DirectStorage aims to speed up game loading

DirectStorage is a technology developed by Microsoft to improve game loading times on PC by allowing games to stream assets directly to the GPU instead of going through the CPU.

How game loading typically works

In most games, textures and other data are loaded from the disk through system memory and the CPU before reaching the GPU. This process can create a bottleneck, especially with fast NVMe SSDs, leading to long loading times and inefficient data handling.

DirectStorage’s efficiency and limitations

DirectStorage is designed to handle a large number of data requests per second while using minimal CPU resources. However, it does not eliminate the need for the CPU entirely or directly increase frame rates. It also requires fast and properly configured storage devices to function effectively.

Games that use DirectStorage

Several games have implemented DirectStorage, including Forspoken, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Despite this, the number of games using the technology remains small, and many include the SDK without confirming actual use.

Checking for DirectStorage in games

Developers can include the DirectStorage SDK in their projects, but this does not guarantee that the API is used. Players can check for its presence through version notes or by looking for specific files in databases like SteamDB.

New compression format for DirectStorage

Microsoft has introduced Zstandard (Zstd) as a compression format for DirectStorage 1.4. While Zstd is an open standard and may improve performance, it is still in a preview stage, with the stable version remaining at 1.3 as of October 2026.

Future plans for DirectStorage

Microsoft plans to integrate DirectStorage and Zstd into the next generation of Xbox consoles, codenamed Project Helix. This could lead to more efficient asset streaming and better performance in open-world games. However, the impact on PC games will depend on how well they are optimized for the technology.

Adoption remains limited

For now, the use of DirectStorage is still limited, and its performance benefits are only visible when developers explicitly implement the API. The real test for the technology may come with the launch of the next generation of consoles.