Nier: Automata Patch Balloons PC Install to 366GB

Square Enix has shipped a Nier: Automata update on Steam that was meant to be a simple localization pass, and it has instead left PC players with a storage problem. The patch adds Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese language options to the action RPG. Somewhere in the process, though, the game's file size on PC jumped from about 50GB to 366GB.

The swelling looks like an error rather than an intentional change. Nothing in the update notes, as described in the report, explains why the install would need more than seven times its previous space, and the increase lands on a game that most players already have sitting on their drives. For anyone with a tight SSD, that is a serious jump to absorb for a patch that mainly adds text options.

The bigger frustration is that the update is not optional. Players cannot decline it and keep the smaller build, so anyone who wants to stay current with the game has to accept the larger download. That turns a bug into a forced cost, and it is the detail most likely to draw complaints from players who only wanted the new language support.

Nier: Automata came out in 2017, developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix. It remains one of the publisher's most enduring titles, which makes a botched release like this more noticeable. As of this report, no fix or revised build has been confirmed, so players who want the languages will have to decide whether to take the 366GB install or wait for a correction.