How to reduce CoD Modern Warfare & Warzone file size

Liam Mackay
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Texture Streaming has been added to Modern Warfare and Warzone Season 2 on PC, alongside new Texture Packs for consoles which reduce the size of the game by at least 25 GB.

As updates have arrived for the Call of Duty reboot, the game’s already large file size has continued to grow – especially on PC. To combat this, mode-specific uninstall options were added in October, which allowed players to select which Modern Warfare modes they want to have installed – to accommodate Warzone’s ever-increasing size.

Now, further changes have been made to reduce the game’s sizable files on your hard drive. Texture Streaming was “developed to reduce the game’s overall package size by removing certain textures rarely used or encountered by players.”

With Warzone set to remain ‘front and center’ for the Call of Duty franchise for a long time to come, there’s a good chance that players will always need room for both the battle royale shooter and the latest CoD title.

How to reduce PC file size for Modern Warfare & Warzone

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Instead of having Texture Packs installed, high-resolution textures on Operators and Weapons will now be streamed to your PC’s cache as needed. By streaming textures instead of having them installed, the game’s file size will be reduced.

Players can control their bandwidth usage and set a daily cap through Modern Warfare’s Options menu. Activision says that “even with this flexibility, you shouldn’t notice any effects on bandwidth with texture streaming enabled.”

If graphics are set to High, high-resolution textures on Weapons and Operators will be streamed, while players on Low and Medium settings won’t be affected.

You don’t have to have Texture Streaming enabled either, you can turn it off in the Options menu. If you have Texture Streaming disabled but are running High graphics, “you will still see high-resolution textures on other assets within the game.”

How to reduce console file size for Modern Warfare & Warzone

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Texture streaming is not supported on consoles, so Activision has instead given console players new Texture Packs. This is designed to have the same result as Texture Streaming, removing rare textures to reduce file size.

Modern Warfare & Warzone – PS4 Pro & Xbox One

If you are a Playstation Pro or Xbox One X user, you will be prompted to download the DLC the first time you log into the game. After accepting, you will be directed to the Game Installs menu where you can download the Texture Pack. If you decline, you can find the download through the Game Installs menu.

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PS4 and Xbox One users will not receive the prompt so must find the download in the Game Installs menu and follow the steps there.

Modern Warfare & Warzone – PS5 & Xbox Series X

These Texture Packs are also available on current-gen consoles. Similar to the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, a prompt will offer the high-resolution Texture Pack on the first login.

These packs should help to boost the performance of Modern Warfare & Warzone, and also reduce the space they take up on their respective platforms.

Image credits: Activision

About The Author

Liam is CharlieIntel's Editor who focuses on Call of Duty but also plays lots of fantasy RPGs or anything else in his massive gaming backlog. After graduating in Journalism from Edinburgh Napier University, Liam freelanced in games journalism before joining CharlieIntel in November 2020. You can contact Liam at [email protected].