Battlefield 6 quietly added one of those tiny, practical quality‑of‑life touches that should be a baseline expectation for modern triple‑A releases: after you finish the single‑player campaign the main menu replaces the campaign button with a prompt to uninstall that mode and reclaim disk space — and we should be asking Treyarch to bring the same capability to Call of Duty going forward.
Game file sizes have ballooned into a core part of the player experience. SSDs are expensive, consoles ship with limited internal storage, and the typical PC gamer juggles multiple 100GB+ titles at once. Developers have started to respond by breaking games into modular components — base game, campaign, multiplayer, zombie modes, high‑res texture packs and optional language packs — but modularity alone isn’t enough. Players still end up hoarding gigabytes of assets for modes they no longer play.
Battlefield 6 ships with a modular install design that lets players choose which components to download. Once a player completes the campaign, the game goes a step further: it suggests uninstalling the single‑player component from the in‑game menu, explicitly offering to free roughly 15GB of space on typical installs. That small prompt — lightweight, unobtrusive and timed to an obvious user intent — is the kind of UX detail that reduces friction and respects players’ storage budgets.
Call of Duty, in contrast, has spent years wrestling with ballooning installs and a sprawling launcher architecture that historically bundled multiple titles and Warzone assets together. Some Call of Duty installations now sit in the triple‑digit gigabytes, and while Activision has implemented ways to decouple and selectively install components, player reports and storefront listings still show wide variance in what remains on disk. That inconsistency is exactly the problem Battlefield 6’s in‑menu prompt addresses: it doesn’t invent modular installs, it helps the player manage them.
If more publishers adopt contextual uninstall prompts and robust offload flows, several positive outcomes follow:
Treyarch and Activision already have much of the required plumbing in place — modular components, launcher‑level uninstall options and storage‑management messaging — but they’re missing the last mile: an in‑game, context‑aware prompt that meets the player where they are and gives them a frictionless way to reclaim space. Implementing that feature for Black Ops 7 (and future Call of Duty releases) would be an easy win for players and developers alike: it’s low cost, high impact, and exactly the sort of design detail that separates considerate studios from indifferent ones.
The industry has finally accepted modular installs as necessary; it’s time to make modular management obvious, convenient and reversible. Battlefield 6 showed how a tiny nudge can turn a storage problem into a solved one — Treyarch should steal that nudge, polish it, and ship it as standard practice.
Source: Windows Central I really want Black Ops 7 to copy this from Battlefield 6
Game file sizes have ballooned into a core part of the player experience. SSDs are expensive, consoles ship with limited internal storage, and the typical PC gamer juggles multiple 100GB+ titles at once. Developers have started to respond by breaking games into modular components — base game, campaign, multiplayer, zombie modes, high‑res texture packs and optional language packs — but modularity alone isn’t enough. Players still end up hoarding gigabytes of assets for modes they no longer play.Battlefield 6 ships with a modular install design that lets players choose which components to download. Once a player completes the campaign, the game goes a step further: it suggests uninstalling the single‑player component from the in‑game menu, explicitly offering to free roughly 15GB of space on typical installs. That small prompt — lightweight, unobtrusive and timed to an obvious user intent — is the kind of UX detail that reduces friction and respects players’ storage budgets.
Call of Duty, in contrast, has spent years wrestling with ballooning installs and a sprawling launcher architecture that historically bundled multiple titles and Warzone assets together. Some Call of Duty installations now sit in the triple‑digit gigabytes, and while Activision has implemented ways to decouple and selectively install components, player reports and storefront listings still show wide variance in what remains on disk. That inconsistency is exactly the problem Battlefield 6’s in‑menu prompt addresses: it doesn’t invent modular installs, it helps the player manage them.
What Battlefield 6 actually does (overview)
- Battlefield 6 supports modular installation: a base package plus optional campaign and multiplayer components.
- After completion of the campaign, the game replaces the campaign entry in the menu with an uninstall campaign option.
- Choosing that option frees the disk space used by the single‑player mode (around 15GB on many builds; more if HD texture packs for the campaign are present).
