left over for upcoming 6-week updates. The game runs best on an SSD, but you can install it on a regular HDD if you don’t mind slightly longer load times when entering new regions or cutscenes.
iOS and Android Mobile Devices have a much smaller base install size, ranging from 32 to 46 GB depending on your device model and the assets you choose to download. Low and mid-range phones will default to lower-resolution textures, which cuts down the file size significantly, while flagship devices will offer optional high-res texture packs that add 5 to 7 extra GB. You’ll also need an extra 4 to 6 GB of temporary space to install updates, so don’t fill your storage right to the total install size.
PlayStation 4 and 5 have install sizes very close to PC, sitting between 78 and 84 GB for a full default install. The PS5 version has slightly better compression, so it’s usually 3 to 4 GB smaller than the PS4 version. Unlike PC, you can’t move the game to external USB storage on PS4 unless you’re running an older system software version, so you’ll need to keep that space free on your console’s internal drive.
Nintendo Switch is the outlier here, since most players use the official cloud version of the game. The cloud app only takes up 500 MB of local storage, but you need a consistent internet connection to play. There is no full local install of Genshin Impact available for Switch right now, so you don’t have to worry about clearing dozens of GB for a full download on that platform.
Factors That Make Genshin Impact’s File Size Grow Over Time
If you installed Genshin a year or two ago, you’ve probably noticed the file size has almost doubled since you first downloaded it. That’s not a glitch, and it’s not extra bloat you can easily get rid of for the most part. HoYoverse adds huge chunks of new content every six weeks, and all of that adds up over time. If you’ve noticed your install size growing faster than you expected, you’re not the only one asking how much space is Genshin Impact going to take in the future as more regions are added.
The biggest contributor to growing file size is new regional content. Every year, the team adds a whole new region to Teyvat, each with dozens of hours of quest content, new maps, character assets, and environmental details. Sumeru and Fontaine each added more than 15 GB of new content to the game when they launched, for example. Smaller version updates add events, new characters, and quest lines that usually add between 1 and 3 GB each.
Voice packs are another big space drain, especially for mobile players. The game offers four full voice pack options (Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean) and each one takes up between 3 and 5 GB of space. If you downloaded all four when you first installed the game and never removed the ones you don’t use, that’s 10+ GB of extra space you’re wasting for no reason.
Temporary cache is the last hidden culprit. The game stores temporary data from past events, co-op sessions, screenshots you take in the photo mode, and even old cutscenes you’ve already watched. Over six months to a year, that cache can add up to 4 GB of extra space that you don’t need to keep around.
Easy Ways to Reduce Genshin Impact’s Storage Footprint
You don’t have to delete other games or apps to make space for Genshin’s latest update. There are a few simple tweaks you can make to cut down the total file size by 10 to 20 GB without losing any of the core game features you care about. I’ve used all of these tricks on both my phone and PC to free up space without noticing any difference in gameplay quality. If you’re still asking how much space is Genshin Impact going to take after you make these tweaks, you can expect to cut the total size by 10 to 25% depending on the platform.
One extra tip I swear by for PC players: If you have a large media drive or external HDD, you can move your Genshin install there instead of keeping it on your smaller primary SSD. Load times will be 10 to 15 seconds longer when entering new regions, but that’s a small tradeoff for freeing up 80+ GB of fast SSD space for other games you play more often.
What to Do If You Still Don’t Have Enough Space for Genshin Impact
If you’ve tried all the storage reduction tricks and still don’t have enough space for the full install, you don’t have to give up on playing Genshin entirely. There are a few workarounds that let you play the full game without using dozens of GB of local storage on your device.
Cloud gaming is the most popular option right now. Services like GeForce Now, PlayStation Plus Cloud Gaming, and the official Genshin Impact cloud app for mobile let you stream the full game directly to your device without downloading the full install. The app for these services only takes up 500 MB to 1 GB of local storage, and you get access to the full game with all the same features as a local install. You just need a stable 5GHz Wi-Fi or wired internet connection with at least 15 Mbps download speed to avoid lag or input delay.
If you’re playing on PC or PlayStation, you can also upgrade your storage for relatively low cost. A 1TB external SSD for PC costs less than $50 these days, and can hold Genshin plus 5 or 6 other full size games. PS5 owners can add an internal M.2 SSD for around $60 for 1TB, which gives you more than enough space for every Genshin update for the next few years.
For mobile players, you can also look into expanding your device’s storage with a microSD card if your phone supports it. Most mid-range Android phones let you add up to 1TB of extra storage for less than $20, and you can move the Genshin install directly to the card to free up space on your internal storage for other apps and photos. Just note that app performance may be slightly slower if you use a lower speed microSD card, so opt for a U3 rated card if you go this route.
At the end of the day, Genshin Impact’s large file size makes sense when you consider how much free content HoYoverse adds to the game every year. You get hundreds of hours of quests, exploration, and events for no upfront cost, so the storage tradeoff is worth it for most players. No matter what device you play on, knowing how much space is Genshin Impact requires helps you plan ahead so you don’t miss out on new updates, events, and story chapters as they drop. A little bit of storage management goes a long way, and you don’t have to sacrifice the games you love to make space for Teyvat’s next big update.