Warframe Will Reduce Its Install Size By 15GB Across Three Updates

Warframe has ballooned over time, with the game now taking up a huge portion of your PC or console's HDD (although it's a smaller install on Switch). Now, the game is undertaking what is cheekily being called "The Great Ensmallening," as developer Digital Extremes has started to compress textures to lower the file size.

According to the post by Warframe staff, the next PC update will be a 6.5GB download, but once it's installed, players will notice that the game is 6.6GB lighter. This is the first of three planned updates that will ultimately reduce the game's install size, and while the figures given are specific to the PC version, the post promises that "most platforms will see similar improvements."

"One of the things we’re doing to reduce our footprint involves changing how our texture data is compressed," the post reads. "The technology we’re using is called Oodle Texture and we’re extremely pleased with the savings we’re getting: our files are roughly half the size on disk and the visual differences are negligible."

A before-and-after comparison screenshot example is below. If you can tell the difference, you have better eyes than us.

Gallery

The second update will do the same thing across more of the game, freeing up more space. All three file-reduction updates are due to launch before the end of 2020.

In GameSpot's 2019 re-review, Warframe received an 8/10. "The game still has issues with repetition and lack of explanations for its more complex systems, but it's managed to overcome their severity by introducing so many events and revisions that continue to elevate it," wrote reviewer Alessandro Fillari. "While there are inevitable bouts of frustration here and there, I always manage to center myself once I move on to other opportunities."