The exponential growth in video game file sizes has become a growing concern, especially for those who prefer to play on consoles. The Xbox Series S/X, and most especially the PlayStation 5, comes with relatively small storage spaces at stock. So, when a game comes out that requires at least 100GB, most shudder at the thought. So, you can only imagine just how anxious Xbox Series S/X and PS5 owners are right now when it was revealed that the upcoming basketball sim, NBA 2K24, will consume a whopping 161GB on next-gen consoles.
Starfield, Bethesda Game Studios' latest game that recently enjoyed more than a million players at launch, only requires 126GB on the Xbox Series S/X and 140GB on the PC, and it's a game with thousands of planets for players to explore.
So, what gives? Why is NBA 2K24, which is a game that, as per the eye test, doesn't look as good as Starfield, requiring more storage space?
It's clear that as games become graphically advanced and more feature-rich, their requirements and the space that they occupy are increasing. This phenomenon, while not new, has elicited reactions from the gaming community, especially when juxtaposed with other titles. For example, Madden 24, a popular football game, requires only 51GB, and MLB 23 needs 83GB. Yet, NBA 2K24's size is almost three times larger than FIFA 23 and similar sports titles.