From 50 GB to 366.56 GB on Steam: Why a 107 MB Localization Patch Broke NieR: Automata's Install Size
Five years after receiving its last major PC patch in the summer of 2021, Yoko Taro and PlatinumGames' acclaimed action-RPG just gave SSD owners a massive scare. Following a seemingly minor localization update on the official NieR: Automata store page on Steam, thousands of players discovered that the game suddenly demands a staggering 366.56 GB of free disk space to install or update, jumping more than sevenfold from its standard 50 GB footprint.
How a 107.7 MB Language Patch Multiplied the Game's Size Across Every DLC
On paper, this sudden maintenance pass for one of the crown jewels in Square Enix's flagship RPG catalog was supposed to be a routine regional addition. Weighing in at just 107.7 MB, the update was deployed solely to add official text support for Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese to the Steam build.
However, a depot packaging mistake in the Steam manifest accidentally attached the entire ~50 GB base game requirement to each individual add-on owned by the player. Because the Game of the YoRHa Edition bundles multiple separate DLC entries,including the 3C3C1D119440927 coliseum expansion, Pod skins, machine masks, and the Valve accessory,the Steam client falsely adds ~50 GB for every single checked add-on before allowing the installation to proceed.
| Technical Parameter | Before Localization Patch | After Patch (Manifest Bug) |
|---|---|---|
| Actual Patch Download | Full Base Game (~48 GB) | 107.7 MB update (Korean, Simplified & Traditional Chinese) |
| Free Space Required by Steam | 50 GB | 366.56 GB (base game size duplicated across each DLC entry) |
| Actual Folder Size on Disk | ~50 GB | ~50 GB (no extra 316 GB of data is actually written to the SSD) |
Square Enix Apologizes: How to Bypass the 366.56 GB Storage Check on Steam
The good news for fans of 2B and 9S,whose legacy continues to inspire new projects alongside the iconic NieR: Automata vocalists featured in the upcoming JRPG Forge of the Fae,is that the game does not actually write 366 GB of files to your drive. Once installed, the directory remains at its usual ~50 GB size. However, the bug completely blocks anyone playing on a 512 GB Steam Deck or a nearly full NVMe SSD, as Steam refuses to initiate the download unless the operating system reports at least 366.56 GB of available space.
Following a wave of player reports across Reddit and the Steam community hub, Square Enix issued a public apology through the official franchise account (@NieR_JPN), confirming that engineers are investigating the manifest error and preparing a hotfix. Until that backend fix goes live, players can bypass the 366.56 GB roadblock in under a minute using Steam's DLC manager:
- Right-click NieR: Automata in your Steam Library and select Properties.
- Click on the DLC tab in the left-hand menu.
- Uncheck every DLC box in the list so Steam only calculates the base game's footprint.
- Start the installation or update, which will now require only the standard ~50 GB of space.
- Once the base game finishes downloading, return to the DLC tab and re-check all add-ons to download their small files without triggering the inflated storage check.
My Take
Seeing a single-player action-RPG from 2017 suddenly demand 366.56 GB of free drive space,more than multiple modern Call of Duty installs combined,is enough to give any Steam Deck owner a minor heart attack. What makes this hiccup almost poetic is the history of NieR: Automata on PC: after leaving the Steam version completely unpatched for over four years following its original launch, Square Enix somehow managed to break the depot manifest with a 107 MB localization update adding three Asian text languages. Thankfully, unchecking the DLC list before installing takes thirty seconds and sidesteps the whole mess, though it is a classic reminder that depot management on Steam can still go sideways over a single misplaced checkbox.
SEO consultant for over 20 years and digital entrepreneur, Charles "Grimtag" is the founder of Pro-Gamer.gg, Retrocharting.com, and Gamescharting.com. A competitive gamer, streamer, and retro game collector, he has worked in the video game industry for over 15 years, notably as a consultant for leading game price comparison platforms. Passionate about real-time performance data and gaming technology, he analyzes competitive esports, gaming hardware benchmarks, and creator workflows on Pro-Gamer.gg with an authentic player perspective.
