Anyone who’s tried to download a new game and got hit with the “not enough storage” pop-up knows how frustrating that is, right? If you’re getting ready to jump into Summoner’s Rift for the first time, or trying to free up space so you can install the latest patch, you’re probably wondering how many gb league of legends actually takes up. I still remember panicking a few years back when I tried to download the big Arcane crossover patch and got a storage error right as queues popped for ranked. I’ve played LoL on three different devices over the last 7 years, so I’ve dealt with every weird storage quirk the game has to offer, from bloated patch files to random leftover assets that take up extra space for no reason. This guide will break down the exact install size for every platform, what takes up the most space, and how to cut down extra storage usage if you’re running low.
How Many GB Is League of Legends by Platform?
The total storage footprint changes a bit based on what device you use, and whether you download extra optional content. For Windows PC, the base install as of the latest patch sits around 16 GB, but that can jump to 22 GB after you add voice packs, event assets, and saved replay files. That number is for the standard 1080p texture pack, so you’ll have extra space used if you enable higher resolution settings. For Mac users, the install is slightly larger, with a base size of 18 GB that can go up to 24 GB with extra content. The macOS client has extra optimization files that don’t exist on the Windows version, so don’t be surprised if your install is a couple GB larger than a friend’s PC install. If you’re playing the console version of LoL for Xbox or PlayStation, the base install is 20 GB, with an optional 4K texture pack adding another 7 GB if you have a compatible display. Wild Rift, the mobile version of the game, is a separate build that only takes up 3 to 5 GB, but that’s not the full desktop/console experience most players are asking about. Patches usually add 1 to 3 GB of temporary files during download, but Riot automatically cleans up old patch data after a couple weeks, so your install size won’t keep growing infinitely if you leave it alone.
What Takes Up the Most Space in Your LoL Install?
If your install is way larger than the numbers listed above, you’re not alone. I once had my LoL install bloat to 32 GB last year after the Spirit Blossom event, and I didn’t even realize it until I tried to install another game and got a storage error. The biggest culprit of extra space usage is event assets and temporary game modes. Every time Riot runs a big in-game event like Worlds or a new crossover, they add custom maps, exclusive skin previews, voice lines, and cutscenes that stick around long after the event ends. Saved replay files are another huge hidden space drain. If you have auto-save replays turned on, every ranked game you play saves a 10 to 20 MB file to your drive. If you play 10 games a week, that adds up to 1 GB of extra files in just a year, and most players never remember to delete old replays they don’t watch. Extra language voice packs can also take up a ton of space. By default, the game only installs the voice pack for your selected region, but if you ever downloaded extra packs to hear champion lines in other languages, those can take up 2 to 3 GB each. High-resolution texture packs are another easy one to miss: if you enabled 4K textures for a new monitor then switched back to a 1080p display, those large texture files are still sitting on your drive taking up space you don’t need to use.
Easy Tips to Reduce Your LoL Storage Usage
You don’t have to delete your entire install to free up space, there are simple steps you can take to cut down extra bloat without breaking your game settings or losing progress. I use these steps every few months to keep my install size under 20 GB, even after big events.
Common LoL Storage Issues and How to Fix Them
The most common issue new players run into is the client saying they need more storage than the listed install size to download the game. That happens because the download file is compressed, so you need extra space to unpack the files during installation. For example, if the base install is 16 GB, you’ll need at least 22 GB of free space to complete the download and installation process. If you don’t have that, you’ll get repeated error messages even if you have enough space for the final install size. Another common issue is the game taking up way more space than the listed size even after you clean up files. That’s usually caused by leftover files from old betas or test servers you might have installed in the past. If you ever played on the PBE (Public Beta Environment) and uninstalled it incorrectly, those files might still be in your Riot Games folder taking up 10+ GB of space. You can fix that by navigating to your main Riot Games folder and deleting any folders labeled “PBE” or “Test Server” that you don’t use anymore. The last frequent issue is patches failing to install because of low storage. Even if you have enough space for the patch itself, you need 2 to 3 GB of extra temporary space for the patching process, so always keep a little extra free space on your drive if you play LoL regularly. If you keep getting patch errors even with enough space, run the repair tool first to clear out any old temporary files that are blocking the new patch.
At the end of the day, exactly how many gb league of legends takes up depends on your platform, the extra content you have installed, and how long you’ve had the game on your device. For most players, you can expect it to take between 16 and 25 GB of space, with small increases every few months during big events. If you follow the cleanup tips we covered, you can easily keep your install size on the lower end of that range, even if you’ve been playing for years. You don’t need a huge hard drive to play LoL, just a little regular maintenance to keep the storage bloat under control.