Sea of Thieves is getting a major storage optimization that will substantially reduce how much space the game occupies on PCs and consoles. The biggest improvement will apply to versions containing 4K assets, where the installation size is expected to fall by at least 50 percent.
The game currently requires more than 130 GB of storage on PC and Xbox. Its size has steadily increased as years of new seasons, locations, activities and other content have been added.
The development team says storage requirements have become a frequent concern among players, prompting work on a redesigned installation package.
4K Installations Will See the Largest Reduction
PC and Xbox Series X installations containing 4K assets will receive the biggest savings. Their total installation size is expected to shrink by at least half.
If a current installation is around 130 GB, a 50 percent reduction could potentially bring it close to 65 GB. The final size may differ because an exact figure has not yet been announced.
Versions that do not use the full 4K asset package will also become smaller. These installations are expected to receive a reduction of around 30 percent.
PlayStation 5 is targeting a similar 30 percent decrease. The goal is to bring its storage requirements closer to those of the other platforms after optimization.
┌──────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┐
│ Platform or version │ Planned storage reduction │
├──────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────┤
│ PC with 4K assets │ At least 50 percent │
│ Xbox Series X │ At least 50 percent │
│ Non 4K installations │ Around 30 percent │
│ PlayStation 5 │ Around 30 percent │
└──────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────┘
The new installation packages will first be tested through the game's Insider program. This gives the development team an opportunity to identify technical problems before the optimized version reaches everyone.
There is one important inconvenience. Existing players will need to download the entire game again when the change arrives.
That could mean a large download for anyone with slower internet service or a limited monthly data allowance. Once the process is complete, however, the smaller installation should free a significant amount of storage.
Future updates are also expected to become smaller following the restructuring. This could be particularly useful for a game that continues to receive regular content additions.
Storage Has Become a Bigger Issue for Long Running Games
Sea of Thieves has been receiving new content for many years, and long running games often accumulate increasingly large installations. High resolution textures, additional environments, audio files and other assets can gradually push storage requirements upward.
Reducing the installation without removing major content can therefore make the game easier to keep installed alongside other large releases.
A saving of roughly 60 GB or more on 4K installations would be meaningful on consoles where internal SSD space is limited. It could provide enough room for another large game without requiring players to remove Sea of Thieves.
The optimization also arrives during a period when storage upgrades and other PC components have become more expensive in some markets, making efficient use of existing hardware increasingly useful.
The developers have not provided a final release date or exact post update installation size yet. Testing through the Insider program will take place first, followed by a wider rollout once the new packages are considered stable.
For regular players, the initial full download will be the main drawback. After that, Sea of Thieves should require considerably less space while continuing to receive new updates.
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