Square Enix Clarifies Apparent 150GB File Size on PC

PC specifications for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy seemed to suggest that the game would require a huge 150GB of space to install – but Square Enix has now made clear that this isn’t the final size, with approximately 80GB being the new target.

As spotted by PC Gamer, the minimum and recommended system requirements for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy were recently uploaded to its Steam Store page. While many of the necessary PC specifications needed to run the game don’t seem too taxing, players were told they’d need to have 150GB of free storage space on their systems just to be able to install the game.

Many were confused by the huge size – by comparison, the imposingly massive Microsoft Flight Simulator takes up 127GB – leading Square Enix to release a statement saying this isn’t the final file size:

Hey everyone! We wanted to give you an update on the final size of the PC version of the game, which will not be 150 GB. The team is in the last stages of optimizing the final game and we can confirm the file size will be approximately 80 GB at launch.

— Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (@GOTGTheGame) October 19, 2021

While not confirmed, it may well be that you do need 150GB to start the installation process, but thankfully the final game is a slimmer 80GB or so. In a follow-up, the publisher made clear that PS4 and PS5 verisons should take up around 50GB.

Increasing file sizes have become a bugbear for players in recent years, with visually impressive games increasing in hard drive impact at a rate quicker than hard drives themselves are getting bigger, particularly on console. Call of Duty is a familiar offender, with Activision Blizzard making clear that players may need to make room just to install new versions of the game. Thankfully, recent patches have reduced the impact somewhat.

The Guardians of the Galaxy game arrives next week, and our hands-on preview, saying that its “combat is highly enjoyable and a lot more complex than I first gave it credit for.”

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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].