Horizon Forbidden West file size will take up a huge chunk of PS5 storage space

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To the surprise of absolutely no one

Horizon Forbidden West Aloy wielding a bow
(Image credit: Sony)

Further details on Horizon Forbidden West's file size on PS5 have been discovered, and the game may reach up to 100GB in file size. What's more, that's before any kind of day one patch that could potentially inflate that size up to 120GB, at least on European PS5 consoles.

As reported by Gamesradar, the new details come from Twitter account PlayStation Game Size, which reports that the Horizon Forbidden West's European version will clock in at 96GB, not accounting for a day one patch. Meanwhile, the US version of the game comes in at just shy of 86GB.

While Sony has yet to officially confirm the file size for Horizon Forbidden West, which launches on February 18, 2022, we're likely to know for sure about a week in advance when the game is available to pre-load on PS5, which is likely to be around February 11.

The difference in file size between the two regions is likely due to the inclusion of language packs in the European version. After all, there's several languages to cater for in Europe compared to US territories.

Besides that, Horizon Forbidden West's file size is hardly surprising considering the high level of graphical fidelity featured in the title, not to mention the piles of gameplay systems that will tie the experience together. As such, if you've got a handful of the best PS5 games on your SSD – which only fits about 667GB after system software – they may have to temporarily make themselves scarce to make room for Horizon.

Horizon Forbidden West's PS4 file size is still yet to be confirmed. However, we wouldn't be surprised if it's similarly bulky. After all, Horizon Zero Dawn was roughly 50GB in size when it released back in 2017. As such, we think it's realistic to expect a comparable file size for the sequel.

Large file sizes are hardly anything new on Sony's latest machine. Housemarque's Returnal took up roughly 56GB of space when it released. Elsewhere, launch title Demon's Souls clocked in at around 66GB, so our SSDs have been doing a lot of heavy lifting since the PS5 went on sale in late 2020.

Rhys Wood
Rhys Wood
Hardware Editor

Rhys is TRG's Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.