Polygon flagged this week that Marvel Rivals is shrinking its next patch by re-encoding textures (“without sacrificing a single pixel of visual fidelity”, per the studio). The bigger story sits underneath the headline: modern PC games ship larger than they need to, hoard multi-gigabyte shader caches after driver updates, keep every localisation on disk whether you use it or not, and duplicate texture data across DLC. Reclaiming that space rarely requires uninstalling anything.
We tested 8 desktop apps that either compress a game install, find what’s actually eating your storage, or clean up caches that Steam, Epic, and the drivers leave behind. The list covers the free tools every home gamer already has permission to run and a couple that home labs use to keep 4 TB game drives from filling up in a month. Everything on the list runs on Windows; a few extend to macOS and Linux.
What to look for in a game-storage reduction tool
- Transparent compression, not repacking. NTFS supports LZX, XPRESS4K, XPRESS8K, and XPRESS16K algorithms that reduce game folder size 20 to 60% with no launcher changes and no re-install required.
- Accurate directory scanning that reports on hard-linked and junction-linked files correctly, so shared Steam libraries don’t show inflated totals.
- Duplicate file detection that ignores executables and DLLs (many are correctly duplicated across engine versions).
- Awareness of shader caches, DirectX shader cache, Nvidia DXCache, AMD Vulkan cache, Steam remote play cache, and how big they can grow.
- No risky “one-click clean” defaults that nuke save files or user data.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | OS | Method | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam | Removing unused DLC, languages, and workshop items | Windows, macOS, Linux | Built-in | Free |
| CompactGUI | NTFS transparent compression on installed games | Windows | Compression | Free (open source) |
| WinDirStat | Visual map of what’s eating space | Windows | Analysis | Free (open source) |
| WizTree | Fastest directory scan on large NTFS drives | Windows | Analysis | Free (Pro tier) |
| BleachBit | Cleaning shader caches and app leftovers | Windows, Linux | Cleaner | Free (open source) |
| Steam Cleaner | Removing residual game data after uninstall | Windows | Cleaner | Free (open source) |
| TreeSize Free | Directory sizes with per-file drill-down | Windows | Analysis | Free (Pro tier) |
| Duplicate Cleaner | Finding duplicated assets across libraries | Windows | Duplicate finder | Free (Pro tier) |
1. Steam — best first stop
Steam is the fastest reclaim you can do on most machines because it’s built into the launcher you already run. Right-click any installed game, Properties, Installed Files, and Steam shows every content bucket the game uses (base game, DLCs, high-res texture pack, language packs). Toggle off what you don’t need and Steam removes multi-gigabyte chunks in place. Same menu handles moving a game between drives without a full re-download.
Where it falls short: Only works for Steam titles; Epic, GOG, and standalone installers need other tools. Some publishers ship the “high-res texture pack” as the default and hide the option to skip.
Pricing:
- Free
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: store.steampowered.com/about
Bottom line: Best zero-install option; check this before anything else.
2. CompactGUI — best transparent compression
CompactGUI is a GUI for the compact command that ships with Windows. It applies NTFS transparent compression to a game folder in one click. Recent games (roughly 2020 onward) using pre-compressed textures compress modestly (5 to 15%); older games and games with lots of loose assets can shrink 30 to 60%. The compression is transparent: Windows decompresses on read, so the game runs exactly as before, no launcher changes required.
Where it falls short: Compression adds CPU work at load time. Modern SSDs and fast CPUs make it imperceptible; older drives and CPUs may notice a slight increase in initial load times. Doesn’t help on FAT32 or exFAT drives.
Pricing:
- Free (open source, MIT)
Platforms: Windows
Download: github.com/IridiumIO/CompactGUI
Bottom line: Best free way to reclaim tens of gigabytes without deleting anything.
3. WinDirStat — best visual map
WinDirStat shows a treemap of every file on a drive coloured by size. Games with a 30 GB shader cache jump out visually in a way sorted lists don’t. On a 4 TB game drive the initial scan takes several minutes; after that, drilling into a game folder is instant.
Where it falls short: Slower than WizTree on very large drives. UI is functional but dated. macOS/Linux ports exist (GrandPerspective and QDirStat) but the Windows build is the reference.
Pricing:
- Free (open source, GPL)
Platforms: Windows
Download: windirstat.net
Bottom line: Best when you want a picture, not a spreadsheet.
4. WizTree — fastest large-drive scan
WizTree reads the NTFS Master File Table directly instead of walking the filesystem, which makes a full 4 TB scan complete in seconds rather than minutes. It’s the tool of choice on large game drives when you know something is chewing space and you don’t want to wait for a slow scan.
Where it falls short: NTFS only for the fast path; non-NTFS drives fall back to a normal scan. Free tier for home use; commercial deployments require a licence.
