Fortnite just cut its install size by over 60GB

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The 27GB update brings the bloated deathmatch down to size.

fortnite update
(Image credit: Epic Games)

Somehow, over the past few years, Fortnite has managed to bloat itself into taking up over 90GB of hard drive space. Thankfully, today's update for the oversized battle royale took an axe to that figure, cutting the game's footprint by over two-thirds.

The version 14.40 update for Fortnite arrived earlier this morning, and at 27GB, it's a big one. As Epic explained, however, it sounds like the patch is performing some long-overdue tidying up, dramatically reducing Fortnite's install size with sweeping optimizations to the game's file structure.

I'd recently uninstalled Fortnite to free up some disk space myself. On checking the launcher again the now, it does indeed look like the game now only requires a "mere" 26.3GB download, with a total install size of roughly 31.5GB. The update also plans to improve loading times and ensure that future updates should be a whole lot less taxing.

Fortnite wasn't always so massive, mind. Back in 2018, Epic's fresh-faced battle royale only took up a paltry 18GB of drive space. But it seems years of drastic map updates and countless new outfits, gliders and assorted cosmetics had ballooned the game's footprint to a frankly daft size, considering the game's single murder island.

Regardless, it's welcome news both for those of us with limited disk space and capped download speeds. Reckon it's time Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare took the hint?

Natalie Clayton
Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.