God Of War Ragnarok Pc Install Best Download Size
God of War Ragnarök on PC requires 190 GB of available SSD storage space for installation. While the final installed game size is approximately 175.9 GB, the platform requires additional space for unzipping and extracting files during the setup process. Key Storage & Download Details Total Installation Space: 190 GB (Official Requirement). Actual Size on Disk: ~175.9 GB.
Initial Download Size: ~100.2 GB (Compressed via Steam/Epic).
Storage Type: An SSD is strictly required across all graphics presets, from Minimum to Ultra.
For those planning to embark on Kratos’ latest journey on PC, you’ll need to clear some serious shelf space. God of War Ragnarök
requires a staggering 190 GB of available SSD space for installation.
While the final footprint of the game once installed is roughly 100 GB, the extra overhead is necessary for Steam to extract and cache files during the setup process. This requirement is significantly larger than the PlayStation versions, which come in at roughly 84 GB for PS5 and 107 GB for PS4. Key Technical Details Total Installation Space: 190 GB (SSD required). Initial Download Size: Approximately 100 GB on Steam. god of war ragnarok pc install download size
Why so large? The increase is largely attributed to higher-resolution textures, uncompressed audio, and the inclusion of the Valhalla DLC.
SSD vs. HDD: An SSD is strictly required for the best experience. While some players have tested HDDs, they often lead to significantly longer loading times and potential performance hitches.
Check out these guides for a smooth installation and a breakdown of how the game runs on different storage types:
Why Is The Install Size So Large?
Unlike previous God of War titles (2018 was 70GB on PC), Ragnarok is massive for three reasons:
- No Loading Screens (DirectStorage): Ragnarok uses PS5’s SSD architecture and PC’s DirectStorage. To eliminate loading screens, the game installs duplicate asset data across multiple sectors of the drive. This "redundant data" speeds up texture streaming but eats space.
- Higher Fidelity Audio: The PC version includes uncompressed 3D audio for Atmos and DTS:X. The audio folder alone is roughly 15 GB.
- Ray-Tracing & Shadow Maps: Ragnarok utilizes ray-traced reflections and shadows in specific realms (Svartalfheim, Vanaheim). The pre-baked and real-time BVH data requires additional geometry files.
Final Summary: Total Sizes at a Glance
To make things simple, here is the complete breakdown of God of War Ragnarok PC install download size by scenario: God of War Ragnarök on PC requires 190
| Configuration | Download Size | Final Install Size | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Minimum (1080p, English only, no 4K textures) | 70 GB | 77–80 GB | | Standard (1440p/4K, English + 1 extra language, no 4K textures) | 73 GB | 82–85 GB | | High-End (4K, High-Res Texture Pack, English only) | 92 GB | 100–102 GB | | Complete (4K, Hi-Res Textures, All Languages) | 115 GB | 125–130 GB |
Breakdown of major components
- Game binaries and executable files: ~1–3 GB
- Core game assets (meshes, animations, base textures): ~30–50 GB
- High-resolution texture pack(s) (optional): ~20–40 GB
- Audio (lossless/near-lossless files): ~5–10 GB
- Shaders, precompiled cache, runtime-generated files: ~5–10 GB
- Temporary installer/unpack space during installation: +20–30 GB (needed temporarily)
Note: Many launchers download compressed packages and then expand them during installation; that expansion can briefly require considerably more free space than the final installed size. Some launchers also keep the compressed installers in their cache unless you clear them.
10. Final Verdict & Recommendation
God of War Ragnarök on PC is a massive install — budget at least 200 GB total free space before clicking “Install.”
✅ Ideal: 1 TB NVMe SSD with 300 GB free.
⚠️ Avoid: 256 GB boot drives or HDDs.
💡 Pro tip: Install without 4K textures and non-English audio to save ~40 GB with almost no visual loss on 1080p/1440p.
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Recommended (1080p / 60 FPS / High)
- CPU: Intel i7-7700K or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
- RAM: 16 GB
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 2060 Super or AMD RX 5700 XT
Required Free Space for Installation (The 250GB Rule)
Here is the most common mistake PC users make: You cannot install a 175GB game with only 190GB free. Why Is The Install Size So Large
When Steam or Epic Games downloads a compressed file (120 GB), it needs space to:
- Store the compressed download (120 GB).
- Store the temporary decrypted files (50+ GB).
- Write the final installation (175 GB).
Minimum Safe Free Space: 250 GB Recommended Free Space (for updates & shader cache): 300 GB
If you have less than 250 GB, the installation will fail at 99% with a "Disk Write Error."
7. Comparison with Other AAA PC Games (2024–2025)
| Game | Install Size | |------|---------------| | God of War Ragnarök | 190 GB | | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III | ~230 GB | | Starfield | ~140 GB | | Baldur’s Gate 3 | ~150 GB | | Horizon Forbidden West (PC) | ~150 GB | | The Last of Us Part I (PC) | ~100 GB |
Ragnarök sits in the “very large but not record-breaking” tier.