The PS4 has this annoying problem of refusing to install or update games, even if it says you have enough space.
Because of the way the device handles installs and updates, you need to have at least double the amount of space available. As the PS4 downloads a game update, it also makes another copy of the game in the process, as sort of a safety measure. That’s why you need the size of the game plus the size of the update as free space, even if the update is tiny. PS4 says you have 100GB of free space? Don’t listen to it. Your 65GB game that needs a 5GB update means you need at least 140GB of free space.
Also, every update tacks on more gigabytes to the total amount of space your game takes up. A 50GB game can balloon to 60, 70, 80GB, or more based on how many updates it gets and the size of those updates. That means the 500GB HDD your PS4 came with? Yeah, that can fill up fast.
Unfortunately, there really isn’t anything you can do to change the way the PS4 installs and updates games, but by carefully managing what is installed on your system, or expanding your storage space, you can get the most of what you have available. This is important, because Final Fantasy VII Remake takes a whopping 100 GB just to install it.
Delete some games
This is probably the most obvious solution. Take stock of what you have installed and see if there is anything you are willing to part with. Finished God of War 4? Uninstall. Don’t play Overwatch anymore? Get rid of it. The goal is to free up as much space as possible.
Get more storage
If you’re not willing to part with any installed games, look into an external HDD. There are many inexpensive ones that can hold terabytes of data and plug right into your PS4 via USB. You can pick up a pocket-sized WD Elements 1TB external HDD on sale for about $80, or a 5TB version for double that. If you don’t need something that tiny and don’t mind an external HDD with a power adaptor, Seagate has some excellent large-capacity drives, and you can usually get 6TB for around $200.
Install games in order of size
If you just got a PS4 or want to start with a clean HDD, install the games that take up the most space first. That way you lessen your chance of running into that infamous “not enough free space error,” and you’ll have five times the amount of space needed for Final Fantasy VII Remake. From there, install the rest of the games you want in order of decreasing size. If that’s still not enough, then consider getting an external drive.