With Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War set to launch in just a couple of weeks time, Activision has pulled the curtain back on the game's requirements for PC players. The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War PC requirements are about what players expect, though the game's file size is turning heads. Those looking to play Black Ops Cold War on PC at ultra RTX settings will need a staggering 250GB of space.
Those that are going to play Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War at regular settings will still need a minimum of 175GB of space. Clearly, the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War file size is going to be just as massive, if not bigger, than the Modern Warfare file size, and that's likely to drum up some controversy among fans. On the bright side, though, Activision is giving players some options to lower Black Ops Cold War's file size.
Like Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War gives players the option to only install certain parts of the game. So if players just want to play Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's multiplayer mode, then the minimum space required is 50GB. This will be a viable solution to some, but others will want access to the campaign and Zombies modes that they are paying for as well.
Over time, it's possible that Activision will work to actually lower Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's overall file size. This has been done with Modern Warfare, and so it's certainly within the realm of possibility here. Even if the developers manage to reduce Black Ops Cold War's file size, though, it will likely still be quite large, and so fans should prepare to set aside a significant chunk of space for it regardless.
It should be noted that these Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War file sizes only apply to the PC version of the game. Activision has yet to confirm the file sizes for the game on other platforms in an official capacity, though if Modern Warfare is any indication, they will likely be similar in size. Considering this, those picking up the next-generation consoles may want to consider in picking up an SSD storage expansion upgrade sooner rather than later.
It's clear that video game file sizes are only going to continue to grow, so it will be interesting to see how this problem is tackled moving into the next generation of consoles.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War launches November 13 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.