For Horizon Forbidden West, the amount of space to reserve depends on the platform and edition. Steam, Nixxes and PlayStation specify 150 GB of SSD space for the PC Complete Edition; a current English Steam install is about 123 GB on disk. The PS5 Complete Edition’s physical box says to allow at least 121 GB. Those are different measures: a download or installed folder can be smaller than the free space an installer needs.
How much space does each version of Horizon Forbidden West need?
Use the table to distinguish the PC free-space requirement from reported console downloads and the PS5 Complete Edition’s printed installation minimum. Console preload figures are historical launch figures, not confirmed live sizes after years of updates.
| Platform and edition | Region or version | Reported size | What the number means |
|---|---|---|---|
| PC Complete Edition | Windows, English | 150 GB; about 123 GB on disk and 97 GB to download | 150 GB is the official SSD free-space requirement; the smaller figures are a Steam install/download snapshot. |
| PS5 standard edition | Version 01.003.000, February 2022 preload | US: 87.608 GB; EU: 98.074 GB; JP: 83.797 GB | Reported digital preload sizes, not a current free-space requirement. |
| PS4 standard edition | EU, version 1.03 preload | 90.243 GB | Reported preload size; no full US/JP comparison is available. |
| PS5 Complete Edition, physical | Two-disc release | At least 121 GB to install | Minimum printed on the physical box, reported in October 2023. |
| Burning Shores expansion | PS5: EU / JP / US | 16.763 GB / 14.921 GB / about 15 GB | Reported 2023 download sizes; the expansion is included in Complete Edition. |
If you need one planning rule rather than a launch-era console figure, keep the official PC allowance or the physical PS5 Complete Edition minimum free, as applicable. A store’s download size is not a promise that the same amount of free space is enough to complete an installation or update.
Why is the PC requirement 150 GB when Steam shows about 123 GB?
The 150 GB figure is the amount of available SSD space the official requirements ask you to have; it is not a claim that the installed English game folder occupies exactly 150 GB. Steam’s listing and Nixxes Software’s support requirements both specify 150 GB SSD space, as does PlayStation’s US PC specification page. Nixxes updated its requirements on 12 March 2026.
Steam 250’s listing, updated 29 October 2026, reports 123 G on disk and 97 G to download, with byte counts of 131,638,726,764 and 104,090,887,152 respectively. In decimal units those are about 131.64 GB on disk and 104.09 GB downloaded; Steam’s rounded “G” display is not the same as a strict decimal conversion. SteamDB’s Windows-and-English figures, excluding DLC depots, are 122.60 GiB on disk and 96.94 GiB to download, broadly consistent with the Steam 250 snapshot.
The difference between the free-space requirement and the observed English install leaves room for installation work and updates. It is safer to meet the stated requirement than to start an install with only the current folder size available: temporary files, patches and other install operations can need additional working space.
What if SteamDB shows a much larger total?
SteamDB’s 173.99 GiB installed and 136.06 GiB download totals count every language depot. That is not the expected footprint of a typical single-language English install. Its English audio depot is listed separately at 2.29 GiB, while other language depots are roughly 2.2–2.4 GiB apiece.
SteamDB also lists a 26.35 GiB DLC depot associated with the DLC app, with a 15.59 GiB download. Steam 250’s 123 G figure matches the English non-DLC filter, and the available figures do not establish whether every Complete Edition owner has that extra depot installed in addition. Do not automatically add the depot’s full size to the Steam figure; check what Steam actually lists as installed in your library.
Does the PC version require an SSD?
Yes. SSD storage is in the official PC requirement, not merely a performance suggestion. Steam, Nixxes and PlayStation specify SSD space, so a spinning hard drive does not meet the stated requirement. The game also requires Windows 10 64-bit version 1909 (Build 18363) or newer, in part because of the DirectX Agility SDK; the listed memory requirement is 16 GB at every graphics tier.
How big is Horizon Forbidden West on PS5?
The most precise public regional comparison in the sources is the February 2022 preload for standard PS5, version 01.003.000. PlayStation Game Size’s figures, relayed by GameSpot and PlayStation LifeStyle, ranged from 83.797 GB in Japan to 98.074 GB in Europe. The spread reflects region-specific builds and language content, so one region’s figure should not be treated as universal.
Those are preload download figures from launch, not a current PlayStation Store free-space field or a guarantee of the size after subsequent updates. No live 2026 PlayStation Store listing with a current GB figure for the standard PS5 game was available in the cited coverage. For the complete game, the clearest conservative published planning number is the Complete Edition’s printed minimum, rather than an old preload measurement.
Why does the Complete Edition come on two discs?
