Why your games take up way more drive space than expected (even when uninstalled)

If your gaming PC or console is struggling with storage, there are some things you want to check.

By Nimrod Aldea Oct. 31, 2026 9:00 am EST Ekkaphan Chimpalee/Getty Images Add Engadget on Google: Google Discover

When the original Tomb Raider came out on PC, it asked for about 100MB of hard drive space. The latest Lara Croft adventure, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, needs 40GB for the base game. That's roughly a 400-fold jump, and plenty of modern games follow the same pattern. Worse, when you uninstall one to make room for the next, some of that data can stay behind.