You know the drill. You sit down, grab a drink, fire up the console, and there it is. The "Copying Update File" bar or the dreaded "Calculating" screen that basically tells you that you aren't playing for at least an hour. Honestly, checking the COD update today size has become a weekly ritual for Call of Duty players, right up there with complaining about the meta or wondering why your favorite map isn't in the rotation.
Today's update isn't just a tiny hotfix.
If you're on PlayStation 5, expect a different headache than the person on PC. It’s weird how that works. Activision has been trying to "optimize" file sizes for years, but let's be real—Call of Duty still eats SSDs for breakfast. We are looking at a substantial patch that touches everything from the Warzone map data to the latest Season 1 Reloaded tweaks in Black Ops 6.
Why Today's Update Size Varies So Much
Size is relative. Seriously.
The COD update today size depends entirely on your platform and whether or not you have the full suite of files installed. If you’ve got the Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies all sitting on your drive, you're looking at a much heavier download than the guy who only plays Warzone. On the Xbox Series X, the architecture handles file overwriting differently than the PS5’s Kraken compression system.
Usually, the PS5 download might look smaller initially, but it needs a massive amount of "free space" to actually install the patch because of how Sony handles the copying process. It's annoying. You might have 50GB free, try to download a 15GB patch, and the console says "Nope." You have to delete a whole other game just to make room for a patch that doesn't actually add that much net weight to the total.
On PC, via Battle.net or Steam, it’s a whole different animal. Steam is generally better at patching specific files, but the "pre-allocation" phase can make it feel like it’s taking forever.
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Breaking Down the Numbers
For the mid-season refresh we are seeing today, the numbers are hovering in these ranges:
- PlayStation 5: Roughly 18GB to 22GB.
- Xbox Series X/S: Closer to 25GB, mostly due to how Microsoft packages the delivery.
- PC (Battle.net/Steam): Around 20GB, though this can balloon if you haven't updated in a few weeks.
- PlayStation 4/Xbox One: Usually slightly smaller because they aren't downloading high-res 4K assets, but the install time is abysmal because of those old mechanical hard drives or slower SATA SSDs.
What is Actually Inside This Download?
Why is it so big? It’s not just "bug fixes."
Activision is pushing new assets for the upcoming mid-season event. This includes new operator skins that haven't been released yet, weapon blueprints, and potentially map changes for Urzikstan or Area 99. Even if you don't buy the skins, you have to download them. Why? Because if another player in your lobby is wearing a neon-pink bunny suit, your game needs to know how to render it. You are basically paying for their cosmetics with your hard drive space.
There are also significant balancing changes. The developers at Treyarch and Raven Software have been tweaking the "Omnimovement" system to address some clipping issues people found in the more vertical areas of the maps.
We’re also seeing the "re-addition" of certain legacy assets. Sometimes, a COD update today size is large because they are replacing old, buggy files with "cleaner" versions. It's like replacing a dented car door instead of just buffing out the scratch. It’s faster for the engine to read, but a pain for your data cap.
The Secret to Managing Your Storage
Look, you don't need the 2024 Campaign installed anymore. You just don't.
One of the best things you can do right now is head into the "Manage Files" section of the COD HQ menu. Most people forget this exists. You can manually uninstall the Campaign and even the "Special Ops" or "Zombies" modules if you aren't touching them. This can shave 60GB to 100GB off your total footprint.
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The "COD HQ" launcher is a bit of a mess, let's be honest. It tries to act as a hub for everything, but it often leads to "file bloat." By stripping it down to just the essentials—Multiplayer and Warzone—you make these daily or weekly updates much less of a chore.
Does Internet Speed Actually Matter?
Well, yeah. But only to a point.
Even if you have gigabit fiber, you're at the mercy of the Battle.net or PSN servers. During a major launch window, those servers are getting hammered. If you see your download speed crawling at 5mbps despite having a great connection, it's not you. It's them. Pro tip: pause and resume the download. Kinda sounds like an old-school fix, but it actually works sometimes by re-routing your connection to a less congested server.
Dealing With the "Update Required" Loop
We’ve all been there. You finish the download, the game restarts, and then it says "Update Required" again.
This usually happens when the "COD HQ" doesn't sync correctly with the individual game modules. If you're stuck in this loop today, the best move is to clear your console cache or "Verify Integrity of Game Files" on Steam. It’s a bit of a "have you tried turning it off and on again" solution, but in the world of Call of Duty's complex file architecture, it’s often the only way out.
Why Call of Duty Can't Stay Small
People always ask why a shooter takes up more space than a massive open-world RPG like The Witcher or Elden Ring.
It’s the textures.
Call of Duty uses incredibly high-resolution photogrammetry. Every brick, every gun attachment, and every blade of grass is designed to look crisp at 4K. When you have hundreds of these assets, it adds up. Plus, the audio files are uncompressed to save on CPU usage. Modern CPUs are fast, but decompressing high-quality audio on the fly can cause frame drops, so the devs just leave the files "fat" to keep the game running smooth.
It’s a trade-off. You get 120fps and low latency, but you lose your entire storage drive.
Immediate Steps to Get Back in the Game
Don't just sit there staring at the progress bar.
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- Check your "Manage Files" menu immediately and delete the "Content Packs" you haven't touched in a month.
- If you're on a metered connection, maybe wait until off-peak hours; these 20GB+ updates will eat through a data cap fast.
- Hard-wire your connection with an Ethernet cable for the duration of the update. Wi-Fi is great for playing, but it's inconsistent for downloading massive chunks of data.
- Make sure you have at least double the COD update today size in free space. If the update is 20GB, aim for 40GB free.
The update is live now across all regions. Grab your controller, start the download, and maybe go for a walk while the "Copying" bar does its thing. You’ll be sliding and diving again soon enough.
Actionable Insights for Storage Management
Stop letting Call of Duty own your entire SSD. Open the "Settings" menu inside the game, navigate to "Account & Network," and look for "Textured Streaming." Turning this off or setting it to "Minimal" can prevent the game from constantly downloading high-res assets in the background, which might save you from some "micro-updates" later in the week. Also, periodically check for "orphan files" if you’re on PC—sometimes old Beta files or trial weekend data stay tucked away in folders, eating up space for no reason. Delete them. Stay lean, stay fast, and keep that storage space ready for the next inevitably massive patch.