Arc Raiders is almost here, and storage planning is the one thing you can do before the servers go live. The final install footprint hasn’t been locked down yet, but there’s enough test data to set realistic expectations and avoid last‑minute drive cleanup.
Arc Raiders download size: what to expect
Recent builds suggest a modest footprint for a modern multiplayer shooter. Multiple playtests have hovered around the mid‑20s to mid‑30s in gigabytes for the download itself, with a larger on‑disk size once decompressed.
| Build/state | Download size | Installed size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam playtest (PC) | ~26.34 GiB | ~32.17 GiB | Representative of a recent public test build |
| Other test builds | ~23–35 GB | Varies | Ranged across earlier sessions |
| Full release | TBD | TBD | Plan for 50–60 GB free space to cover patches |
Community expectations cluster around a 40–60 GB installed footprint once day‑one content lands, with some more conservative advice to keep roughly 60 GB free. Outlier chatter puts an upper bound well under 100 GB.
Arc Raiders preload and release timing
- Release date: October 30, 2025
- Preload: October 28, 2025 at 10 a.m. BST / 11 a.m. CEST for PlayStation 5 and via PC storefronts that support preloads
- No early‑access window is planned
If you’re aiming to play immediately at launch, start the preload the moment it opens on your platform. That cushion matters if a day‑one update lands alongside the base download.
How much free space to reserve
A practical target is 50–60 GB of free space on the drive where you’ll install Arc Raiders. That budget covers a ~25–35 GB initial download, decompression overhead during install, and room for a launch‑day patch without shuffling files.
Tip: Leave extra headroom if your drive is near capacity. Windows updates, shader cache growth, and background downloads can temporarily push usage higher during install.
PC requirements that set expectations
On PC, the current requirement set points to mid‑range modern hardware and DirectX 12, which aligns with the download sizes seen in testing rather than a sprawling install footprint.
| Requirement | Spec (PC) |
|---|---|
| Memory | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, or Intel Arc B570 |
| DirectX | Version 12 |
| Network | Broadband connection |
You can wishlist or purchase from the official PC listing, and start the download there once preload is available on that storefront: Arc Raiders on Steam.
Why your numbers may not match
Download size and installed size rarely match. Stores fetch a compressed build; installation expands those files on disk. Day‑one patches often apply by downloading only changed chunks, which can briefly require enough free space for both old and new data before cleanup. Platform‑level compression and shader precompilation can also move the needle by a few gigabytes.
Bottom line: expect a download roughly in the 25–35 GB range based on test builds, with an installed footprint likely landing between 40 and 60 GB once launch‑day updates are factored in. Preload opens October 28, and the game launches October 30. Set aside the space now so you can dive in as soon as the servers light up.
