If you’ve been eyeing Apex Legends as your next go-to battle royale but are short on space on your gaming PC, you’ve probably asked how big is Apex Legends on PC before hitting download. Respawn Entertainment’s fast-paced hero shooter has evolved a lot since its 2019 launch, with new legends, maps, game modes, and seasonal content adding to its file size every few months. Many new players are surprised to find it takes up more space than older AAA titles, but that size comes with a ton of free content you won’t have to pay extra for. We’ve pulled the latest install numbers, plus context on what contributes to the size, how to reduce it if you’re tight on space, and what specs you need to run it without lag.
How Big is Apex Legends on PC: Base Install and Seasonal Update Sizes
If you’re downloading the game for the first time right now, you can expect the base install to clock in at roughly 85 GB on both Steam and the EA App as of the latest season, which aligns with most official estimates of how big is Apex Legends on PC for standard play. Players who opt into the optional high-resolution 4K texture pack will see that number jump to around 95 GB total. Steam installs are usually 2-3 GB smaller than EA App installs thanks to more efficient file compression, but the difference is negligible for most users.
Each seasonal update, which drops roughly every three months, adds between 5 and 15 GB of new content to the total install size. For example, the Season 19 map overhaul added nearly 12 GB of new files, including updated map textures, new story content, and additional legend voice lines. Smaller mid-season patches usually add 1-3 GB of extra space for bug fixes, limited time mode content, and new cosmetic items. You should always leave at least 15 GB of extra free space on your drive after installing the game to avoid update failures, as the client needs temporary storage to unpack and install new files before deleting old ones.
What Contributes to Apex Legends’ Large PC File Size
It’s easy to complain about a near 100 GB install size for a free-to-play game, but nearly every part of that file count is tied to content you get access to for no extra cost. Unlike many paid AAA titles that lock maps, characters, or game modes behind DLC purchases, every core part of Apex Legends is available to all players for free, regardless of whether they buy the battle pass or not. The biggest contributors to the large file size break down to a few key categories:
- High-resolution texture packs for 1080p, 1440p and 4K gameplay, which take up nearly 30 GB of the total install size
- Full map files for all permanent and rotating game modes, including older maps that return for limited time events
- Voice acting, sound effects, and cinematic cutscenes for ongoing seasonal storylines and legend backstories
- Full cosmetic libraries for all legends, weapons, and banner items, even if you don’t own the paid battle pass tiers
You might wonder why Respawn doesn’t just delete old content to keep the file size smaller. The short answer is that they bring back old maps, modes, and cosmetics on a regular basis for events, so storing those files permanently means you don’t have to re-download 10+ GB of content every time a limited time event launches. Unlike many other live service games, Apex Legends does not remove old content to save space, so every new season adds to the total file size over time.
How to Reduce Apex Legends’ PC File Size Without Breaking Performance
If you’re working with limited drive space, you don’t have to delete other games just to fit Apex Legends on your PC. There are a few safe, official ways to cut the install size without risking performance issues or account bans. The biggest and easiest change is to uninstall the optional high-resolution texture pack. If you play on a 1080p monitor or lower, you won’t notice any visual difference without the pack, and it will cut the total install size by 25-30 GB immediately. Uninstalling the optional 4K texture pack is the single fastest way to cut the game’s file size by nearly a third.
If you’re still worried about how big is Apex Legends on PC after cutting the texture pack, you can also disable unused language packs to save an extra 2-5 GB of space. Most players only need one language pack enabled, so deleting the rest is a no-brainer. You can also clear your game cache every 2-3 months to remove leftover temporary files from old updates that the client didn’t delete automatically. This usually frees up 1-3 GB of extra space and can even fix minor performance bugs like stutter or long load times.
It’s important to stick to official, in-client options for reducing file size, though. You should never go into your game files and delete random folders to save space, even if you think they’re unused. Never modify or delete core game files to free up space, as this will trigger anti-cheat flags and may lead to a permanent account ban. If you’ve already cut all optional content and still don’t have enough space, it’s better to upgrade to a larger SSD than risk losing your account.
System Specs You Need to Run Apex Legends Smoothly on PC
Storage space isn’t the only thing you need to run Apex Legends well on PC. Even if you have 100 GB of free space, if your other specs don’t meet the minimum requirements, you’ll deal with lag, stutter, or even be unable to launch the game at all. The official minimum specs for 720p 30fps gameplay are a 64-bit Windows 10 operating system, Intel i3 6300 or AMD FX 4350 CPU, 6 GB of RAM, GTX 670 or Radeon HD 7730 GPU, and a stable 1 Mbps internet connection.
For most players who want 1080p 60fps gameplay on medium to high settings, you’ll want at least an Intel i5 3570K or Ryzen 5 CPU, 8 GB of RAM, and a GTX 970 or Radeon R9 290 GPU. You can play the game on a hard drive if you have to, but load times will be significantly longer and you may experience stutter when loading in new map areas. Installing Apex Legends on an SSD cuts load times by up to 70% and eliminates most in-game stutter when moving between map areas.
If you want to play at 1440p 144fps or 4K 60fps for competitive play or a more immersive experience, you’ll need a higher end build. Aim for at least an Intel i7 8700K or Ryzen 7 CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and an RTX 2070 or RX 6700 XT GPU. You’ll also need a stable internet connection with at least 5 Mbps download speed to avoid lag in online matches, especially in ranked mode where every millisecond counts.
At the end of the day, how big is Apex Legends on PC depends on what content you choose to install and how many seasonal updates have dropped since you first downloaded it. For most players, you can expect it to take up between 70 and 95 GB of space, with room to cut that down significantly if you skip optional high-res texture packs. It’s a larger install than many other free battle royales, but that size comes with constant new content, regular balance updates, and zero mandatory paid DLC to access core game modes. If you have the space to spare, it’s well worth the download for anyone who loves fast-paced, team-focused shooter action.