Package size greatly increased in UE5?

Development Platform & Builds
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1

I just converted my project from version 4.26.2 to 5.0.0 to test whether I should upgrade.

I tried packaging in Win64/Development and noticed that the overall package size in 5.0.0 is now more than double that in 4.26.2. Specifically:
.exe file: 154MB → 195MB
.pak file: 199MB → 466MB (!!!)
(Also interestingly, a 233MB .pdb file is being generated now. I suppose it would be nice if there was an option I’m not seeing to turn this off, but it’s a Development package so NP)

“Create compressed cooked packages” is enabled in packaging settings for both editor versions. The specific compression settings in 5.0.0 are defaulted to Oodle / Kraken / Encoder Effort level 4 for Development. I tried increasing the level to 7, but it made barely any difference.

Of course, the project data is the same so it is strange that the pak file size increased so dramatically. If there’s something obvious I’m not seeing that would decrease the package size, or if this is a known issue, info would be appreciated.

3

Sorry, I’m a moron. I didn’t notice that a 633MB StarterContent folder was added to my project’s Content folder when I upgraded to UE5.
Problem solved!

(Edit: After removing the starter content, the .pak file size is now actually slightly smaller in UE5 compared to UE4. New: 190MB in Development, 186MB in Shipping.)

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