NieR Automata Steam Update Asks for 366GB and Square Enix Shares a Workaround

Imagine reinstalling a beloved action RPG and discovering that Steam suddenly wants more than 366 GB of free space for a game that ordinarily fits in roughly 40–50 GB. That's the problem confronting NieR: Automata players following its November 6, 2026 PC update—and Square Enix has now acknowledged the issue and shared a temporary fix.

The key distinction is crucial: 366.56 GB is the unexpected space requirement some Steam installations report, not evidence that the normal finished game has permanently grown to that size. The problem appears connected to the game's DLC download packages, and the publisher's official advice is to install the base game with those DLC items unchecked.

That's good news for players with smaller SSDs, but it also exposes a frustrating problem with older PC games: even a language-support patch can disrupt the way a game is installed years after release.

What did the November 6 update change?

Steam's official NieR: Automata activity page lists a patch that adds three additional language options: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean. Those are meaningful accessibility improvements for players who have wanted to experience the game's story in their preferred language.

On paper, this is exactly the kind of maintenance update fans should welcome. It does not claim to add a new campaign, remaster the visuals, introduce extra bosses or replace the original gameplay.

The trouble emerged when users tried to download or reinstall the game after the patch. Many were presented with an installation requirement of approximately 366.56 GB, drastically higher than the familiar 40–50 GB figure. Reports appeared across Steam discussions, reviews and PC gaming publications.

A November 6 report by Automaton documents the publisher's acknowledgement and shows how the abnormal requirement can be associated with DLC files rather than the actual installed game.

The publisher's temporary workaround

Square Enix's official NieR account, @NieRGame, says the developers are investigating and working toward a fix. The immediate workaround avoids the inflated DLC installation request.

If Steam asks you to reserve an unreasonable amount of space, here's the method described by the publisher:

1. Open your Steam Library and right-click NieR: Automata.
2. Choose Properties.
3. Open the DLC section.
4. Uncheck each installed or selected DLC item before downloading the base game.
5. Install the base game using the intended storage requirement.

This is a temporary workaround, not a claim that every computer will show the same error. If your installation is already working, you may not need to change anything.

Disabling DLC can affect access to optional content while it is unchecked. Once a proper fix is available, follow Steam and Square Enix's updated instructions before restoring your preferred DLC selection.

Why is Steam calculating such a large number?

Players and technical observers noticed that the game's DLC packages appear to have been associated with unusually large download requirements, with sizes resembling the base game repeated multiple times.

That is a plausible explanation for why Steam's initial size estimate can become so enormous. But the publisher has not published a complete technical postmortem, so we should not present a community diagnosis as proven source code fact.

Most importantly, this is not the same as saying 366 GB of new NieR: Automata gameplay, audio or textures were added. Available reports indicate the base install remains much closer to its familiar size.

PC storefronts sometimes distinguish between the amount required to download or unpack content and the permanent disk footprint after installation. This particular problem is unusual enough that users may not be able to start installation without freeing space—even if the final game should be substantially smaller.

Is the fix live yet?

The official response says the issue is being investigated and a solution is in progress. That is not confirmation that a permanent hotfix has already been distributed to every Steam user.

Some players report that their displayed requirement returned to normal, while others still see the inflated figure. The safest assumption is that the experience can vary by account, existing installation and selected DLC while the publisher investigates.

We have not independently reinstalled the game under each possible configuration, nor can we guarantee a particular Steam client will display exactly 366.56 GB. The number is widely documented, but your own disk requirement may differ.

If your game is installed and functioning, don't delete it purely to test this bug. And if you want the official fix rather than the workaround, keep an eye on the game's Steam news and activity instead of downloading mystery third-party repair files.

A familiar problem for PC game preservation

NieR: Automata is famous for more than its soundtrack and the relationship between 2B, 9S and A2. It's also a game players revisit years later, often on very different PC hardware from what they owned at launch.

That makes a surprising install requirement particularly aggravating. People with a 512 GB SSD may be unable to start the download even though the title normally fits comfortably alongside several other games.

The frustrating irony is that the change is meant to make the story more accessible through new language options. The people most excited to reinstall may be the ones greeted by a storage error instead.

What we know and what we don't

The publisher's reaction is welcome, and the workaround is a practical way to avoid a bizarrely inflated download requirement. But the bigger test is whether the Steam packaging problem is corrected cleanly without introducing another issue.

For now, don't clear 300 GB from your SSD just because the installer asks for it. Check the game's DLC settings first, and use the official NieR guidance while the team works on the fix.

Has a seemingly small update ever broken a game you were about to replay?