NieR: Automata Update Shows a 366GB Install Size on Steam: Why It Happens and How to Fix It

A November 2026 update for NieR: Automata has caused Steam to request approximately 366.56GB of available storage when installing the game with downloadable content, even though the official system requirements still list just 50GB. The unusual storage demand appeared after Square Enix added three additional language options to the PC version.

The issue has confused players because the update does not introduce a major expansion, new campaign, or additional high-resolution assets that would normally explain such a dramatic increase. Instead, the problem appears connected to how Steam identifies and calculates the installation requirements of individual DLC packages.

Square Enix has acknowledged the excessive storage requirement and is investigating the cause. In the meantime, players can try disabling DLC through Steam's game properties before installing the base game.

Why is NieR: Automata asking for 366GB of storage?

NieR: Automata is requesting 366.56GB because of an apparent installation or DLC packaging problem introduced alongside its November 6 Steam update. Several outlets independently confirmed that the Steam client displayed the unusually large requirement during installation.

The standard NieR: Automata Steam listing specifies 50GB of available storage.

Following the update, however, some installation attempts displayed a requirement of more than seven times that amount.

The discrepancy has led to speculation that the installer is incorrectly associating the entire base game with multiple DLC entries.

This explanation is consistent with reports showing individual add-ons listed at approximately the same size as the main game.

However, a confirmed technical root cause has not yet been published by Square Enix.

Players should therefore distinguish between what has been observed and what remains under investigation.

What changed in the November 2026 NieR: Automata update?

The latest NieR: Automata Steam update primarily adds Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean language support. The published patch notes do not describe a major gameplay expansion or a graphical overhaul.

The update is notable partly because NieR: Automata is an older game that had gone a considerable period without a comparable Steam patch.

Its arrival was welcome news for players who wanted the additional language options.

But the installation problems quickly overshadowed the update's original purpose.

The most important confirmed changes are:

• Simplified Chinese language support.

• Traditional Chinese language support.

• Korean language support.

• An unintended excessive storage requirement affecting some Steam installations.

Players should not interpret the much larger installation requirement as evidence of hundreds of gigabytes of new gameplay content.

The extra space appears to reflect a problem in the installation process rather than an intentional expansion.

Is NieR: Automata really 366GB now?

The Steam client may request 366.56GB of available space, but that does not necessarily mean the final installed game occupies 366GB on a player's drive. This distinction has been highlighted in independent testing.

RPG Site confirmed the unusually large storage requirement in the Steam installer.

However, Japanese outlet Game*Spark reported that an installation it tested ultimately occupied approximately 40.7GB after completion.

That finding suggests a discrepancy between the storage Steam requires during installation and the final amount of space occupied by game files.

It does not mean the problem is harmless.

If Steam refuses to install the game unless hundreds of gigabytes are available, the requirement still prevents players with smaller SSDs from proceeding.

A system with 100GB of free space may have more than enough capacity for the finished game, yet fail the installer's storage check.

The practical problem is therefore real even if the displayed figure does not represent the final storage footprint.

How to fix the NieR: Automata 366GB install size bug

The temporary workaround for the NieR: Automata installation problem is to disable the game's DLC in Steam before downloading the base game. Square Enix has acknowledged the issue and shared this approach while investigating a permanent solution.

The steps below are intended for the Steam version on Windows.

Step 1: Open your Steam Library

Launch Steam and sign in to the account that owns NieR: Automata.

Open the Library section and locate NieR: Automata in your list of games.

If the game is already installed, avoid uninstalling it immediately. First determine whether the problem affects your existing installation or only a fresh download.

Step 2: Open NieR: Automata Properties

Right-click NieR: Automata in the Steam Library.

Choose Properties from the context menu.

Steam will open a window containing settings for the game, including installed files, updates, and downloadable content.

Step 3: Select the DLC section

In the Properties window, open the DLC tab.

