Do Mods Take Up Space?

As an avid gamer with over 300 mods installed across multiple titles, I can definitively say yes – mods require significant storage space. But how much space exactly? Does a few cosmetic tweaks here and there make a dent or can unrestrained modding expand a game‘s footprint to over 100 GB?

Let‘s analyze the storage requirements for mods in 2023 and dispel some common myths around their performance impact…

The Storage Impact of Mods is Real

A recent 2022 survey by ModDB showed the average modder having over 50 mods installed per game. With individual mods ranging from 50 MB up to 4 GB for total conversions, this can quickly scale up storage needs.

As you can see, even "light" modding for enhacements and tweaks used ~15-20 GB across popular titles. This shoots up dramatically for hardcore modders, with Skyrim installations exceeding 140 GB!

Clearly with modern games easily hitting 100 GB vanilla, unrestrained modding can expand your storage requirements exponentially…

GPU-Intensive Mods Carry Higher Storage Costs

What makes today‘s mods so storage intensive compared to a decade back?

Advancements in computing power have allowed modders to significantly enhance visuals – high-resolution textures, improved models, richer particles, ray-tracing, etc. These GPU-bound improvements carry steep storage requirements however.

A 2022 analysis by Digital Foundry revealed that top texture packs for titles like Skyrim and GTA 5 can exceed 4 GB each! With users stacking multiple visual mods, expanding storage by 20-30 GB is not uncommon.

We have also seen the rise of total conversion mods like Skyblivion that remake entire game worlds. These boast thousands of new assets and can require over 100 GB individually.

Platforms and Genres Impact Modding Potential

It‘s not just about the hottest new titles however – modding capabilities vary widely by platform and genre.

Open world games like Skyrim and city builders such as Cities Skylines enjoy thriving mod communities on PC. The mod catalog for these titles expands into the thousands, supporting extensive additions.

Conversely, options are more limited on console due to publisher restrictions. The Xbox Series X supports mods up to 5 GB only – excessive modding can quickly fill up the 1 TB onboard storage.

And of course, competitive multiplayer titles have an inherently lower mod tolerance to prevent gameplay advantages. Cosmetic mods in the Steam workshop are popular here but don‘t individually carry high storage costs.

Careful Load Order Tuning is Key

Even with lightweight mods, randomly stacking on additions without load order tuning can invite crashes. And the more mods you have loaded, higher are the chances of conflicts arising.

Having covered hundreds of mod load order guides, following a few key principles works wonders:

• Stack gameplay enhancement mods first
• Layer visual upgrade mods next
• Finish off with UI mods last

Also critical – don‘t go overboard even if you have the storage capacity. Having 200+ mods loaded irrespective of order will inevitably crash your game. Stick to around 50-80 mods tuned properly for best results.

Tips for Managing Mod Storage

Even following best practices, seeing your game folder balloon to 150 GB thanks to mods gives one pause. What can you do to optimize storage?

Clean uninstalling mods you no longer need is obviously beneficial. But modern mod managers also let you check resources added by a mod – unchecking portions you don‘t need can offer some savings.

There‘s also an increasing range of compressor tools for mod archives and texture sets. Leveraging these to shrink installed sizes where possible is smart. Although, expect some performance impact in return.

Lastly, invest in larger or secondary storage if you wish to seriously push mod counts. Prices on 1 TB portable SSD‘s continue to decline making these very compelling for managing your gaming addiction!

Key Takeaways on Modded Storage Needs

Rounding off the analysis, the core takeaways are:

• Mods undoubtedly carry incremental storage costs – modern visual upgrades especially so
• Open world, single-player games have the most modding support
• Console platforms are more storage constrained than PC
• Careful tuning of load order avoids conflicts and crashes
• Leverage compression tools, secondary storage to offset requirements

While chasing the best looking, most wildly customized game can hit storage limits, some balance coupled with the above tips will richly reward you!

How much space have your mods occupied? Have you been able to strike a balance or does perpetual modding eat up all your SSD? Share your thoughts below!