"How many GB is it?" is one of the most common questions asked about any new game, and Steam answers it on every store page. Under system requirements, a line reads something like "Storage: 70 GB available space". Our game pages quote that line. This guide explains where the number comes from, what it leaves out, and one case where the store page gives two different answers.
Where the number comes from
The storage figure is written by the developer, in the same box as the processor and graphics card requirements. It is not measured by Steam. It is usually a round number, and it is the free space the developer says you need, not the exact size of the files.
Some examples, as they appear on our game pages today:
| Game | Storage line |
|---|---|
| Terraria | 200MB |
| Stardew Valley | 500 MB available space |
| Hollow Knight: Silksong | 8 GB available space |
| Palworld | 40 GB available space |
| It Takes Two | 50 GB available space |
| Elden Ring | 60 GB available space |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 70 GB available space |
| Split Fiction | 85 GB available space |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 150 GB available space |
The range is huge: Red Dead Redemption 2 asks for roughly 750 times the space of Terraria. If your drive is nearly full, our PC games under 5GB and under 10GB lists sort games by this figure.
When the page disagrees with itself: Helldivers 2
Steam's requirements have two columns, minimum and recommended, and each has its own storage line. Usually both say the same thing. Helldivers 2 does not. Read from Steam on 6 October 2026, its minimum line says 135 GB and its recommended line says 40 GB.
The likely reason is an update. In December 2025 Arrowhead, working with Nixxes, cut the PC install from about 154 GB to about 23 GB. The game had stored many files more than once, to make loading faster from hard drives. Arrowhead found that only a small share of players still used hard drives, so most of the copies were removed. An update can shrink a game like that without anyone editing the old figure on the store page.
We cannot tell from the store page which of the two lines is current, so we do not choose one. The Helldivers 2 page now quotes both and tells you to plan for the larger. Before this fix it quoted only the minimum, "about 135 GB", which we now think was well above the real size.
Download size is not install size
The figure Steam shows while a game downloads is often smaller than the space it takes once installed, because the files are compressed for download. Plan around the storage line, not the download counter.
What the figure leaves out
- Updates. Patches add content, and while an update installs, Steam may need free space beyond what the game already uses. A drive that only just fits the game can make updates fail.
- DLC and expansions. These usually have their own size, which is not part of the base game's line.
- Saves, shader caches and mods. These go in other folders, often on your system drive (our save file guide shows where), so they are not counted in the install folder.
- Console versions. PS5, Xbox and Switch versions have their own sizes. Our pages only quote the PC figure and say so. We do not guess a console size.
How to get a real answer for your copy
- Check the game's page here. The "How many GB is…" question quotes the storage line word for word, and gives both figures when Steam has two.
- Look at the system requirements page for the whole minimum and recommended table.
- Once a game is installed, Steam shows the real size under the game's Properties, in Installed Files. That number is your copy's actual size today, updates included.
The storage line is a promise made when the store page was written. For a game that changes after launch, the installed size on your own drive is the only number that is certainly current.
