Research-based guide. Install sizes come from publishers’ requirements and the sources linked, and the capacity table is our own arithmetic, not a measurement. No affiliate links.
The short answer
Quick answer
- For most PC gamers in 2026, 1TB is the sensible starting capacity. Two of this autumn’s biggest PC releases, Modern Warfare 4 and Gears of War: E-Day, each list 115GB on an SSD.
- A 512GB drive holds Windows plus about two games of that size once you keep some space free. A 2TB drive suits three or more big titles installed at once.
- Both games require an SSD, so a hard drive will not do for them.
- NAND contract prices are forecast to rise another 15 to 20 percent in the fourth quarter (TrendForce, via Tech Insider), so buy the capacity you will use rather than a bigger drive just in case.
What today’s big games ask for
| Software | Storage requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (PC) | SSD with 115GB free, plus room for mandatory updates | Activision Support, dated 1 October 2026 |
| Gears of War: E-Day (PC) | 115GB on an SSD. The June reveal listed 130GB | NZXT, summarizing the Steam page; TechSpot for the June figure |
| Windows 11 | 64GB minimum, with more needed over time for updates | Microsoft Learn |
Activision adds that mandatory updates need extra space, as covered in our Modern Warfare 4 PC guide. Both shooters list an SSD as a requirement, not a recommendation.
What 512GB, 1TB and 2TB really hold
Drive makers count in decimal, while Windows reports in binary units, so a 1TB drive shows up as roughly 931GB. The table below starts from that figure, sets aside about 100GB for Windows and apps, keeps 10 percent of the drive free, and counts how many 115GB games fit in what is left.
| Drive | Shown in Windows (approx.) | After about 100GB for Windows and apps | After keeping 10% free | Games at 115GB that fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 512GB | 477GB | 377GB | 329GB | 2 |
| 1TB | 931GB | 831GB | 738GB | 6 |
| 2TB | 1,863GB | 1,763GB | 1,576GB | 13 |
This is illustrative arithmetic, not a measurement. The 100GB for Windows and apps is our planning estimate against Microsoft’s 64GB minimum, and the 10 percent buffer matches the point where Microsoft’s PC Health Check app warns about low free space, according to BornCity. Many games are far smaller than 115GB, so these counts are the worst case for big shooters.
Which size fits which player
Our take by capacity
- Our take 512GB: workable if you play one or two big games at a time, uninstall as you go and have a connection that makes reinstalling painless.
- Our take 1TB: the practical default. It holds Windows, your apps and a handful of big games with room to breathe.
- Our take 2TB: for players who keep several 100GB-plus games installed, record gameplay or would rather not reinstall.
Check these before you buy
- NVMe for DirectStorage games. Microsoft lists DirectStorage as requiring an NVMe SSD to store and run the games that use it, plus a DirectX 12 graphics card with Shader Model 6.0.
- A second drive can work. Steam can use more than one library folder, so check how many M.2 slots your motherboard or laptop has before choosing between one large drive and two smaller ones.
- Prebuilt PCs. Ordinary Tech, citing TrendForce, reports that PC brands are trimming SSD capacity in prebuilt systems to hold costs down, so read the listed capacity instead of assuming 1TB.
- See what fills your drive. In Windows 11, Settings, System, Storage shows what is using space. Steam has a Storage page in its settings for your library folders.
SSD prices: what is forecast
Forecast and our take (28 October 2026)
- Forecast TrendForce’s 4Q26 memory price forecast, published 24 September, says demand from cloud providers keeps DRAM and NAND prices rising, led by AI, while weak consumer demand narrows other gains.
- Forecast Tech Insider, summarizing TrendForce, reports overall NAND flash contract prices up 15 to 20 percent quarter over quarter in Q4 2026 and enterprise SSD contract prices up 23 to 28 percent. Contract prices are what manufacturers pay, not shelf prices.
- Our take We do not list retail SSD prices here because they move weekly. Compare price per terabyte on a current tracker before you pick a size.
Our guide to why PC parts cost so much in 2026 explains the cause, and building, buying or waiting covers the timing question. Memory is the other half of the story: see how much RAM you need for gaming and how to check that your RAM runs at its rated speed.
Last checked 28 October 2026. We update this guide when major games change their storage requirements or SSD forecasts shift. This guide is not personal financial advice. How we source our guides is explained on the About page.
Sources
- Activision Support: PC system requirements for Modern Warfare 4 (1 October 2026)
- NZXT: Gears of War: E-Day system requirements
- TechSpot: Gears of War: E-Day PC requirements are surprisingly forgiving, apart from the 130GB SSD demand
- Microsoft Learn: Windows 11 requirements
- TrendForce: Memory and storage research listing, including the 4Q26 memory price forecast
- Tech Insider: NAND flash shortage sends SSD prices up (22 October 2026)
- Ordinary Tech: PC part prices heading into Black Friday 2026
- BornCity: PC Health Check low free space warning (27 October 2026, German)
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