- The prompt is presented in context — after completion — when the player is most likely to consider whether they’ll return to the campaign.
Why the 15GB number matters
Fifteen gigabytes sounds small next to modern downloads of 100–200GB, but it’s meaningful for two reasons. First, players frequently juggle limited internal SSD capacity, and even modest savings can be the difference between being able to install a new title or not. Second, the principle — presenting a timely option to remove unused content — is scalable. A 15GB campaign today could be a 90GB campaign tomorrow; the UX scales regardless of absolute size.How this compares to Call of Duty’s storage reality
Call of Duty has long been the poster child for massive install sizes. Annual titles, Warzone content, and a shared engine architecture have produced huge launcher footprints. In recent years the publisher has taken steps to decouple shared systems and let players choose which components to install, but implementation and messaging have been inconsistent across platforms and storefronts.- Some Call of Duty installs (depending on platform and whether legacy Warzone/MW files are present) show much larger footprints than the core Black Ops title alone.
- Campaign, multiplayer and Warzone assets are often bundled or interlinked in ways that make straightforward uninstalling nontrivial for casual players.
- Players frequently report surprise at leftover campaign files months after completion, wasting dozens of gigabytes on drives that are otherwise short on space.
Conflicting numbers: why sizes vary
- Platform packaging: console stores (PlayStation and Xbox) frequently split campaigns and high‑res packs into separate downloadable packs with distinct sizes; PC storefronts do similar but with different defaults.
- Launcher integration: when a launcher or hub (like the old Call of Duty HQ) bundles multiple titles, the storefront listing may aggregate multiple game footprints, creating misleading large numbers.
- Optional assets: multiple language packs, optional high‑res textures and preloaded seasonal content can dramatically change the installed size.
- Streaming and cache behavior: modern engines often stream textures on demand or cache assets outside the immediate installation folder, creating additional disk usage that’s hard to attribute to a single mode.
Why Treyarch (and Activision broadly) should adopt the prompt — benefits
- Clear player benefit: frees drive space immediately when the player is most likely to accept the change.
- Reduces friction: eliminates the hunt through launchers, OS settings or DLC menus to shrink installs.
- Improves perception: gives the publisher a concrete, user‑facing proof that they respect players’ storage constraints.
- Data‑light approach: the prompt is UI work, not a heavy engine change; it leverages existing modular packaging.
- Consistency across platforms: good UX in the game itself sidesteps inconsistencies between Steam, Battle.net, Xbox and PlayStation storefront UIs.
- Encourages modularity best practices: signals that the development pipeline retains separable components, simplifying long‑term maintenance and updates.
Risks and edge cases to consider
Adopting the prompt isn’t just a copy‑paste job; there are technical and UX pitfalls that Treyarch must plan for.Technical risks
- Savegame and progression integrity: uninstalling campaign assets must not corrupt saved progress, challenge tracking, or mastery systems tied to campaign completion.
- Achievement and trophy relationships: players need assurance that removing local assets won’t affect achievements, unlocks or persistent progression that requires campaign data.
- Shared assets between modes: some textures, audio or code may be shared between campaign and other modes; careless removal could break multiplayer or Warzone, leading to support tickets.
- Reinstall bandwidth: players on capped data plans may balk at reinstalling large campaign assets; the prompt should clearly show download size and estimated time.
- Anti‑cheat/interference: on PC, uninstall flows should avoid leaving orphaned drivers or anti‑cheat components in inconsistent states.
UX risks
- Accidental removal: a poorly worded or overly aggressive prompt could cause players to remove content they intended to keep.
- Ambiguous recovery: if reinstalling the campaign requires a multi‑step process through a launcher, players will be frustrated — the game must offer one‑click reinstallation.
- Unclear consequences: players need clarity on what is removed (campaign assets only? texture packs? saved videos?) and what is preserved (saves, unlocks, skins).
Recommended implementation blueprint for Treyarch
Below is a pragmatic, developer‑focused blueprint that balances user convenience, technical safety, and cross‑platform compatibility.1. Context‑aware prompt (timing and copy)
- Trigger: display the prompt after the final campaign mission is completed and the player exits to the campaign menu.
