Modern Warfare 2 disc only contains 70MB of data
You'll need to download the rest of the game which is 151.4GB to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on PS5 and Xbox Series X
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Call of Duty: MW2 disc
💿 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 disc doesn’t include the full game
😪 Users will be required to download over 100GB of data if they want to play
❗️ It means physical copies are basically useless without an internet connection
😐 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s file size is 154.GB, without extras
It turns out that the physical versions of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 are practically pointless, as the Modern Warfare 2 disc only contains 72.23MB of data to install. That’s less than 1% of a standard PS5 HD Blu-Ray disc, which can store up to 100GB of data.
As discovered by Does it play, which tests physical games to see whether they can be played offline on consoles, the latest Call of Duty disc essentially serves as nothing more than an activation license.
It’s worth pointing out that the majority of PS5 games usually include the full game installed, according to Does it play, making Modern Warfare 2 an unfortunate outlier.
Once the disc is inserted, you’ll need to download a whopping 151.4GB of additional data, which doesn’t include co-op and multiplayer extras (thanks, PushSquare). It also means that if you don’t have a working internet connection or have reached your data cap, the game is unplayable even if you own the disc.
The 151GB download size also doesn’t include Warzone 2, Call of Duty’s free-to-play battle royale mode, which is due to release on November 16. That’s not exactly a huge surprise, as 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare took almost 200GB of storage space.
If you’re on PS5, then, you might want to check out our best PS5 SSD list and PS5 SSD upgrade guide. The PS5 only has 667GB of storage available, which means Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 could eat up almost 25% of the PlayStation 5’s SSD.
Xbox Series X|S owners will want to pick up the Seagate 1TB Storage Expansion Card, which is one of the best Xbox Series X accessories you can buy. The Xbox Series X has more storage than the PS5 (802GB versus 667GB) but the Xbox Series S has a paltry 364GB available.
The fact the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 disc contains no data doesn’t bode well for video game preservation. Currently, the game’s playability is at the mercy of Activision, which could choose to delist the game from digital storefronts in the future. A hard copy is necessary so that the game can be enjoyed without an internet connection or the need to download additional data.
Microsoft recently made changes to Xbox’s DRM system, which previously required online license checks for physical games and some digital titles to work. You also won’t be prompted to install the latest updates.
It means that disc-based games will work offline, however, games like Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite don’t contain the full version of the game on disc, much like Modern Warfare 2, meaning they’re basically paperweights without an internet connection. That’s a shame as Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite are two of the best Xbox Series X games available, but they might not be easy to access in the future.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is out now for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.