Phantom Blade Zero PC Pre-Load Demands a Whopping 300GB

Planning to pre-load Phantom Blade Zero on PC? You might need to clear out a lot more than you expected. The developer, S-Game, has just dropped the final PC system requirements, and while most of the specs are pretty reasonable, there's one number that's raising eyebrows: they're telling players to "reserve at least 300GB of free disk space" for the pre-load process.

The game itself is approximately 145GB, which is already on the hefty side—about par for the course with today's storage-hungry releases. But 300GB? That's double the install size, and it's a terrifying amount of space for any studio to recommend. Even factoring in compression and the install process, it's a lot to ask. So if you're planning to dive in on day one, you might want to start deleting some old games now.

The good news is that the rest of the system requirements are surprisingly tame. You'll need 16GB of RAM, an Intel i5-10600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, and an Nvidia RTX 3060 or equivalent for 1440p gaming. S-Game also advises updating your GPU drivers and installing the game on an SSD—standard stuff, but worth keeping in mind.

And honestly, Phantom Blade Zero might just be worth clearing that space for. Our review calls this kung fu epic "a GOTY contender with combat that looks as good as it feels." It's not just us, either—the game's Metacritic score puts it ahead of Capcom's Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Koei Tecmo's Nioh 3, both of which are excellent action games in their own right. Plus, the PC version is a solid port, which is always a relief.

I've only put about 12 hours into Phantom Blade Zero myself (on PS5, where it also runs well), but I can already tell it's going to rank highly on my personal Game of the Year list. I spent most of this weekend playing and was reluctant to put it down come Sunday night. Having sampled it at demos and developer interviews before release, I had a good feeling about it—and the full game absolutely delivers, even if it does demand a harrowing percentage of your SSD.

So, will you be making room for Phantom Blade Zero? And what's the largest amount of space you've ever cleared for a game? Let us know in the comments!