Nier: Automata’s Latest Update Accidentally Balloons Its File Size From 50GB to 366GB

Patches are supposed to make games better, not take over your entire hard drive. On Friday, Nier: Automata received what should have been a routine update adding Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean localization support. Instead, as first reported by Automaton Media, the PC version’s required install size exploded from roughly 50 gigabytes to a staggering 366.5 gigabytes, turning the beloved action RPG into one of the single largest installs on Steam overnight.

A Localization Patch With an Expensive Side Effect

The cause still isn’t fully confirmed, but it appears tied to how the update packaged Nier: Automata’s eight pieces of DLC. When selecting any of them for download on Steam, each one reportedly now shows the same file size as the entire base game, effectively multiplying the install footprint several times over before everything settles back down. Oddly, this inflation only seems to affect the initial download and installation step. Once Nier: Automata finishes installing, the game reportedly shrinks back down to its normal size of around 50 gigabytes, suggesting the bug is tied to how Steam calculates and reserves space up front rather than a permanent change to the game’s files.

Nier: Automata’s combat against towering machine lifeforms remains untouched, even as the update briefly turned its install size into one of the biggest on PC.

Square Enix Is Investigating, and Offers a Quick Fix

Square Enix confirmed the issue directly on Steam, acknowledging that installation currently requires far more storage than intended and that the team is looking into what caused it.

“We apologise for the inconvenience.”

Square Enix, in a Steam community post

Until a proper fix ships, the publisher’s suggested workaround is simple. Players downloading or reinstalling Nier: Automata can open the game’s Properties menu in Steam, select the DLC tab, and uncheck every DLC item before starting the download, which reportedly keeps the install at its intended, much more reasonable size.

Nier: Automata originally launched in 2017 and has stayed a consistent PC seller ever since, making a storage bug of this size especially disruptive.

• Nier: Automata’s PC install size briefly jumped from about 50GB to roughly 366.5GB after Friday’s update
• The update’s intended purpose was adding Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean localization
• The bloat appears linked to all eight DLC packs briefly matching the base game’s file size during download
• The size reportedly settles back to normal once installation finishes
• Square Enix has confirmed the bug and is investigating the root cause
• Workaround: uncheck all DLC under Properties > DLC in Steam before installing or reinstalling

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Picture Source: Square Enix