Texture Streaming has been added to Modern Warfare and Warzone on PC, alongside new Texture Packs for consoles which reduce the size of the game by at least 25GB.
As updates have arrived for Modern Warfare, the game’s already large file size has continued to grow, especially on PC. In order to combat this, mode-specific uninstall options were added in October, which allowed players to select which Modern Warfare modes they want to have installed.
Now, further changes have been made to reduce the game’s size on your hard drive. Texture Streaming was “developed to reduce the game’s overall package size by removing certain textures rarely used or encountered by players.”
How to reduce PC file size
Instead of having Texture Packs installed, high-resolution textures on Operators and Weapons will now be streamed to your PC’s cache as needed. By streaming textures instead of having them installed, the game’s file size will be reduced.
Players can control their bandwidth usage and set a daily cap through Modern Warfare’s Options menu. Activision says that “even with this flexibility, you shouldn’t notice any effects on bandwidth with texture streaming enabled.”
If graphics are set to High, high-resolution textures on Weapons and Operators will be streamed, while players on Low and Medium settings won’t be affected.
You don’t have to have Texture Streaming enabled either, you can turn it off in the Options menu. If you have Texture Streaming disabled but are running High graphics, “you will still see high-resolution textures on other assets within the game.”
How to reduce console file size
Texture streaming is not supported on consoles, so Activision has instead given console players new Texture Packs.
With the November 9 update, all textures on Modern Warfare and Warzone have been slightly reduced as default. This is designed to have the same result as Texture Streaming, removing rare textures to reduce file size.
New high-resolution Texture Packs have been added if players want to boost their game’s visuals at the cost of disk space.
If you are a Playstation Pro or Xbox One X user, you will be prompted to download the DLC the first time you log into the game. After accepting, you will be directed to the Game Installs menu where you can download the Texture Pack. If you decline, you can find the download through the Game Installs menu.
PS4 and Xbox One users will not receive the prompt so must find the download in the Game Installs menu and follow the steps there.
These Texture Packs will also be available on the next-gen consoles. Similar to the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, a prompt will offer the high-resolution Texture Pack on the first login.
Activision has confirmed that more Texture Packs are being developed for future updates.