diff --git a/modules/core/04-channel/types/packet.go b/modules/core/04-channel/types/packet.go
index b585f093e50..f3524990331 100644
--- a/modules/core/04-channel/types/packet.go
+++ b/modules/core/04-channel/types/packet.go
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/cosmos/ibc-go/v9/modules/core/exported"
 )
 
+const MaximumPayloadsSize = 262144 // 256 KiB. This is the maximum size of all payloads combined
+
 // CommitPacket returns the packet commitment bytes. The commitment consists of:
 // sha256_hash(timeout_timestamp + timeout_height.RevisionNumber + timeout_height.RevisionHeight + sha256_hash(data))
 // from a given packet. This results in a fixed length preimage.
@@ -110,6 +112,10 @@ func (p Packet) ValidateBasic() error {
 		return errorsmod.Wrap(ErrInvalidPacket, "packet data bytes cannot be empty")
 	}
 
+	if len(p.Data) > MaximumPayloadsSize {
+		return errorsmod.Wrapf(ErrInvalidPacket, "packet data bytes cannot exceed %d bytes", MaximumPayloadsSize)
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/modules/core/04-channel/types/packet_test.go b/modules/core/04-channel/types/packet_test.go
index 13bbde87598..60566bcae8c 100644
--- a/modules/core/04-channel/types/packet_test.go
+++ b/modules/core/04-channel/types/packet_test.go
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ func TestPacketValidateBasic(t *testing.T) {
 		{types.NewPacket(validPacketData, 1, portid, chanid, invalidPort, cpchanid, timeoutHeight, timeoutTimestamp), errors.New("invalid destination port")},
 		{types.NewPacket(validPacketData, 1, portid, chanid, cpportid, invalidChannel, timeoutHeight, timeoutTimestamp), errors.New("invalid destination channel")},
 		{types.NewPacket(validPacketData, 1, portid, chanid, cpportid, cpchanid, disabledTimeout, 0), errors.New("packet timeout height and packet timeout timestamp cannot both be 0: invalid packet")},
+		{types.NewPacket(make([]byte, types.MaximumPayloadsSize+1), 1, portid, chanid, cpportid, cpchanid, timeoutHeight, timeoutTimestamp), errors.New("packet data bytes cannot exceed 262144 bytes: invalid packet")},
 	}
 
 	for _, tc := range testCases {
diff --git a/modules/core/04-channel/v2/types/packet.go b/modules/core/04-channel/v2/types/packet.go
index 21525033f2a..d3fd79d01c5 100644
--- a/modules/core/04-channel/v2/types/packet.go
+++ b/modules/core/04-channel/v2/types/packet.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 
 	errorsmod "cosmossdk.io/errors"
 
+	channeltypesv1 "github.com/cosmos/ibc-go/v9/modules/core/04-channel/types"
 	host "github.com/cosmos/ibc-go/v9/modules/core/24-host"
 )
 
@@ -36,10 +37,16 @@ func (p Packet) ValidateBasic() error {
 		return errorsmod.Wrap(ErrInvalidPacket, "payloads must contain exactly one payload")
 	}
 
+	totalPayloadsSize := 0
 	for _, pd := range p.Payloads {
 		if err := pd.ValidateBasic(); err != nil {
 			return errorsmod.Wrap(err, "invalid Payload")
 		}
+		totalPayloadsSize += len(pd.Value)
+	}
+
+	if totalPayloadsSize > channeltypesv1.MaximumPayloadsSize {
+		return errorsmod.Wrapf(ErrInvalidPacket, "packet data bytes cannot exceed %d bytes", channeltypesv1.MaximumPayloadsSize)
 	}
 
 	if err := host.ChannelIdentifierValidator(p.SourceClient); err != nil {
diff --git a/modules/core/04-channel/v2/types/packet_test.go b/modules/core/04-channel/v2/types/packet_test.go
index ec5d5776160..015ca83812f 100644
--- a/modules/core/04-channel/v2/types/packet_test.go
+++ b/modules/core/04-channel/v2/types/packet_test.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
 	transfertypes "github.com/cosmos/ibc-go/v9/modules/apps/transfer/types"
+	channeltypesv1 "github.com/cosmos/ibc-go/v9/modules/core/04-channel/types"
 	"github.com/cosmos/ibc-go/v9/modules/core/04-channel/v2/types"
 	host "github.com/cosmos/ibc-go/v9/modules/core/24-host"
 	ibctesting "github.com/cosmos/ibc-go/v9/testing"
@@ -26,6 +27,22 @@ func TestValidateBasic(t *testing.T) {
 			func() {},
 			nil,
 		},
+		{
+			"success, single payload just below MaxPayloadsSize",
+			func() {
+				packet.Payloads[0].Value = make([]byte, channeltypesv1.MaximumPayloadsSize-1)
+			},
+			nil,
+		},
+		{
+			"failure: invalid single payloads size",
+			func() {
+				// bytes that are larger than MaxPayloadsSize
+				packet.Payloads[0].Value = make([]byte, channeltypesv1.MaximumPayloadsSize+1)
+			},
+			types.ErrInvalidPacket,
+		},
+		// TODO: add test cases for multiple payloads when enabled (#7008)
 		{
 			"failure: payloads is nil",
 			func() {