Halo 5: Guardians' day one patch size has been revealed, and it is a necessary download for fans looking to experience all that the sci-fi shooter has to offer on launch.

In response to a fan on Twitter, Josh Holmes, studio head for Halo 5: Guardians, has officially divulged a 9 GB patch size for 343 Industries' forthcoming sequel in Microsoft's long-running FPS franchise. The download is absolutely vital for gamers who wish to partake in the game's multiplayer modes, as it includes all of the multiplayer content and map components for Halo 5.

The fans who plan on purchasing the a physical copy of Halo 5 when it releases will need to download the patch before playing. Owners of the digital iteration ought to have the update set for pre-load, which brings the full size of the title to a rather hefty 55 GB.

About a week ago, some copies of Halo 5: Guardians hit the streets early, and their box art revealed that Xbox One owners would need to free up 60 GB of hard drive space in order to install the game. However, with Halo 5's studio head now confirming the actual size of the patch, it seems as if the memory required is a little bit less than the advance copies suggested.

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The rather substantial portions of Halo 5's patch and overall download size shouldn't really come as much of a surprise to anyone. After all, as current-gen games become more detailed and complex, fans should expect releases' memory requirements to expand, and Halo 5 is an example of such growth.

For starters, the upcoming entry in the Halo franchise will have a campaign length that's double that of its predecessor in Halo 4. Not to mention, since its developers understand that multiplayer will be one of the main draws for players, 343 Industries have beefed up a lot of the online offerings, with one component being a new Warzone map that's the largest ever in Halo history.

With Halo 5's release date a little more than a week away, fans who are lacking extra storage space should start making room for Master Chief and Agent Locke as soon as possible, especially with the game's download size being so large. And considering the size of the day one patch, developers have hopefully included all of the necessary elements required to ensure a smooth, bug-free launch once the title officially goes on sale.

Halo 5: Guardians is set to drop on October 27, 2015, exclusively for Xbox One.

Source: Josh Holmes – Twitter (via VG 24/7)