Hard Drive Horror: Nier: Automata Update Explodes to 366GB

Gamers around the world know and love Nier: Automata for its captivating story, unique combat, and philosophical themes. It’s a masterpiece that has graced countless hard drives since its release. However, a recent update for the PC version has turned what should have been a routine patch into a storage-devouring nightmare, leaving players scratching their heads and their SSDs groaning.

What started as a seemingly innocuous patch intended to bring expanded language support has inadvertently caused the game’s installation size to inflate to an absolutely colossal figure, far beyond anything players expected or prepared for. Square Enix has quickly acknowledged the issue, promising a fix, but the temporary impact has been significant.

The Glitch That Ate Your Hard Drive

Imagine booting up your PC, ready to dive back into the desolate beauty of Nier: Automata, only to find that a new update has transformed its manageable footprint into a monstrous one. That’s precisely what happened to many players when a recent patch, aimed at introducing Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean language localizations, went live.

The core game, which typically occupies a reasonable 50 gigabytes of storage, suddenly demanded an astonishing 366.5 gigabytes to install. This is an increase of over 300GB for what should have been a relatively minor language pack, creating a huge headache for anyone with limited drive space or slower internet connections.

Square Enix was quick to address the community’s concerns, confirming the problem in a statement:

We have identified an issue following the latest update for Nier: Automata … where installation requires significantly more storage space than intended. We are currently investigating the cause and working to resolve the issue. We apologise for the inconvenience.

Unpacking the Mystery: What Went Wrong?

While Square Enix is still deep in its investigation, the gaming community has been speculating about the root cause of this unusual bloat. The prevailing theory points towards an unexpected interaction with the game’s downloadable content (DLC) during the initial download and installation process.

Reports suggest that when players select Nier: Automata for download on platforms like Steam, each individual DLC pack might be incorrectly reporting its size as equivalent to the entire base game. This means if you own all eight DLCs, the system might be trying to download the base game’s worth of data eight times over, leading to the massive temporary file size.

Interestingly, this gargantuan size seems to be primarily a pre-installation anomaly. Once the game and its components are fully downloaded and installed, the total footprint on your hard drive reportedly shrinks back down to its expected 50GB. However, the initial download and allocation of space still demand that immense temporary storage, which is the core of the problem.

A Temporary Fix and What It Means for You

For those eager to play Nier: Automata without sacrificing a huge chunk of their SSD, Square Enix has provided a temporary workaround. It’s a simple step that allows you to download the base game using its intended storage amount, bypassing the erroneous DLC size calculations.

Here’s how to apply the temporary fix:

• Open Steam and navigate to Nier: Automata in your library.
• Right-click on the game and select “Properties.”
• In the Properties window, go to the “DLC” tab.
• Uncheck each individual DLC item listed.
• Proceed with your download or installation of the base game.

This method ensures that the platform only accounts for the base game’s size during the initial download, circumventing the issue. You can always re-enable your DLCs after the main game is installed.

Beyond Nier: A Glimpse into Gaming’s Storage-Hungry Future?

While Nier: Automata’s colossal file size is undeniably a bug, it arrives at a time when game sizes are already spiraling. It’s not uncommon for modern AAA titles to comfortably exceed 100GB. Some, like certain iterations of Call of Duty (Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War), have even pushed past the 200GB mark, forcing players to make tough choices about what to keep installed.

Even niche titles, such as the combat simulator DCS World, were reported to have installations nearing 250GB back in 2021 with all content. This accidental bloat in Nier: Automata, while a glitch, serves as a stark reminder of the ever-growing demands games place on our storage. It highlights a future where 300GB+ isn’t just a bug, but potentially the norm for new releases, making efficient game updates and storage management more crucial than ever.

For Nier: Automata players, the immediate relief comes from the temporary workaround and the promise of a permanent fix from Square Enix. This incident underscores the importance of smooth, error-free patching, ensuring that updates enhance, rather than hinder, the gaming experience for everyone.

As an Amazon Associate, PakGamersHub earns from qualifying purchases.