How to free up space for GTA 6 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S

You need about 275 GB free on PS5 or Series X and 209 GB on Series S. These steps find the space, biggest and safest wins first, without re-downloading anything you want to keep.

Check your console

Before you delete anything

Check the calculator first: it tells you how many GB you are short, so you can stop at one game instead of clearing the whole drive. Game saves survive deletion on both consoles; they live separately from the game files and sync to the cloud on Xbox and, with PS Plus, on PlayStation. What you lose by deleting a game is the time to download it again, which is why moving games to a USB drive is the better option for anything you will play later.

How to free up space on PS5 for GTA 6

Find what takes the space, remove what you do not need, then move or add storage. The quickest wins come first.

  1. See what is using your PS5 storage

    Settings › Storage › Console Storage

    The storage screen shows free space at the top and a breakdown by Games and Apps, Media Gallery, Saved Data and Other. Sort Games and Apps by size to find the largest games.

  2. Delete games you are not playing this month

    Settings › Storage › Console Storage › Games and Apps › Delete

    Saves stay on the console, and in the cloud with PS Plus, so a deleted game comes back where you left it after a new download. Check the calculator after each deletion to see how much more you need.

  3. Remove PS4 versions you also own on PS5

    Game Library › select the game › Delete the PS4 version

    Some cross-gen games install both versions. If you play the PS5 version, delete the PS4 one.

  4. Uninstall parts of games

    Game Library › select the game › Manage Game Content

    Some games let you remove modes or language packs separately. On PS5, GTA V and GTA Online install as separate games, so you can remove the one you do not play.

  5. Clear captures

    Media Gallery › select clips › Delete

    4K clips take a lot of space. Upload the ones you want to keep to the PlayStation App, or copy them to a USB drive, before you delete them.

  6. Move games to a USB drive instead of deleting them

    Settings › Storage › Console Storage › Games and Apps › Items You Can Move › Move to USB Extended Storage

    PS5 games can be stored on any USB 3.0 drive of 250 GB or more and moved back in minutes, which is faster than downloading them again. They cannot be played from USB; PS4 games can.

  7. Add an M.2 SSD

    Power off › remove the side panel › install the drive › Format in Settings

    A 1–2 TB PCIe Gen4 drive with a heatsink gives you room for GTA 6 and several other large games, and games run from it at full speed. Our PS5 SSD guide lists the requirements and drives that meet them.

How to free up space on Xbox Series X|S for GTA 6

Steps for Series X and Series S, including the built-in tool that lists games you have not played recently.

  1. Check free space

    Settings › System › Storage devices

    Each drive shows used and free space. A 512 GB Series S shows far less than 512 GB, because the system keeps part of the drive.

  2. Run the Free up space tool

    My games & apps › Manage › Free up space

    Xbox lists games you have not played recently and games with uninstalled or unused content. Pick what to remove in one pass.

  3. Uninstall parts of games

    My games & apps › select the game › Manage game and add-ons

    Some games split the campaign, multiplayer and high-resolution texture packs into separate parts. Removing the parts you do not play frees space and keeps the rest of the game.

  4. Remove the wrong generation of a game

    Manage game and add-ons › Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S version

    If both the Xbox One and the Series X|S build are installed, keep only the one you play.

  5. Delete captures stored on the console

    Capture & share › Recent captures › Manage

    Captures can be uploaded to Xbox network storage or OneDrive first, then removed locally.

  6. Move games to a USB drive

    Manage game and add-ons › Move all › choose the USB drive

    Series X|S optimized games can be stored on a USB 3.1 drive (128 GB or bigger) and copied back when you want them. They only play from the internal SSD or an expansion card, so the USB drive holds games but cannot run them.

  7. Add a storage expansion card

    Plug the card into the slot on the back › it is ready immediately

    Seagate and WD_BLACK C50 cards (512 GB–2 TB) run Series X|S games as fast as the internal drive. Our Xbox storage guide covers both.

Still short? Add storage

Best SSD for PS5Xbox storage expansion