Why Call Of Duty: Warzone's File Size Is So Big

Call of Duty: Warzone is a very large game in terms of its download size. The standalone Warzone client weighs in at between 80 GB and 100 GB depending on your platform. Even if you already own Modern Warfare, which shares some of the same assets, the download size is still between 15 GB and 22 GB. Many have wondered why the file size is so large, and now Infinity Ward has responded.

Production director Paul Haile said on Twitter that the file size is massive because Warzone includes “a ton of content.” Additionally, Warzone shares progression with Modern Warfare, which means every weapon and character asset from Modern Warfare must also work in Warzone.

Haile said Infinity Ward’s production pipeline could be better, but at the end of the day, Warzone is simply a very large game.

“Just a ton of content,” Haile said in response to an Overwatch developer tweeting about the size of Warzone’s download. “And also in this case since Warzone shares progression with MW every weapon and character asset from MP needs to also work in Warzone. Our pipeline isn’t perfect but even if it was it’s still a mountain of data to ship.”

For new players, the Warzone client download is segmented. The first chunk of the game is 20 GB, and after this is installed, players can take part in offline Gunfight matches against bots to hone their skills.

Warzone is just the latest massive file size for Call of Duty, as Modern Warfare’s Season 2 update could up to 100 GB depending on your platform. Infinity Ward apologized for the huge file size and promised it was improving its production pipeline to offer more space-saving updates in the future.

In other news, the next update for Warzone will make a key change for how kills are credited.