TheRetroArcade
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Joined: Feb 2026
Square Enix is 'working to resolve the issue'.
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Usually, it's a good thing when a patch makes an already excellent game substantially larger. But in the case of Nier: Automata's most recent update, bigger is most certainly not better. On Friday, the beloved action RPG from Square Enix received what should have been a straightforward update to added localisation support for Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean languages. But as reported by Automaton Media, the update also increased the game's file size from 50 gigabytes to a staggering 366 (and a half) gigabytes.
"We have identified an issue following the latest update for Nier: Automata … where installation requires significantly more storage space than intended," wrote Square Enix in a Steam post. "We are currently investigating the cause and working to resolve the issue. We apologise for the inconvenience."
It isn't clear how this issue has occurred, but it may be related to Nier: Automata's DLC. When selected for download on Steam, each DLC appears to have the same file size as the base game. Weirdly though, this is only true for the initial download and installation. Once the game is installed, the file reportedly reverts to a more appropriate size of roughly 50 gigs.
Indeed, as a temporary solution, Square Enix suggests that anyone who needs to download Nier: Automata deselects all eight DLC when they do so. "As a temporary workaround, you can download the base game using the intended amount of storage space by going to "Properties" à "DLC" in Steam and unchecking each DLC item."
While 366 gigabytes is obviously a ridiculous size for a game, what's frightening to me is that games are on track to become that massive in the coming years. Big budget games regularly exceed the 100 gigabytes in file size these days, while several major titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, have surpassed 200GB.
One of the largest reported installations to date is for the combat simulator DCS World, which had a maximum file size of 250GB back in 2021. So although Nier: Automata's SSD-choking file-size is an accidental anomaly, it might also be an ominous glimpse into the future of PC gaming.
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Rick has been fascinated by PC gaming since he was seven years old, when he used to sneak into his dad's home office for covert sessions of Doom. He grew up on a diet of similarly unsuitable games, with favourites including Quake, Thief, Half-Life and Deus Ex. Between 2013 and 2022, Rick was games editor of Custom PC magazine and associated website bit-tech.net. But he's always kept one foot in freelance games journalism, writing for publications like Edge, Eurogamer, the Guardian and, naturally, PC Gamer. While he'll play anything that can be controlled with a keyboard and mouse, he has a particular passion for first-person shooters and immersive sims.
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Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
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When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Usually, it's a good thing when a patch makes an already excellent game substantially larger. But in the case of Nier: Automata's most recent update, bigger is most certainly not better. On Friday, the beloved action RPG from Square Enix received what should have been a straightforward update to added localisation support for Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean languages. But as reported by Automaton Media, the update also increased the game's file size from 50 gigabytes to a staggering 366 (and a half) gigabytes.
"We have identified an issue following the latest update for Nier: Automata … where installation requires significantly more storage space than intended," wrote Square Enix in a Steam post. "We are currently investigating the cause and working to resolve the issue. We apologise for the inconvenience."
It isn't clear how this issue has occurred, but it may be related to Nier: Automata's DLC. When selected for download on Steam, each DLC appears to have the same file size as the base game. Weirdly though, this is only true for the initial download and installation. Once the game is installed, the file reportedly reverts to a more appropriate size of roughly 50 gigs.
Indeed, as a temporary solution, Square Enix suggests that anyone who needs to download Nier: Automata deselects all eight DLC when they do so. "As a temporary workaround, you can download the base game using the intended amount of storage space by going to "Properties" à "DLC" in Steam and unchecking each DLC item."
While 366 gigabytes is obviously a ridiculous size for a game, what's frightening to me is that games are on track to become that massive in the coming years. Big budget games regularly exceed the 100 gigabytes in file size these days, while several major titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, have surpassed 200GB.
One of the largest reported installations to date is for the combat simulator DCS World, which had a maximum file size of 250GB back in 2021. So although Nier: Automata's SSD-choking file-size is an accidental anomaly, it might also be an ominous glimpse into the future of PC gaming.
2026 games: All the upcoming gamesBest PC games: Our all-time favoritesFree PC games: Freebie festBest FPS games: Finest gunplayBest RPGs: Grand adventuresBest co-op games: Better together
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Rick has been fascinated by PC gaming since he was seven years old, when he used to sneak into his dad's home office for covert sessions of Doom. He grew up on a diet of similarly unsuitable games, with favourites including Quake, Thief, Half-Life and Deus Ex. Between 2013 and 2022, Rick was games editor of Custom PC magazine and associated website bit-tech.net. But he's always kept one foot in freelance games journalism, writing for publications like Edge, Eurogamer, the Guardian and, naturally, PC Gamer. While he'll play anything that can be controlled with a keyboard and mouse, he has a particular passion for first-person shooters and immersive sims.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?