WuWa 3.7 Download Tiers: UHD vs HD vs SD
Version 3.7 stops shipping one client and starts shipping three. UHD, HD and SD each carry their own size, resolution ceiling and maximum graphics preset, and the tier you pick decides whether Ultra Quality is available to you at all. Here are the real numbers from Kuro's September 24 notice, platform by platform, plus the pre-download catch nobody in the test can avoid.
The client stops being one download
Every Wuthering Waves install so far has been the same package. You downloaded the same assets as everyone else and then moved graphics settings up or down inside the game. From the 3.7 update, Kuro's "Tiered Client Resource Downloads" feature splits that single package into three tiers built around graphics quality, models and other assets: UHD, HD and SD. You choose the tier that matches your storage and your hardware, and the client fetches only that.
The feature arrives as a limited test, not a full rollout. On PC it opens gradually, and only on the official launcher, after 3.7 goes live on September 30. On iOS and Android it opens for all devices straight after the same update. Mac, consoles, and PC players running a non-official launcher sit outside the test for now and download the HD package by default.
What each PC package weighs
These are Kuro's own estimates for 3.7, and the two size columns are deliberate. The smaller figure leaves out cutscene video, the larger one includes it. On UHD that gap is 29 GB, which tells you where a big chunk of the client actually sits.
| PC tier | Without cutscenes | With cutscenes | Resolution ceiling | Highest preset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UHD | 99 GB | 128 GB | 3840 × 2160 | Ultra Quality |
| HD | 80 GB | 97 GB | 2560 × 1440 | High Quality |
| SD | 58 GB | 70 GB | 1920 × 1080 | Balanced |
Hold that against the storage the 3.7 maintenance notice asks PC players to free: 100 GB, SSD recommended. The HD package lands at 97 GB with cutscenes, just under that line, which is almost certainly why HD is the default for everyone outside the test. UHD needs 128 GB. If you are planning to move up a tier, clear more space than the maintenance notice told you to.
One thing those numbers are not: the update itself. The 3.7 pre-download package is 26 GB on PC and 13 GB on Android and iOS. The tier sizes describe the full install you end up with, not the download you are about to start. Our 3.7 pre-download guide covers the update side and the four dates that matter.
Mobile gets two tiers instead of three
Phones and tablets skip UHD entirely. Mobile players choose between HD and SD, and the size step between them is much smaller than on PC.
| Mobile tier | Without cutscenes | With cutscenes | Highest preset |
|---|---|---|---|
| HD | 40 GB | 53 GB | High Quality |
| SD | 35 GB | 43 GB | Balanced |
Mobile also behaves differently once the download is done. A phone or tablet can hold only one tier at a time, so every switch means re-downloading the difference between the two packages. On PC you can keep all three installed at once, launch whichever one you want, and only one can run at a time. If you want to uninstall a specific PC tier, select that package first. Mobiles are the strict side of the house: one tier, and switching costs you a download.
Note the one carve-out: Kuro says certain mobile devices will only ever see the SD package because of hardware limits, regardless of what you would prefer.
Which tier is meant for your machine
If the test flags you as eligible, the launcher picks a recommended tier from your specs. These are the specs it is reading.
| PC tier | CPU | GPU | RAM | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UHD | Intel i7-12700 / AMD R7 7700 | RTX 4080 / RX 7900 XT | 32 GB | 3840 × 2160 |
| HD | Intel i7-9700 / AMD R7 3700X | RTX 3060 / RX 6700 XT / Arc B580 | 32 GB | 2560 × 1440 |
| SD | Intel i5-9400 / AMD R7 2700 | GTX 1060 / RX 570 / Arc A380 | 16 GB | 1920 × 1080 |
| Mobile tier | Devices or chipsets | RAM |
|---|---|---|
| HD | iPhone 14 / iPad mini 6th gen (A15); Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Dimensity 9000, Kirin 9010, Exynos 2200 | 6 GB / 8 GB |
| SD | iPhone 11 / iPad 9th gen (A13); Snapdragon 855, Dimensity 1000, Kirin 980, Exynos 9820 | 4 GB / 6 GB |
You are not locked into the recommendation. Kuro allows a tier above your spec and only warns that it eats storage and can cause framerate dips and overheating. My read: on PC the SD tier is the interesting one for laptops and older desktops, since 58 GB is a genuine cut from today's footprint, but it comes with a 1080p ceiling and Balanced as the top preset, which is a real downgrade if you are used to 1440p.