The PS5 Complete Edition includes the base game and Burning Shores, along with digital extras such as the soundtrack, art book, a Horizon Zero Dawn comic and in-game items. A report by MauroNL, covered by Insider Gaming in October 2023, quoted the box as requiring at least 121 GB and shipping on two Blu-ray discs. A single PS5 Ultra HD Blu-ray disc holds up to 100 GB, so the physical package uses two discs while still requiring a substantial installation.
Some coverage rounded the same report to 120 GB. The box figure quoted in the report is 121 GB, so use that when planning storage. It is an installation minimum, not a claim that all later patches or other data will fit within exactly that amount.
How much space does Horizon Forbidden West take on PS4?
The reported PS4 European preload was 90.243 GB for version 1.03. GameSpot described it as about 8 GB smaller than the PS5 EU build; PlayStation LifeStyle rounded it to around 90 GB. A comparable complete US-and-Japan PS4 table was not reported, so the European number should not be applied to every region.
There is no PS4 Complete Edition because Burning Shores is PS5-only. The standalone 2022 PS4 game and the PS5 edition therefore do not provide identical expansion content, regardless of the storage comparison.
How large is Burning Shores, and is it included?
Burning Shores is a PS5-only expansion released on 19 April 2023. PlayStation Game Size’s reported downloads were 16.763 GB in Europe and 14.921 GB in Japan; the US figure was reported as about 15 GB. These are region-specific download figures, not a single universal installed size.
The PS5 Complete Edition already includes the expansion, so owners installing that edition should not add the standalone expansion figure on top as though it were a separate purchase. For players with the expansion separately, PlayStation’s access rule is to finish the main quest through “Singularity” and then return to the Base to interact with an artifact that starts the new adventure. Guerrilla said the expansion skipped PS4 because PS5 could render more distant, detailed vistas; the director also cited a battle scene requiring substantial memory and processing power.
Will it fit on a 1 TB PS5 or a 512 GB Steam Deck?
Capacity printed on a console or handheld is not all available for games. TweakTown cited about 667 GB usable from the PS5’s 825 GB internal SSD after system use; a 121 GB-class Complete Edition installation therefore takes a meaningful share of stock space before other games and updates.
The Steam Deck’s compatibility label is separate from its storage needs. SteamDB reported it as Playable, not Verified, on 7 October 2026 (build 14835813), with manual graphics configuration required. The PC SSD requirement remains the same: 64 GB Deck models cannot accommodate the game, while 256 GB is tight after the operating system and Proton. A 512 GB or 1 TB model is the more realistic starting point, though actual spare room depends on what else is installed.
What can you do if your drive is short on space?
First check free space on the drive that will hold the game, rather than relying on its advertised capacity. On PC, meet the SSD requirement and allow room for the install and updates. On PS5, the standard supported expansion route is an internal M.2 NVMe SSD; an external USB drive can hold games for storage, but PS5 games must be on the console’s internal storage or a compatible M.2 drive to play.
Tom’s Guide reported in August 2026 that PS5 storage can be expanded with an M.2 SSD and cited a PlayStation-recommended 4 TB WD Black NVMe M.2 example listed at $789.99 on Amazon at the time of its article. That is a dated example, not a current guaranteed price or a recommendation that every player needs 4 TB. For a PC with an already-full 512 GB boot drive, moving or adding a 1 TB or 2 TB NVMe SSD is a practical capacity option; verify drive compatibility with the device before buying.
How should you interpret the different storage numbers?
Always identify what a figure measures before comparing it with your available storage. A download is compressed transfer data, an installed size is the files left on the drive, and a free-space requirement is the amount the platform asks you to have available for installation. A physical disc’s capacity is yet another measure; it does not mean the full game runs directly from the disc without a large install.
- For PC planning: use the 150 GB SSD free-space requirement, even though the observed English install and download are smaller.
- For PS5 standard edition: regard the 2022 regional figures as launch preload history, not a current patched size.
- For PS5 Complete Edition: use the box’s 121 GB minimum as a planning floor, and leave additional room for future updates.
- For region comparisons: keep US, EU and JP figures attached to their region; language depots can also change PC totals.
Some older articles cite a 96 GB PS5 estimate. That was a December 2021 pre-release tracker estimate, superseded by the region-specific February 2022 preload figures. It should not be presented as the current official size.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I upgrade the PS4 version of Horizon Forbidden West to PS5?
The PS4 release included a free PS5 upgrade. Be careful when choosing a version from a PS5 storefront: the cited coverage noted that buying the PS4 version there could instead lead to the $70 PS5 SKU.
Why did early reports say Horizon Forbidden West was about 96 GB?
That number came from a December 2021 pre-release tracker estimate, before the game’s February 2022 preload. The later preload figures were reported separately by region and superseded the estimate.
Is Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition available on PS4?
No. The Complete Edition bundles Burning Shores, which is PS5-only, and there is no PS4 Complete Edition.