If you’re getting ready to install League of Legends for the first time, or you’re trying to free up drive space for a new update, you’ve probably asked how much space does league of legends take. I’ve been playing LoL on and off for 8 years, and I’ve seen the install size balloon from just a few gigabytes to something way bigger over the years, especially as Riot adds new champions, game modes, and visual updates. It’s not just the base install you have to worry about either—temporary files, patch downloads, and cached data can eat up extra space you didn’t account for. This guide breaks down exactly what you can expect across every major platform, plus easy fixes if you’re running low on space.
How Much Space Does League of Legends Take By Platform
Exact install sizes vary a little based on your region and the latest patch, but the numbers below are consistent for most users as of the latest game update. For Windows PC, the base install sits at roughly 16GB, but most long-time players will see their folder size sit between 20GB and 25GB once cached data and extra assets are added. Mac installs are slightly larger, with a base size of 17GB and average total size of 22GB to 26GB for regular players.
If you play League of Legends: Wild Rift on mobile or supported consoles, the base install is much smaller at 8GB, with total size usually maxing out at 12GB if you download all extra voice packs and event assets. The Riot Client itself, which runs LoL and other Riot games like Valorant, adds an extra 2GB of space no matter what platform you use. Base install sizes do not include temporary patch files, which can add 3GB to 5GB of extra space while an update is downloading and installing.
I remember a few years ago I tried to update LoL before a ranked game and got an error because I only had 3GB of free space left. I ended up missing the match entirely because I had to delete old games to make room. Don’t make that same mistake. You should always leave at least 10GB of extra free space on your drive to avoid update errors and slow load times.
What Contributes to LoL’s Large File Size
If you’ve ever wondered why the space League of Legends takes keeps going up every year, these factors are the biggest contributors. Riot adds 3 to 5 new champions every year, each with multiple skins, unique animations, voice lines, and ability effects that all take up storage. Rotating game modes, event-specific map skins, and updated visual effects for older champions also add more data to the install folder with every patch.
The biggest space hogs for most LoL installs fall into three main categories:
- Skin and champion asset packs: High resolution skins for new champions and event-exclusive cosmetics make up nearly 60% of the total file size.
- Localization and voice files: Multi-language installs can add up to 4GB of extra voice line and text data you might never use.
- Temporary patch and replay files: Old patch installation files and saved uncompressed replays can sit on your drive for months without being deleted automatically.
Most players don’t realize that Riot doesn’t automatically delete old patch files after an update is complete, so those can build up over time if you don’t clear them manually. If you’ve been playing for 3+ years without a fresh install, your LoL folder could be 10GB bigger than it needs to be. Custom skins, third-party mod files, and saved item build sets can also add extra space you might have forgotten about.
Easy Ways to Reduce League of Legends File Size
You don’t have to delete your entire LoL install to free up space if you use a few simple tricks. First, head to your Riot Client settings and uninstall any language packs you don’t use. Most players only need one language, so deleting extra packs can free up 2GB to 4GB of space almost instantly. You can also turn off automatic replay saving in the LoL in-game settings if you don’t go back and watch old matches. Replays can take up 100MB to 500MB each, so turning that off saves a ton of space over time.
If you play on a lower-end PC that doesn’t support 4K textures, you can also uninstall the high-resolution asset pack through the Riot Client. That cuts the install size by roughly 3GB without impacting your gameplay experience at lower resolutions. You can also run the Riot Client’s repair tool to clear out old temporary patch files and corrupted data that’s taking up extra space. Never delete files manually from your LoL install folder, that can corrupt your game and force you to reinstall the entire thing anyway.
If you’ve tried all these steps and your install is still way bigger than expected, a fresh reinstall is the fastest way to wipe all old unused data. Just make sure you back up your custom item builds and settings before you uninstall so you don’t have to redo all your preferences. Use the Riot Client’s built-in repair tool first if you notice your install size is way bigger than expected, it will clear out unused temporary files automatically in 5 to 10 minutes.
Common Space-Related LoL Installation Issues to Avoid
One of the most common mistakes new players make is installing LoL on their main system drive when it’s already almost full. If your C drive (or main system drive) has less than 10GB of free space left, LoL updates will fail more often, and your entire computer will run slower. If you have a secondary drive with more free space, install LoL there instead to avoid these issues. The game runs just as well on a secondary drive as it does on your main system drive.
You also don’t need to install LoL on an SSD if you don’t have space, though load times will be noticeably faster if you do. The game runs perfectly fine on a traditional HDD, as long as you have enough free space for updates. If you play other Riot games like Valorant or Teamfight Tactics, you don’t have to worry about duplicate files taking up extra space. The Riot Client shares core files between all its games, so you only have one copy of shared assets saved on your drive.
Another common issue is ignoring low space warnings when a new patch is announced. Big event patches like the annual World’s update or the start of a new ranked season can be 4GB to 6GB in size, so you want to make sure you have enough free space a few days before the patch drops. If you wait until the day of the patch to free up space, you might miss out on playing with your friends right when the update goes live.
At the end of the day, how much space does league of legends take depends a lot on what platform you play on, how long you’ve had the game installed, and what extra features you have enabled. A fresh install will almost always be smaller than one you’ve had for years, but you don’t have to wipe your game every few months just to save space if you follow the simple tips we covered. If you’re still running into space issues after clearing old files, it might be time to upgrade to a larger SSD, especially if you play a lot of other big games alongside LoL. You don’t need a ton of extra space for LoL, but leaving a little breathing room will save you a lot of headache when big event patches drop.