Steam survey suggests more players are using gaming PCs with over 1TB storage

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Chonky drives take the lead

Crucial Gen 4 SSD with blurred Steam backdrop
(Image credit: Future)

It’s no secret that new releases take up more storage space than ever, but the latest Steam survey implies most players are using drives over 1TB. While stats for February don’t delve into whether people are keeping their games on a modern SSD or a traditional hard drive, they do show a shift away from 500GB solutions. 

Building a gaming PC in 2024 normally means at least considering the best SSD for gaming. Not only do system requirements for many new releases explicitly list using solid state for installation, but on a hardware basis, you’ll find that most motherboards are designed to accommodate a M.2 drive as standard. That said, capacity is just as much of an issue as today, and considering the likes of Call of Duty can take up over 200GB on their own, opting for a fast and small drive is arguably no longer viable. 

If you have a peek at Steam Hardware Survey results for February 2024, you’ll see that players using SSD of hard drive over 1TB increased by 4.59%. The jump brings the number of sampled builds using larger storage to 56.57%, with every other range taking a dip compared to previous months. Notably, only 18.25% of users are seemingly using drives between 250GB and 499GB, while just 3% are rocking something with between 500GB and 749GB.

(Image credit: Valve)

Even without the jump in users this month, over 1TB would have accounted for over 50% of drives using Steam. However, the increases are significant, as they suggest that using storage in the gigabytes is becoming a thing of the past. Of course, Steam Hardware Survey results aren’t infallible, and the figures could be simply down to this ground of sampled players using larger hard drives and SSDs by chance. Nevertheless, It’s not what I’d call a small jump, and I suspect we’ll see more rigs with chonky capacity being used to run games throughout the year.

Thinking about upgrading your storage? We’re constantly checking out the latest SSD options, and our Crucial T700 Pro Gen 5 SSD review puts one of the fattest to the test. I personally also upgraded my Steam Deck SSD using a WD Black SN770M, so you’ll want to swing by that review if you’ve got revamping Valve’s handheld on your mind.

Looking for console flavored storage options? Check out the best PS5 SSD and best Xbox Series X hard drive for compatible solutions. Alternatively, take a peek at the best external hard drives for a way to take your library on the go.

Phil Hayton
Phil Hayton
Hardware Editor

Phil is the Hardware Editor at GamesRadar+ who specializes in retro console setups, choosing the latest gaming handhelds, and navigating the choppy seas of using modern-day PC hardware. In the past, they have covered everything from retro gaming history to the latest gaming news, in-depth features, and tech advice for publications like TechRadar, The Daily Star, the BBC, PCGamesN, and Den of Geek. In their spare time, they pour hours into fixing old consoles, modding Game Boys, exploring ways to get the most out of the Steam Deck, and blasting old CRT TV visuals into their eye sockets.