If you’ve ever stared at your PS5 storage bar turning red while waiting to download the latest Apex Legends update, you’ve probably asked how big is Apex Legends PS5, and if you even have space left to play. I’ve been there too — last season I had to delete my entire saved playthrough of a single-player RPG just to squeeze in the Warriors collection event patch, and it stung. The file size of Apex on PS5 isn’t static, though, and it changes pretty often with new content drops, balance patches, and limited-time events. This guide breaks down exactly what you can expect for current file sizes, what takes up the most space, and how you can avoid deleting the games you don’t want to lose just to play a few rounds of ranked.
How Big is Apex Legends PS5 Right Now, Exactly?
The size of your install will vary a little based on your region, enabled language packs, and how long you’ve had the game installed, but there’s a pretty consistent baseline for fresh installs. As of the latest season, a clean Apex Legends PS5 install sits between 83GB and 87GB for players using only one language and default settings. That’s roughly 25GB bigger than the PS4 backwards compatible version of the game, and for good reason.
The PS5 native version includes a ton of next-gen exclusive features that add to the file size, including 4K texture packs, 3D audio profiles, adaptive trigger and haptic feedback settings for every weapon, and higher resolution map assets. I’ve tested both the backwards compatible and native PS5 versions, and the extra 25GB is absolutely worth it for the smoother 60fps gameplay and faster load times alone.
If you’ve had the game installed for multiple seasons, you might see your file size creep up to 95GB or even higher. That’s totally normal, and it happens because automatic updates add new content without always removing old, unused files from past events or patches. We’ll cover how to fix that later in the guide.
What Contributes to Apex Legends PS5 File Size Growth?
It can feel like the game gets bigger every time you turn on your console, and that’s not far from the truth. Respawn adds new content to Apex every few weeks, and almost all of it adds to your total install size. The biggest contributors to size growth are:
- Seasonal map updates and new playable character assets, which can add 3GB to 8GB per new season launch
- Limited-time event content, including cosmetic skins, game mode maps, and themed voice lines that are often left installed even after the event ends
- High-resolution texture packs and next-gen exclusive features like 3D audio, adaptive trigger profiles, and 4K UI assets that are not included in the PS4 backwards compatible version
- Optional language and region packs that you may have enabled by default during your first install
You don’t have to keep all extra language packs installed if you only play in one language — removing them can free up 2GB to 4GB immediately with no impact on your gameplay experience. I cleared out 3GB of unused French and Spanish language packs last month and didn’t notice any difference other than having extra space for a new indie game I wanted to try.
Respawn rarely removes old event assets, even if they don’t plan to rerun the event, so the file size will almost always go up over time unless you do a periodic clean reinstall of the game. You don’t have to worry about losing any progress when you do this, since all your skins, rank progress, and battle pass unlocks are saved to your EA account, not your local console storage.
How to Reduce Apex Legends PS5 Storage Footprint Without Breaking the Game
You don’t have to accept a 100GB+ install size if you’re short on storage. There are a few simple, safe tweaks you can make to cut down the size without losing any of the features you care about.
A clean reinstall of Apex Legends can cut your file size by 10GB or more, because it removes all leftover unused event assets and outdated patch files that accumulate over months of automatic updates. It takes between 1 and 3 hours to reinstall depending on your internet speed, and it’s the most effective way to shrink your install size fast. I was nervous to do this last season, but it took less than 90 minutes on my fiber connection, and I gained 11GB of space instantly with no loss of my battle pass skins or rank progress.
If you don’t play on a 4K display, you can disable the 4K texture pack in the game’s settings to free up another 6GB to 8GB of space without any noticeable drop in visual quality for 1080p or 1440p setups. The 4K textures only make a visible difference if you’re playing on a 4K TV, so there’s no reason to keep them installed if you use a smaller monitor.
You can also move the entire Apex install to an external USB 3.1 SSD if you have extra space on one. The PS5 lets you run native PS5 games from external SSDs with almost identical load times to internal storage, so you don’t have to sacrifice performance to free up internal space for other games. Just make sure you don’t use a regular HDD for Apex — load times will be drastically slower, and you’ll spend more time waiting in lobbies than actually playing.
Expected Future Size Changes for Apex Legends PS5
Apex has been running for over 5 years now, and Respawn shows no signs of slowing down on new content releases. You can expect the base install size to grow by 3GB to 8GB every new season, and an extra 1GB to 3GB for every limited-time event in between. That means the total install size will likely hit 100GB by the end of the next year, even with periodic clean reinstalls.
If you plan to play Apex long term, it’s a good idea to reserve at least 120GB of internal or external SSD space for the game and future updates, so you don’t get stuck waiting to install a patch right before a ranked grind session with friends. Respawn has mentioned working on file size optimization in future patches, but you shouldn’t expect any massive drops in size, since new content will keep coming every few weeks.
If you only play casual modes occasionally, you can easily keep the install size under 80GB by disabling the 4K texture pack, removing extra language packs, and doing a clean reinstall once every 2 seasons. That’s small enough to fit on even the base 667GB PS5 internal drive alongside 3 or 4 other big games, so you don’t have to choose between Apex and other titles you love.
At the end of the day, asking how big is Apex Legends PS5 only gives you a snapshot of the current size, since it will keep growing as new content drops every few months. The good news is you don’t have to sacrifice other games to keep Apex installed, with a few simple tweaks to remove unused assets and optimize your install. Whether you’re a casual player who jumps in for a few matches a week, or a hardcore ranked grinder who plays every day, you can adjust the install size to fit your storage needs without losing any of the features that make the game fun. Next time you see that storage bar turning red, you won’t have to panic delete your favorite single player game to get back into the arena.