How to Free up Space for GTA VI on PS5 and Xbox

Open your console’s storage screen, move games you aren’t playing to a USB drive, and delete what you can download again. Both consoles show how much each game takes, both let you remove parts of a game, and on both, deleting a game keeps your purchase so you can download it again later.

Not announced Rockstar hasn’t published GTA 6’s install size. Kotaku reported a 210 GB download on PS5, and nothing has been reported for Xbox yet. Analysis Aim for well over that free, so a day one update fits too. The file size guide has the details.

Quick steps

Step	PS5	Xbox Series X\|S
See what’s using space	Settings > Storage	Profile & system > Settings > System > Storage devices
Delete a game	Console Storage > Games and Apps > Delete	Select a drive > Uninstall content > Remove selected
Delete part of a game	Customize, on games that offer it	Manage game and add-ons
Move games instead	Move Games and Apps to USB extended storage	Move or copy to a USB drive
Clear captures	Media Gallery	Captures app > Manage

On PS5

Check what takes up space

Go to Settings > Storage. PlayStation says the console tracks the space used by games, media such as screenshots and clips, and saved data, so you can see which is taking the most.

Delete games you can download again

Go to Settings > Storage > Console Storage > Games and Apps.
Pick a game and select Delete.

PlayStation says deleting a game doesn’t remove your access to it: you can download it again from your game library. You can also manage console storage from the PlayStation App on your phone once it’s linked to your console.

Delete part of a game: some games show Customize next to their name on that screen. It lets you delete pieces you don’t need, such as add-ons you don’t use or parts you’ve finished, and keep playing the rest.

Move PS5 games to a USB drive instead

If you have a USB drive set up as extended storage, move games there rather than deleting them:

Open Game Library from the games home screen.
Highlight a game, press the Options button and choose Move Games and Apps.
Select the games and choose Move.

PlayStation says PS5 games stored on USB can’t be played from it; to play one, copy it back from Game Library > Installed, using Options > Copy. PS4 games can be played straight from USB. The drive needs to be SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps or faster and between 250 GB and 8 TB, and setting it up erases it. Our PS5 storage guide has the setup steps.

To clear space on the USB drive itself, go to Settings > Storage > USB Extended Storage > Games and Apps and use the Delete Content tab.

Clear old screenshots and clips

Open Media Gallery from the games home screen.
To delete one capture, select it to open it full screen and choose Delete.
To clear several, use Select Multiple, which applies one action to all the captures you pick.

To keep a copy first, plug in a USB drive formatted as FAT or exFAT, select a capture and choose More > Copy to USB Drive. PlayStation notes captures copied to USB can’t be copied back to the console. For how capture settings work, see how to record and share GTA 6 clips on PS5.

Saved data

Analysis Saved games take little room next to a big install, so leave them until last. You can clear them in Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings: choose Saved Data (PS5) or Saved Data (PS4), then Upload or Delete from Console Storage. PlayStation says cloud storage for saves needs a PlayStation Plus membership, so upload anything you want to keep before deleting it.

On Xbox Series X|S

Check what takes up space

Press the Xbox button and go to Profile & system > Settings > System > Storage devices.
Each drive shows the percentage used and the space free. Select a drive and choose View contents to see how much each game and app uses.

Uninstall games and add-ons

A whole game: select a drive and choose Uninstall content to reach the Free up space screen, pick the games and select Remove selected.
Part of a game: from View contents, highlight the game, press the Menu button and choose Manage game and add-ons. Select the game in the top right corner, untick the add-ons you want to remove and select Save changes.

Xbox Support says uninstalling keeps your licence and your progress in the cloud, so you lose neither.

Let the console suggest what to remove: go to My games & apps > See all > Manage > Free up space. Xbox’s suggestions can include add-ons whose base game isn’t installed, games installed on more than one drive, and games you can no longer play, such as ones that left Game Pass. You can turn the suggestions off and sort by size or last played instead.

Move games to a USB drive instead

A USB drive needs 128 GB or more and a USB 3.0 or 3.1 connection, and the console formats it the first time.

Go to My games & apps > See all > Games.
Highlight a game, press the Menu button and choose Manage game and add-ons.
Select the game box in the top right corner, then Move or copy.
Tick what to move, pick the USB drive and select Move selected.

Confirmed GTA 6 is listed as Optimized for Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox Support says those games only play from the internal SSD or a Storage Expansion Card. So keep GTA 6 on one of those and move other games out. Our Xbox storage guide covers the card.

Clear local saves

In Profile & system > Settings > System > Storage, Xbox Support lists Clear local saved games and Clear local Xbox 360 storage. Both remove the copies on the console while keeping the ones in the cloud. Analysis Saves rarely take much room, so this is a last resort.

Clear old screenshots and clips

Press the Xbox button and go to My games & apps > See all > Apps > Captures.
Select Manage and tick the captures you want to deal with.
Choose Delete to remove them from the console and the Xbox network, or Copy to external drive or Upload to OneDrive to keep a copy first.

Xbox Support says captures that haven’t been uploaded stay only on the console where you recorded them, so back up any you want before deleting. Captures on the Xbox network may be deleted after 90 days, while ones on OneDrive aren’t. You can also set a USB drive as the capture location: on the Storage devices screen, select it and choose Set as screen capture location.

What to clear first

Analysis A sensible order, from least to most painful:

Games you’ve finished or haven’t played in months: move them to USB if you have a drive, otherwise delete them.
Parts of games you don’t use, through Customize on PS5 or Manage game and add-ons on Xbox.
Old captures, after copying the ones you want to keep.
Saved data, only after uploading it.

Then set up the November 12 preload with our preload and download guide. For the rest of the console checks, see GTA 6 launch day setup.

Common questions

Will I lose my progress if I delete a game?

On Xbox, Xbox Support says your progress stays in the cloud and comes back when you reinstall. On PS5, deleting a game from Games and Apps removes the game itself, while saved data is managed separately under Saved Data and Game/App Settings; PlayStation says cloud saves need PlayStation Plus.

Can I play GTA 6 from a USB drive?

No, on either console. PlayStation says PS5 games must be copied back to console storage or an M.2 SSD to play, and Xbox Support says Optimized for Xbox Series X|S games must be on the internal SSD or a Storage Expansion Card.

Do I have to download a moved game again?

No. Moving it back from the USB drive is a copy within your own setup, not a new download, which Xbox Support notes helps if your internet plan has a data cap.