Marvel Rivals Season 9.5 Cuts Install Size on PC and Consoles
That's a big drop!
Marvel Rivals Season 9.5 is upon us, and as usual, there are a bunch of new cosmetics coming to the title, a new hero, and balance adjustments. However, the most notable change is the reduction of the install size for Marvel Rivals on both PC and consoles.
Marvel Rivals Season 9.5 Patch Reduces Storage Requirements
Guangguang, the creative director of Marvel Rivals at NetEase, confirmed in the latest Developer Vision update that the game’s install size is being reduced in Season 9.5 on both PC and consoles. According to him, PC players will see a reduction of roughly 40 GB, while PS5 and Xbox Series S|X players can expect the game to be 15 GB smaller.
This is thanks to a new texture compression technique adopted by the studio, which, according to Guangguang, comes without any loss in visual fidelity. While PC players are seeing the biggest benefit, a 15 GB reduction on PS5 and Xbox Series S|X is still a welcome improvement. Check out the full developer vision below:
One thing to keep in mind is that Season 9.5 completely repackages the game’s assets, so the update itself will be larger than a typical seasonal patch. Once the download and installation are complete, however, Marvel Rivals’ overall install size will be significantly smaller, with the exact reduction varying by platform.
With new content arriving every season, it’s only natural for live service games to grow in size, and Marvel Rivals is no exception. That’s why it’s pretty encouraging to see NetEase overhaul its texture compression engine, helping keep the game’s install size in check so future updates don’t force players to constantly free up storage space.
This isn’t the first time a live service game has received a substantial storage optimization. Earlier this year, Helldivers 2 also saw its install size shrink significantly following improvements to how the game handled its assets, especially on PC, coming down to just 22 GB. It’s a welcome trend, especially as live service games continue to receive regular content updates that would otherwise keep pushing install sizes higher.
