We’ve all been there: you see a viral clip of No Man’s Sky’s latest update, get hyped to dive into its infinite procedurally generated universe, then pause when you realize you have no clue how much space it takes up on your device. Clearing storage for a new game is always a hassle, especially if you have to delete old save files or other games you haven’t played in months. We’ve pulled the latest official file size data across every platform to answer how many gigabytes is No Man's Sky, plus extra tips to make the installation process as smooth as possible.
How Many Gigabytes Is No Man’s Sky Across All Platforms?
The base file size of No Man’s Sky varies slightly depending on what device you play on, and doesn’t always include optional add-ons or day-one patches you’ll need to download to play online. PC (Steam/Epic Games Store) users can expect a base install size of roughly 22GB, with an extra 6GB if you opt for the high-resolution texture pack designed for 4K displays. PlayStation 5 players will need around 18GB for the base game, while the PlayStation 4 version sits at roughly 16GB.
Xbox Series X/S installs take up around 19GB of space, and the Xbox One version is just under 17GB. Nintendo Switch players get the smallest install size at just 12GB, though that comes with minor graphical downgrades to fit the portable console’s hardware limits. All of these sizes include the latest free updates from Hello Games as of 2024, so you won’t have to download dozens of extra GB after your initial install. If you buy a physical copy of the game, you’ll still need to download a small 1-2GB patch to access online features, even if the disc has most of the base game data.
Factors That Increase No Man’s Sky File Size Over Time
If you installed No Man’s Sky years ago and notice it’s taking up way more space than the base numbers we listed, you’re not imagining things. The biggest reason for size growth is free content updates that Hello Games releases every few months. Unlike most live service games that lock new content behind paid expansions, every No Man’s Sky update is free for all players, and each one adds new planets, creatures, gameplay mechanics, and story content that adds to the total file size.
PC players also have to account for mods, which can add a huge amount of extra space if you use large overhaul packs. Graphic modification mods like 4K texture packs, weather overhauls, and new ship models can easily add 10GB or more to your total install size, even if you only use a handful of them. Temporary cache files from multiplayer sessions and old update installers can also take up a few extra GB of space over time if you don’t clear them out regularly. You don’t have to worry about save files taking up much space, though—even a 100-hour save file is usually less than 100MB in total.
Practical Tips to Reduce No Man’s Sky Storage Footprint
You don’t have to delete half your game library to make room for No Man’s Sky, even if you’re tight on storage. We’ve tested these simple tweaks to cut down the game’s size without ruining your play experience:
Console players have fewer options to reduce base game size, but you can still free up extra space by deleting old gameplay clips, screenshots, and unused saved files you don’t need anymore. If you still don’t have enough space after trying these tweaks, you can move the game to an external SSD without noticing any performance drops on modern consoles or PC. No Man’s Sky doesn’t require super fast load speeds to run well, so even a low-cost external drive will work perfectly. Just avoid using a standard HDD if you can, as slower drives can lead to longer load times when you warp between planets.
What Happens If You Don’t Have Enough Storage for No Man’s Sky?
It’s tempting to just hit install even if your storage is almost full, but that can lead to a lot of annoying issues down the line. The most common problem is failed installations, where the download stops halfway through and you have to restart the whole process, wasting bandwidth and time. Even if you do get it installed, a lack of free space can cause frequent crashes, stuttering during gameplay, and corrupted save files if the game can’t write new data to your drive. I learned this the hard way a few years ago when I tried to fit the game on a nearly full PS4 drive, and lost 20 hours of progress when my save file corrupted mid-session.
You’ll also run into issues when new updates release, as most updates require a few extra GB of temporary space to install properly, even if the update itself is only a few hundred MB. So you don’t just need enough space for the base game, you should leave at least 5GB of extra free space on your drive to account for future updates and temporary files. That extra space also helps the game run smoother overall, so it’s worth making room for even if you can just barely fit the base install. If you’re really tight on space, you can always uninstall the game after you finish a playthrough and reinstall it later—your save files will stay stored on your platform’s cloud storage, so you won’t lose any progress.
No Man’s Sky’s file size is surprisingly small for a game that offers thousands of hours of gameplay, infinite planets to explore, and constant free content updates. The exact size will vary based on your platform and any add-ons you install, but you can expect to need between 12GB and 30GB of total space depending on your setup. Now that you know exactly how many gigabytes is No Man's Sky, you can clear the right amount of storage, avoid installation headaches, and jump straight into exploring the universe whenever you want.
