Hold off on installing Nier: Automata on Steam for now. A new update has pushed the install from about 50GB to 366GB, and Video Games Chronicle says neither Square Enix nor PlatinumGames had acknowledged the problem when it reported the story on November 5.
The awkward part is how little the update was meant to do. RPG Site says Square Enix released it to add Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean. VGC says it didn't add much else. So this is a language patch that asks for more than seven times the old install size.
What the outlets found
The 366GB figure was first suspected to be a typo on Steam, according to VGC. RPG Site then tried it. Writer Mikhail Madnani reports verifying that it isn't a visual bug, and that the game needs that much space if you try to download it on Steam right now. RPG Site adds that all the DLC is listed at 40GB. GamesRadar+ confirmed it separately: when it tried to reinstall the game through Steam, it was told it needed 366.56GB. Xarmo couldn't check the figure directly against a Square Enix statement, so it rests on those two outlets' tests.
VGC's explanation is that a bug seems to have added the full game's file size to the file size of each DLC. Stack those up and you land at 366GB for the game and its add-ons. GamesRadar+ says users are speculating along the same lines. None of the reports quotes an official diagnosis, though, so treat the cause as likely rather than confirmed.
Here's the trap: the store page won't warn you. Nier: Automata's Steam listing still asks for 50GB of available space in both its minimum and recommended requirements. VGC says the extra space seems to be requested only when you actually try to install the game after buying it. If you're buying it this week, the number on the page may not be the number you meet at the install screen.
The same Steam listing does show the update's intended result, with Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean now in its language table.
What to do right now
VGC has the practical advice here, and the third tip below follows from its reporting:
- Not installed yet? VGC says it's worth holding off on installing the game or the new update until a hotfix arrives.
- Already installed? VGC calls this a handy reminder to switch off auto-updates on Steam if you're unable to revert.
- Short on space? Check the size Steam shows at the install prompt, not just the store page.
The picture isn't uniform either. VGC says some players report the issue is fixed on their end, while others still see inflated file sizes when they go to install the game or the update. GamesRadar+ also says users in Steam's discussion for the update reported an 8GB download for the patch itself. All three reports focus on the Steam version. RPG Site lists the game on PS4, Xbox One and Switch too, but none of the outlets reports the problem there.
VGC also says negative reviews are starting to come in, seemingly from players who can't fit the game on their PCs. At the time of writing, the Steam page still shows recent reviews as Very Positive, with 89% of 678 reviews from the last 30 days positive.
What happens next
No fix date has been announced. VGC thinks a hotfix is likely soon and says it's unclear when a fix will roll out to everyone. RPG Site hopes the same. GamesRadar+, reporting later on November 5, says it hadn't seen any official accounts address the problem. Until Square Enix says something, that's as far as the confirmed information goes.
Jax's take: Here's my own back-of-the-envelope guess, not something any outlet reported. Steam lists eight items of content for the game, and if RPG Site's 40GB figure applies to each one, that's 320GB, which gets you most of the way to 366GB. Some of those items are music albums, and nobody needs a 40GB piano collection sitting on their drive.
Reporting notes