Steam should display the downloadable content associated with the game and its current installation state.

Depending on the edition owned, this may include cosmetic packs, accessories, or additional game content.

Some affected players have reported unusually large sizes displayed beside these entries.

Step 4: Uncheck the DLC items

Disable the checked DLC entries before beginning a new installation.

This prevents Steam from including those packages in the current download selection.

The objective is to install only the base game, avoiding the potentially incorrect storage calculation associated with multiple DLC entries.

The change does not cancel ownership of purchased DLC.

However, the disabled content will not be available in the game until it is installed again.

Step 5: Install the base game

Return to the Library and start the installation.

Check whether the requested storage amount is now substantially lower.

Reports indicate that downloading the base game alone can avoid the inflated requirement, although results may differ depending on the user's Steam configuration and whether another fix has already been deployed.

If the requirement remains excessive, do not repeatedly delete files or attempt unrelated system modifications.

Instead, wait for an official update or consult Steam and Square Enix support.

Step 6: Restore DLC after the official fix

Once Square Enix releases a confirmed correction, return to the DLC section and re-enable the content you own.

Steam should then download any missing files.

Before proceeding, check the storage requirement again.

If the total remains unexpectedly large, the issue may not yet be resolved for that installation.

Will disabling DLC delete your NieR: Automata save files?

Disabling DLC through Steam's Properties menu should not itself be treated as a command to delete the game's save data, but backing up saves is still the safest precaution before changing installations. The main concern is avoiding accidental loss of progress during troubleshooting.

Steam Cloud may synchronize save data for supported configurations, but cloud synchronization should not be assumed to be a complete backup in every situation.

Players should verify whether their saves are being synchronized and consider keeping an additional local copy.

A cautious approach is to:

1. Close NieR: Automata completely.

2. Confirm the game is not running in the background.

3. Check Steam Cloud synchronization status.

4. Back up available local save data.

5. Avoid deleting the game's save folder.

6. Change only the DLC installation selections needed for the workaround.

Disabling downloadable content can affect access to content associated with that DLC.

Players using saves that depend on particular add-ons should be especially careful before loading or overwriting those saves without the required content installed.

What if the game is already installed?

Players who already have a working NieR: Automata installation should avoid unnecessary reinstallation while the storage issue remains under investigation. The problem has been widely reported during installation, but individual experiences differ.

If the game launches normally, the safest immediate choice may be to leave the installation unchanged.

If an update is pending, check the amount of available storage and review official announcements before taking action.

Repeated attempts to reinstall the entire game can create additional inconvenience, particularly for players with limited SSD capacity or slower internet connections.

The existence of a workaround does not mean every player needs to apply it.

Troubleshooting is most useful when the storage requirement prevents installation or updating.

Can you clear the Steam download cache to fix the bug?

Clearing the Steam download cache may help with some general download problems, but it is not a confirmed fix for the NieR: Automata 366GB storage issue. The reported problem appears connected to game or DLC installation metadata, rather than ordinary cached download data.

Steam provides a download-cache clearing option in its settings.

However, using that feature may require restarting Steam or signing in again, depending on the client version.

Players should not assume it will correct the inflated size requirement.

If the primary symptom is that multiple DLC packages appear to consume approximately the same amount of storage as the base game, disabling DLC is the more directly relevant workaround reported by the developer.

Unrelated troubleshooting steps should be reserved for situations where additional download errors are present.

Is it safe to manually delete NieR: Automata DLC folders?

Manually deleting DLC folders is not a recommended first-line solution to the NieR: Automata installation issue. The affected storage requirement appears connected to how Steam processes installation packages, so removing files manually may not fix the underlying calculation.

Manual deletion can also cause Steam to treat files as missing and attempt to download them again.

That can create additional download traffic or require file verification.

Some DLC files may be integrated with other game resources, making it difficult for a user to identify which files can safely be removed.

