Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 releases on 23 October 2026 at midnight local time, while the Steam store page prints 22 October 2026 for the same launch. Campaign Early Access has been running for pre-purchasers since 16 October, so some players are already downloading and everyone else is clearing space for launch day. Either way the question is identical: will it fit, and how many gigabytes should be free first? There is exactly one official figure. Activision's PC requirements article and the Steam store listing both state an SSD with 115 GB available space at launch. This page explains what that number covers, what Activision has not published at all, and how to read each value in your own client instead of trusting a screenshot. Recording and clip guides for the series live on the Call of Duty game page.
What the 115 GB figure actually covers
115 GB is the free space the installer asks for, not a published size on disk. Activision's PC requirements article (marked Updated 10/01/26) splits the specs into three tiers - minimum, recommended for 90 FPS multiplayer on High settings, and an ultra tier for High quality ray tracing at 4K upscaled - yet repeats one storage line three times: SSD with 115 GB available space at launch. Processor, memory and graphics card climb between tiers; the storage line does not move. The same page adds that additional storage space may be required for mandatory game updates, and that the specs are valid for product launch and may be updated in the future. What is absent matters just as much. Activision publishes no download size and no post-install disk usage, so any precise 'the install folder is X GB' claim is somebody's measurement rather than an official number. That article also covers PC only, so for Switch 2 or console check the storage line on that platform's own store listing. If the space or the hardware requirement turns into a deal breaker, read the Steam refund rules before you pile up more playtime.
How to check the numbers on your own PC
- 1Read the storage line on the Steam store pageOpen the Modern Warfare 4 store page (app ID 4435490) and scroll to System Requirements. Minimum and recommended both list 115 GB available space, with a footnote spelling out an SSD with 115 GB available space at launch. The Korean, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Vietnamese store pages all print the same number.
- 2Cross-check Activision's PC requirements articleThe support article carries a third tier the store page does not show: ultra specs for High quality ray tracing at 4K upscaled. Confirm all three Storage Space lines still read 115 GB, then note the Updated date at the top of the article. When a storage number changes, that date and this line move first.
- 3Check free space on the drive you plan to useOpen Windows Settings, then System, then Storage, and read free space per drive. The official line names an SSD, so a mechanical hard drive sits outside the stated requirement. Keep in mind that 115 GB has to be free before installing; it is not what remains afterwards.
- 4Pick the install drive before the download startsSteam asks which library folder to use and shows required space next to free space in that dialog. If the gap is thin, add a library folder on a roomier drive from Steam Settings and Storage first. Restarting a download that stalled at ninety-odd percent costs far more time than choosing the drive now. Battle.net and the Xbox app each show required space and the install location in their own install screens, so check there if Steam is not your route.
- 5If you already have access, read your own installed sizeWith Campaign Early Access downloaded, right-click Modern Warfare 4 in your Steam library, open Properties, then Installed Files, and read the size on disk. Menu names vary by client build, so cross-read the remaining size on the Downloads page. Treat the result as your value, not as an official figure.
- 6Add updates and captures as separate line itemsBecause mandatory updates may require more room, budgeting exactly 115 GB is tight by design. If gameplay video will sit on the same drive, reserve space for it deliberately rather than discovering the shortfall mid-match. The final section lists concrete thresholds you can plan against.
Official storage wording, checked 17 October 2026
| Item | Official wording | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum spec storage | SSD with 115 GB available space at launch | Identical on Activision support and Steam |
| Recommended spec storage | The same 115 GB SSD | Only processor, memory and GPU move up |
| Ray tracing tier storage | The same 115 GB SSD | This third tier is not on the Steam page |
| Steam listing, six languages | 115 GB available space on minimum and recommended | All six matched on 17 October |
| Mandatory game updates | Additional storage space may be required | No figure is attached to it |
| Download size and size on disk | Not published for PC | Visible only in your own client |
| Switch 2 and consoles | Outside the PC requirements article | Check that platform's store listing |
Before you press download
- Install drive is an SSD with more than 115 GB free
- Room is still left for mandatory updates after installing
- The install drive was chosen in the Steam dialog, not left on default
- Download size and size on disk are not being treated as official numbers
- Capture files and the game are not quietly filling the same drive
- Non-PC platforms were checked on their own store listing
If your recordings share that SSD
DOR is a free Windows app, and it detects titles launched through Call of Duty HQ automatically; if a new release does not show up, check the Games section in Settings. DOR runs on Windows PCs, so what it captures is PC play. Call of Duty runs on the full-session path, so everything from launch to exit is saved as one video and you keep a moment with F8, which grabs the last 30 seconds by default and can be set to 15, 30, 45 or 60 seconds. That is why disk maths matters right next to a 115 GB install. File management defaults to a 30 GB total budget, with 5 GB of it reserved for full-session video; only when that share fills does DOR clear the oldest sessions first, while the newest session and anything you bookmarked are kept. Below 30 GB free you get a warning, and under 20 GB free a recording will not start at all. So a 115 GB game plus captures on one SSD means planning for 115 GB, your capture budget, and roughly 20 GB of headroom on top. The save location can point at a roomier drive, and capture defaults to 1080p at 30 FPS, with 60 FPS selectable and 1440p or 120 FPS on Pro. If you also use Steam's built-in recording, see the fix for Steam recording disk space.
