How big is WoW Dragonflight? World of Warcraft download and file size

World of Warcraft is a pretty massive game. Considering it’s been out since 2004 and the game has only gotten bigger over its near-20-year lifespan, there’s a lot of content you’re going to have to download. 

With content spanning all the way back to its original release in 2004, and its current expansion, Dragonflight, introducing a ton of new content on its own, WoW will take up a decent chunk of space on your hard drive or SSD. Even by modern game standards, WoW’s hefty download size will need to be something you keep in mind when allocating space on your PC’s drives. 

Here’s how much free space you’ll need to install WoW Dragonflight. 

How much free space do you need to install retail WoW? | WoW Dragonflight file size

As of 2023, WoW Dragonflight requires 87.80 GB of free space, according to the Battle.net launcher. But Blizzard’s official support page recommends that you have 128 GB of free space on a solid-state drive to install the game. 

Although that 87.80 GB number is what’s needed to install all of WoW, launching the game requires far less space. WoW has a built-in feature that allows you to install parts of the game while you play, meaning you only have to download the core game files that are necessary for the game to function and properly load. Everything else can be downloaded while you adventure through Azeroth.

This feature is particularly neat for newer WoW players who want to dive headfirst into the game but don’t have a need for some of the game files that would be necessary to experience content at the back end of the game. 

Even with that in mind, though, you’ll need to have the space on your PC allocated before you install the game. It’s also helpful to have some extra space on your drives available for content that’s implemented in future patches and updates.