A Steam update released on November 5 left NieR: Automata demanding about 366GB of free storage before it will install, seven times the roughly 50GB the PC version normally needs. Square Enix confirmed the issue on November 6, apologized, and posted a temporary workaround that gets the base game downloading normally.
The official update notes say the patch adds Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese language support, and nothing else. Players who tried to install or reinstall the game after the patch found Steam asking for 366GB of space, even though the store page still lists 50 GB available space in its system requirements. It was the game’s first Steam update since July 15, 2021.
“We have confirmed an issue where, following the latest update to the Steam version of Nier: Automata, the installation process indicates that more storage space is required than expected,” the official NieR PR account said in a post on X on November 6.
How to fix it now
The account’s fix takes seconds: “As a temporary workaround, you can download the base game by unchecking the DLC under Steam → Properties → DLC.” In Steam, right-click NieR: Automata in your library, choose Properties, open the DLC tab and uncheck every DLC box. Only the base game downloads, which brings the space requirement back to normal. Whether the DLC can be re-added afterward is unclear.
Square Enix said it is investigating the cause and working on a solution, but has not given a timeline.
What actually ballooned
The 366GB figure, reported as of November 6, is not what the game ends up occupying on disk. Reports say each of the eight DLC packages in the Game of the YoRHa Edition was mistakenly packed at the size of the full base game, so Steam checks for enough free space to hold all of them at once. Once installed, the game plus its DLC take up roughly 40 to 50GB. Square Enix has not confirmed that duplication mechanism; its statement only says the cause is under investigation.
Either way, the check blocks installs outright on smaller drives: 366GB is larger than the officially revealed 212GB install size of GTA 6, and larger than many SSDs. The patch also drew a wave of negative Steam reviews from players who could not install the game or anything else while the requirement stood. The issue is limited to the Steam version; no other platforms are affected.
