PS4 Download Sizes for Hitman GOTY Edition, Nioh Complete Edition, and More

The PlayStation Store updated its listings in early November 2017, revealing the required storage space for several new digital releases on PlayStation 4. Among the titles were comprehensive new editions of major games, including Hitman Game of the Year Edition and Nioh Complete Edition, both requiring significant hard drive space.

Hitman and Nioh Complete Editions

Nioh, developed by Team Ninja, was originally released in February 2017 to positive reviews for its challenging combat and feudal Japan setting. The Complete Edition that arrived in November bundled the base game with its three major downloadable content expansions: “Dragon of the North,” “Defiant Honor,” and “Bloodshed’s End.” The combined package meant players could experience the full story of protagonist William Adams without separate purchases, but the 48.41 GB file size was a considerable commitment.

Similarly, IO Interactive’s acclaimed episodic stealth game Hitman was consolidated into a Game of the Year Edition requiring 41.39 GB. This release collected the entirety of the game’s first season, from Paris to Hokkaido. It also included all Bonus Missions, the Requiem Blood Money Pack, and a new four-mission “Patient Zero” campaign centered on a plot to release a deadly virus. The GOTY Edition also came with three new themed Escalation Contracts, three new outfits, and three new weapons, making it the definitive version of the 2016 title.

Other Digital Releases on PS4

Several other titles also had their file sizes confirmed. The America’s Greatest Game Shows: Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy bundle brought two television mainstays to the console for 3.48 GB. Hand of Fate 2, from Defiant Development, built upon the original’s unique blend of deck-building and third-person combat, asking for 2.31 GB.

The PlayStation VR library grew with League of War VR Arena, a strategy title requiring only 426.7 MB. Meanwhile, episodic gaming continued with Ghosts in the Toybox Chapter 1 at 675.02 MB. Other indie releases included Way of Redemption, a multiplayer sports-action game, which needed 930.02 MB. The Home Alone With You Bundle was listed at 1.61 GB, and the block-building game Discovery was the smallest of the group at just 110.43 MB.

The Growing Need for PS4 Storage

The file sizes for these complete editions highlighted a growing issue for PS4 owners in 2017: managing limited hard drive space. When the console launched in 2013, a 500 GB drive seemed ample. By 2017, with games receiving high-resolution texture packs for PS4 Pro and extensive post-launch content, installs frequently surpassed 50 GB, with some even approaching 100 GB. A single game like Nioh could consume nearly 10% of a standard drive’s capacity.

Deleting and re-downloading games became a common, if tedious, practice for many players. Sony addressed this concern with System Software update 4.50 earlier that year, which introduced support for external hard drives. This allowed users to connect a USB 3.0 drive to their console and install games directly to it, expanding their library capacity significantly. In response, officially licensed products began to appear, such as a 4 TB Seagate Game Drive designed for the PlayStation 4, offering a straightforward solution for players needing more room.