The latest update for Fortnite is a hulking 27GB download, reducing the game’s size for PC players by over 60GB.
It’s normal for games to swell in size as our technological capabilities expand and demand larger and larger chunks of storage space. However, with some games approaching or surpassing the 100GB mark, some players have been finding themselves running into issues, such as fitting them onto smaller solid state drives.
Lately, it seems like the developers of some of these behemoths have been taking notice. For example, Infinity Ward has recently given players the option of uninstalling portions of Call of Duty: Warzone in order to reduce its staggering 250GB install size. Now, Epic is following suit with Fortnite.
In an announcement on Twitter, Epic forewarned players that update v14.40 would be larger than usual for PC players, weighing in at a substantial 27GB, but would reduce Fortnite‘s overall size by about 60GB, down from 90GB. Epic has also promised that this reduction would help to decrease load times thanks to its more efficient storage.
Culling two thirds of a game’s file size is no small feat. Internet speculators have been doing their thing, suggesting (among other things) that Epic has culled a massive amount of duplicated, superfluous content that Fortnite has accumulated over its years of content additions.
Of note is the promise that Fortnite updates will be smaller in future, a blessing for those struggling with slower download speeds or – heaven forbid – data caps.
Regardless of your internet-based means, freeing up an additional 60GB of storage space is a pleasant surprise, and it looks like you’ll be able to get into the game quicker than ever. At the very least, it’s good to see developers taking the needs of its community members seriously.
Please note the patch size will be larger than normal on PC (approx. 27 GB). This is to make optimizations on PC resulting in a massively reduced Fortnite file size (over 60 GB smaller), smaller downloads for future patches, and improved loading performance.
— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) October 20, 2020