The safer approach is to manage DLC through Steam's built-in interface and wait for an official patch.

Why can Steam require more space than the installed game uses?

Steam may require more temporary storage during installation or updates than the final game occupies because files sometimes need to be downloaded, unpacked, replaced, or reorganized. This is a normal characteristic of many digital game installation systems.

A small patch download can require substantial temporary free space if large archives must be rewritten.

However, that does not automatically explain every excessive storage requirement.

The NieR: Automata issue is unusual because individual DLC packages appear to be assigned sizes similar to the complete base game.

For this reason, users should avoid interpreting the number beside Steam's installation button as a direct measurement of how much new content the game contains.

The actual relationship between download size and required storage can be more complicated.

Has Square Enix acknowledged the problem?

Square Enix has acknowledged reports that the Steam version of NieR: Automata displays an excessive storage requirement after the latest update. The official Japanese NieR account stated that the company was investigating and working toward a resolution.

The company also recommended temporarily disabling DLC when downloading the main game.

That acknowledgment is important because the problem is not merely an isolated claim from a single user.

Independent gaming publications have reproduced or examined the issue.

However, the developer has not provided a confirmed public timetable for a permanent correction in the reports available as of November 6, 2026.

Players should monitor official Square Enix communication and Steam updates rather than rely on speculative release dates for a fix.

Does the 366GB bug affect PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch?

The reported 366GB installation problem concerns the Steam version of NieR: Automata following the November 2026 update. The available reporting does not establish an equivalent widespread issue on PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch.

NieR: Automata is available on several platforms, but each platform uses different distribution and installation systems.

An error affecting Steam's DLC handling does not automatically imply that the same problem exists elsewhere.

Console players should therefore avoid making changes to working installations based solely on a PC-specific report.

If an unusual storage requirement appears on another platform, it should be assessed using that platform's official support channels.

NieR: Automata Steam update bug FAQ

Why is NieR: Automata asking for 366GB?

A November 2026 Steam update appears to have introduced a problem with DLC storage calculations or installation metadata. Some installations request approximately 366.56GB even though the official requirement remains 50GB.

Is NieR: Automata actually 366GB?

Not necessarily. Some independent tests found that the final installed game occupied approximately 40.7GB despite Steam initially requesting far more free space. The excessive storage check remains a practical problem for affected users.

How do I fix the NieR: Automata storage bug?

The temporary developer-recommended workaround is to open Steam Library, right-click NieR: Automata, select Properties, open DLC, uncheck the DLC entries, and install the base game separately.

What did the November 2026 update add?

The update added Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean language support. It was not announced as a major content expansion that would justify hundreds of gigabytes of additional game data.

Will disabling DLC remove the game from my Steam account?

No. Disabling DLC installation does not remove ownership of the base game or purchased add-ons. It changes which content Steam attempts to install.

Can the bug damage my computer?

The reports do not indicate that the excessive storage requirement is inherently malicious or designed to damage hardware. However, unnecessary downloads and installation attempts can consume substantial disk space and bandwidth.

When will Square Enix fix the 366GB issue?

Square Enix has acknowledged the issue and is investigating it. A confirmed permanent-fix date was not available in the reporting reviewed on November 6, 2026.

Final takeaway: the 366GB requirement is an installation problem, not a massive expansion

NieR: Automata's November 2026 Steam update has created a serious inconvenience for some PC players by displaying a storage requirement of approximately 366.56GB. The update itself primarily adds three language options, making the drastic change in installation requirements particularly unusual.

The available evidence indicates that the problem is connected to DLC handling or installation metadata, although Square Enix has not yet confirmed the final technical cause.

For players unable to install the game, disabling DLC through Steam's Properties menu is the most relevant temporary workaround. Existing installations that continue to function normally generally do not need unnecessary changes.

Until a permanent fix is confirmed, players should preserve their save data, avoid manual deletion of unknown game files, and follow official Square Enix updates.