Ultra Quality is UHD-only, and that has a sting
This is the part of the change that reaches people who never opt into anything. Once tiered downloads ship, the Ultra Quality graphics option exists only in the UHD package. PC players outside the limited test default to HD, so after 3.7 goes live, they temporarily lose access to Ultra Quality until they are let into the test and download UHD.
Video gets the same treatment. Bitrates on cutscenes and other video assets are tuned per tier, so clarity differs between packages even at identical in-game settings. Kuro is upfront that HD-default players may notice the visual performance of some video resources differing from previous versions.
The FAQ draws the line worth remembering: a package tier is not the same thing as your graphics settings. The tier sets the ceiling on resource quality, meaning image clarity and video bitrate, while in-game settings stay adjustable. Two players can both run High Quality and still see different levels of detail if one is on UHD and the other on HD.
In the test? Your 3.7 pre-download is gone
This is the catch flagged in the maintenance notice and spelled out again on September 24. If you were granted test access during 3.6 and updated the official launcher, Version 3.7 pre-download is temporarily unavailable to you, because of what Kuro calls cross-version functionality differences. You download a tier after the update instead.
You also cannot back out. Kuro states plainly that once you enter the test during 3.6, you cannot exit it. Mobile players face a softer version of the same thing: 3.7 pre-download only fetches part of the resources, and the rest arrives after the update based on the package you chose. Everyone outside the test keeps normal pre-download, with HD fetched by default. From 3.7 onward the system settles down, and pre-downloaded resources match whichever tier you currently have selected.
What to do before September 30
- Check your free space against the tier you want, not against the 26 GB update. UHD needs 128 GB with cutscenes, HD 97 GB, SD 70 GB.
- On PC, decide whether you would rather keep Ultra Quality or reclaim 27 GB by dropping to SD. You cannot have both.
- If you are on mobile and short on space, know that switching tiers later means re-downloading the difference, so pick once.
- If you are in the PC test, do not wait for a pre-download that is not coming. Clear the space and update on patch day.
- If you play on Steam or another non-official launcher, nothing changes yet. Kuro plans to bring the official launcher, and with it pre-download, to Steam at some point after the test.
Two honest caveats. All the sizes are estimates, and Kuro says to check the real figures in 3.7 itself. And the tiers are not frozen: Kuro expects to shift which resources sit in each package as it watches performance and player feedback, with changes announced per version.
FAQ
No. The tier caps the quality of what is downloaded, such as image clarity and video bitrate. Your in-game graphics settings remain fully adjustable, but the same setting looks different depending on the tier underneath it.
Yes, the recommendation is only based on your device specs. Be aware that going higher than recommended wastes storage and can cause framerate fluctuations and overheating.
Up to three on PC, all at once, with no need to uninstall before downloading another. One only on mobile, and each switch re-downloads the difference between packages.
No. Once you enter the test during 3.6 you cannot exit it, and you pick a tier after the 3.7 update. Everyone not in the test keeps normal pre-download, with HD as the default package.
Possibly. Kuro calls the feature a work in progress and says it may move resources between tiers based on performance and feedback, announcing changes in the affected version.
Sources
- About Tiered Client Resource Downloads (official, September 24, 2026) — tier specifications, package sizes, specs tables, in-game resource adjustments and the FAQ
- Wuthering Waves Version 3.7 Update Maintenance Notice (official, September 22, 2026) — pre-download window and sizes, required storage, and the limited-test pre-download notes
- Wuthering Waves Version Preview | Version 3.7 (official, September 19, 2026) — the September 30 release date
- Our own guides: 3.7 pre-download guide, 3.7 preview, PC performance and DLSS guide, banner end dates