If you’re like most open world RPG fans, you’ve probably scrolled through dozens of Wuthering Waves combat clips and story spoilers before deciding it’s finally time to download the game for yourself. The first question most players check before hitting that download button is how many GB is Wuthering Waves on PC, because nothing kills hype faster than a mid-download error saying you’re out of storage. This guide breaks down all the official numbers, extra space you need to plan for, and fixes for common storage-related issues so you can jump into the game as fast as possible.
How Many GB Is Wuthering Waves on PC? Official Verified Numbers
As of the latest version update, the base Wuthering Waves PC download size clocks in at roughly 29 GB. That’s the size of the file you’ll pull directly from the official launcher before installation. Once you run the installer and unpack all the game assets, the full installed size jumps to around 38 GB for the complete base game, including all current event content, character assets, and open world map regions.
But that’s not the full amount of space you need to have available. The launcher requires temporary storage space to unpack files during installation, and if you don’t have that extra space, the process will fail halfway through even if you have exactly 38 GB free. You will need at least 50 GB of total free storage on your PC before starting the download to account for these temporary files and avoid installation errors.
For players who opt for the optional high-resolution texture pack, you can add another 8 GB to that total, bringing the installed size up to roughly 46 GB. That texture pack is only recommended if you have a 4K monitor, as you won’t notice a big difference on 1080p or 1440p displays, and it will take up valuable space you could use for other games.
Extra Storage Space You Need to Plan for Wuthering Waves
The 38 GB base install size isn’t the end of the story if you plan to play Wuthering Waves long-term. The game receives regular content updates every 6 weeks, adding new characters, story chapters, event regions, and balance changes that all take up extra storage. Over the course of a year, you can expect the total install size to grow by 20 to 30 GB, depending on how many big updates are released.
There are a few other hidden storage costs most players don’t account for until they get a low space notification months after installing the game:
- Monthly content and balance patches: 3 to 12 GB per update, with major version releases taking up the most space
- Local shader cache and gameplay save files: 2 to 6 GB of accumulated space over 6 months of play, especially if you adjust graphics settings frequently
- Optional HD texture packs and user mods: 4 to 22 GB depending on your customization choices, with high-resolution texture mods being the biggest storage hogs
- Temporary launcher download files: 10 to 18 GB of space only used during installation or update processes
Many players make the mistake of clearing the launcher’s download folder mid-install to free up space, which corrupts the entire installation and forces you to start over. Don't delete the temporary launcher files until the installation is 100% complete, even if you get a low space warning during the process. Once the game is fully installed, you can delete those temporary files safely to reclaim space.
How to Check Your Current Wuthering Waves PC Storage Usage
If you already have Wuthering Waves installed and want to see how much space it’s taking up, the process is straightforward. First, open the official Wuthering Waves launcher, go to the settings menu, and look for the “game installation directory” option to find where the game is stored on your drive. From there, right click on the folder, select “Properties”, and you’ll see the total size of all game files.
That number won’t include temporary launcher files or shader cache stored in your system’s AppData folder, so you might want to check those locations too if you’re really tight on space. Old patch files left in the launcher’s download folder can take up 10 GB or more of space long after the patch is installed. You can safely delete old patch installation files from the launcher folder to free up 5-10 GB of space without breaking your game.
If you’re considering moving the game to another drive to free up space, keep in mind that running Wuthering Waves from a hard disk drive (HDD) will lead to much longer load times and occasional stuttering when moving between open world regions. It’s always better to keep the game on a solid state drive (SSD) if you have space, as the open world streaming relies on fast file access to run smoothly.
Tips to Fix Wuthering Waves Storage-Related Installation Errors
Even if you have enough free space, you might run into installation errors that seem like storage issues at first glance. One of the most common errors is the “file too large” notification, which happens when you’re trying to install the game on a drive formatted to FAT32. FAT32 drives can’t handle individual files larger than 4 GB, and Wuthering Waves has multiple asset files that are bigger than that, so you’ll need to reformat the drive to NTFS to install the game.
Another common issue is the “insufficient space” error popping up even when you have more than 50 GB free. That usually happens when your system’s temporary file folder is full of old junk that’s taking up hidden space. Run the Windows Disk Cleanup tool to clear temporary system files before you try installing again, and that will usually fix the problem. If you get a corrupted download error, delete the partial game files and restart the launcher as an administrator before trying again.
If you only have space on your system drive to install the game, think twice before doing that. Your Windows drive needs free space to run system processes, virtual memory, and background updates, so filling it up with game files will make your entire PC slow down or crash randomly. Never install Wuthering Waves on your Windows system drive if you have less than 20 GB of extra space left, as this will slow down your entire PC. If that’s your only option, consider uninstalling a few unused games or apps first to free up extra headroom.
At the end of the day, you don’t want storage issues to kill your hype right when you’re ready to dive into Wuthering Waves’ stunning open world. The short answer to how many GB is Wuthering Waves on PC is roughly 38 GB for the current base install, but you should always leave at least 20 GB of extra space for future updates, cache files, and temporary download files to avoid headaches down the line. If you follow the tips in this guide, you’ll be able to install and run the game smoothly with no storage-related errors, so you can spend less time troubleshooting and more time pulling off perfect combo attacks against world bosses. If you run into any other storage issues we didn’t cover, feel free to drop a comment below and we’ll help you figure it out.