- Copy: use clear affirmative language. Example:
- “You’ve completed the campaign. Uninstall campaign assets to free ~XX GB. Your saves, progression, and unlocks will be preserved. Reinstall anytime from the game menu.”
- Provide a size estimate and an approximate download time based on connection speed.
2. Granular packaging and manifest flags
- Ensure campaign assets are packaged as a self‑contained DLC pack flagged in the manifest.
- Flag shared assets explicitly so the uninstall process only removes strictly campaign‑only files.
- Keep meta files (saves, configs, challenge progress) separate and untouched.
3. One‑click reinstall and background restore
- Implement a single‑button reinstall from the same in‑game location that initiated the uninstall.
- Allow background downloads and notify players once ready to play.
- If possible, stream small chunks first so players can jump into an early checkpoint while the rest downloads.
4. Preserve cloud saves and achievements
- Confirm cloud saves are preserved and that achievements remain linked to the player account.
- Display a short confirmation: “Your campaign progression will remain saved to the cloud.”
5. Smart offload options
- Offer both uninstall and offload:
- Uninstall removes all assets and frees maximum space.
- Offload compresses or removes nonessential HD assets while leaving minimal data for a faster reinstall.
6. Platform integration and consistency
- Coordinate with platform holders (Sony, Microsoft, Steam) to ensure storefront manifests match in‑game options.
- Where stores limit or complicate partial installs, provide tooling via the launcher to perform clean uninstalls.
7. Telemetry and safeguards
- Collect opt‑in telemetry to detect reinstall failures or shared asset breakage.
- Provide a rollback if an uninstall inadvertently breaks other modes.
8. Clear documentation and support flow
- Publish a short in‑game FAQ and a support article describing the process and how to restore content.
- Train support teams on the new flow to prevent confusion.
What players can do now (practical short guide)
- Check the game’s install/manage files option in the launcher or console menu — many storefronts already let you remove individual packs.
- Look for campaign packs, language packs, or HD texture packs to remove manually.
- If you’re unsure what an uninstall will remove, back up saves or confirm cloud sync is active before removing large packages.
- When reinstituting a removed mode, check that the launcher offers a one‑click reinstall or that the in‑game menu exposes a restore option.
Broader implications for the industry
Battlefield 6’s prompt demonstrates a simple truth: game developers can and should design experiences that help players manage limited hardware resources. This is a design responsibility as much as a business decision. When a company ships a product that demands tens or hundreds of gigabytes of storage, it inherits a duty to make that footprint manageable throughout the product lifecycle.If more publishers adopt contextual uninstall prompts and robust offload flows, several positive outcomes follow:
- Longer tails for live services: players who can manage space easily will keep coming back to seasonal content instead of deleting the whole game to make room for something new.
- Lower support overhead: clear, in‑game flows reduce confused support tickets about missing space or broken installs.
- Reduced consumer friction: removing the awkward chore of launcher management means players spend more time playing and less time wrestling with disk space.
Conclusion
A single prompt — “Uninstall campaign to save space” — is elegantly small and strategically large. It doesn’t require radically new technology or a wholesale rearchitecture of engines; it requires modular packaging, clear UX, and a few developer safeguards. Battlefield 6 shipped that tiny, thoughtful nudge and it has real, measurable benefits to players struggling with limited storage.Treyarch and Activision already have much of the required plumbing in place — modular components, launcher‑level uninstall options and storage‑management messaging — but they’re missing the last mile: an in‑game, context‑aware prompt that meets the player where they are and gives them a frictionless way to reclaim space. Implementing that feature for Black Ops 7 (and future Call of Duty releases) would be an easy win for players and developers alike: it’s low cost, high impact, and exactly the sort of design detail that separates considerate studios from indifferent ones.
The industry has finally accepted modular installs as necessary; it’s time to make modular management obvious, convenient and reversible. Battlefield 6 showed how a tiny nudge can turn a storage problem into a solved one — Treyarch should steal that nudge, polish it, and ship it as standard practice.
Source: Windows Central I really want Black Ops 7 to copy this from Battlefield 6