Nintendo gives a heads up on Tears of the Kingdom’s large 16GB file size

Nintendo has released a notice regarding the amount of free space that will be necessary to download the digital version of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The game’s file size is greater than its prequel, Breath of the Wild, and is rather large even when compared to other games on the Switch. This has resulted in a somewhat uncommon notice being delivered to prospective players.

The tweet notifying gamers of the file size also includes a guide on how to free up more space on your Switch, as well as some important points to keep in mind when purchasing a microSD card. It appears Nintendo intends to encourage gamers to make sure they have enough space for the game while they patiently await its release.

Nintendo probably felt that this tweet was necessary due to Tears of the Kingdom’s relatively large size. The game was originally expected to be 18GB, but it appears that the developers were able to further optimize it since that time (related article). That said, a game’s file size changing from when pre-orders open to right before release is not a rare occurrence.

However, the game still weighs in at a sizable 16.3GB—almost 2GB more than Breath of the Wild—which is likely due in part to Link’s new adventure expanding to the skies above Hyrule. It is also bigger than other recent Nintendo titles, such as Fire Emblem Engage (13.8GB), Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (14GB), and Bayonetta 3 (14.5GB). Incidentally, when Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was released last year, Nintendo sent out a similar tweet advising gamers on the free space required to download the game.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is scheduled for release on May 12. Those who have already pre-ordered the digital version of the game should make sure that they have the 16.3GB of space necessary before it’s time to download it.

Written by. Marco Farinaccia based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-05-08 14:54 JST)