Pricing:
- Free for home use
- WizTree Enterprise: Around $30 per licence
Platforms: Windows
Download: diskanalyzer.com
Bottom line: Best on very large NTFS game drives.
5. BleachBit — best shader cache and cache cleaner
BleachBit is the open-source cleaner that knows about hundreds of applications’ cache directories, including the game-relevant ones: DirectX shader cache, Nvidia DXCache and GLCache, AMD Vulkan cache, Steam download cache, Origin cache. Runs with a “preview” mode so you can see what it would delete before you click Clean.
Where it falls short: Aggressive presets can nuke browser cookies and saved logins if you’re not paying attention. Read the checkboxes.
Pricing:
- Free (open source, GPL)
Platforms: Windows, Linux
Download: bleachbit.org/download
Bottom line: Best for the shader and driver caches that grow silently after every game update.
6. Steam Cleaner — best for post-uninstall leftovers
Steam Cleaner targets one thing well: game data that survives an uninstall. Steam, Uplay, Origin, and Blizzard launchers all leave data on disk after “uninstall”. Steam Cleaner walks the known leftover paths and offers to remove them. On a machine with a long history of installs and uninstalls, the reclaim often surprises people.
Where it falls short: No longer actively developed by the original author; community forks exist. Confirm you don’t want the leftover before removing (some are save files or mods).
Pricing:
- Free (open source, MIT)
Platforms: Windows
Download: github.com/Codeusa/SteamCleaner
Bottom line: Best on a machine that has installed and uninstalled many games over the years.
7. TreeSize Free — best file drill-down
TreeSize Free shows directory sizes with per-file drill-down. Compared to WinDirStat, TreeSize is faster to navigate once the scan completes and its context menu integration (“show TreeSize for this folder”) is convenient for a targeted look at a single game.
Where it falls short: Free version limits some features (NTFS scan speed, network drives, export) to the Pro tier.
Pricing:
- Free for personal use
- TreeSize Professional: Around $65 one-time
Platforms: Windows
Download: jam-software.com/treesize_free
Bottom line: Best drill-down for a single game folder.
8. Duplicate Cleaner — best duplicate finder
Duplicate Cleaner finds identical files across drives and folders. Useful when the same game is installed in two Steam libraries by accident, or when Epic and Steam versions of a title both live on disk. Ignore executables and DLLs during the scan; a modded install and its base can share hundreds of matched files legitimately.
Where it falls short: Free version limits comparison modes; the Pro tier unlocks image similarity and audio fingerprinting. Manual review is essential; do not run it in unattended delete mode.
Pricing:
- Duplicate Cleaner Free
- Duplicate Cleaner Pro: Around $30
Platforms: Windows
Download: digitalvolcano.co.uk/duplicatecleaner.html
Bottom line: Best when you suspect the same asset lives in two places.
How to pick the right one
If you want the biggest reclaim with the least effort: Steam built-in, then CompactGUI on the games you keep installed.
If you don’t know what’s eating space: WizTree for the fast picture on NTFS drives, WinDirStat on non-NTFS drives.
If shader caches keep ballooning after driver updates: BleachBit with the Nvidia/AMD/DirectX cache boxes ticked.
If you install and uninstall a lot of games: Steam Cleaner for the launcher leftovers.
If the same game is showing up twice: Duplicate Cleaner with manual review.
Skip anything advertised as a “PC optimiser”. The registry cleaners bundled into those suites do more harm than good on modern Windows.
FAQ
Does NTFS compression actually help modern games?
Yes for games with loose or lightly compressed assets; less for recent AAA titles that ship pre-compressed. Typical range with CompactGUI is 5 to 40% depending on the game. Test a compressed and uncompressed install of the same title if you’re unsure; toggle takes seconds.
Will compressing a game folder slow it down?
Slight extra CPU work at load time, roughly imperceptible on a modern PC. Older CPUs paired with a slow HDD may notice.
Are shader caches safe to delete?
Yes. They regenerate the first time you launch each game, which adds a few seconds to first startup and a slight pause when a new shader compiles in-game. On drives short on space, the trade-off is worth it.
How do I find the largest game folders on my drive?
WizTree for a fast NTFS scan; WinDirStat for a treemap; TreeSize for a per-file drill-down. Any of them show which titles are the largest in under a minute.
Can I move a Steam game to another drive without re-downloading?
Yes. Steam’s Storage Manager (Settings, Storage) lets you move any installed game between Steam libraries on different drives. Takes minutes, not hours.
Do these tools work with Epic, GOG, and standalone installers?
WinDirStat, WizTree, TreeSize, CompactGUI, and Duplicate Cleaner work on any files on disk. BleachBit and Steam Cleaner target specific launchers and have varying support for each. Check the tool’s docs before running.