When it released in 2017, Nier: Automata quickly garnered fame and popularity, becoming a certified hit with critics, long time fans of director Yoko Taro's work, PlatinumGame fans, and newcomers. In the near four years since then, it's gone on to become a massive sales success too across the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC platforms. But despite being almost universally beloved, Nier: Automata's reputation has been plagued by one thing: its release on Steam. Thankfully, that may finally be resolved.
When Nier: Automata first arrived on Steam, many reported numerous issues with it, including a locked framerate, awkward controls, problems with the UI, and sometimes even random crashes. To make things worse, these problems have otherwise not been addressed for the last four years, with Steam owners having to resort to downloading a fan-made mod in order to fix it themselves. It didn't help when the Become as Gods edition was added to Xbox Game Pass and only for the consoles and Windows, making the Steam version effectively outdated and leading to it being review-bombed by disgruntled fans.
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After all this time, it looks like Square Enix are going to do something about it. An update on the official Nier series Twitter account confirms that an upgrade patch for the Steam version is currently in development. Unfortunately, that's all it has to say for the moment. There are no specific details about what the update patch will address nor when it will actually become available. Ideally, it'll at least bring the Steam version of Nier: Automata up to date with the version available on Xbox Game Pass, but that's not necessarily a guarantee.
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, the well received Nier: Automata puts players in control of a trio of androids as they fight against an army of machines sent by an invading alien army. The game was praised for both its action gameplay and storytelling, with it tackling multiple themes, including war, despair, love, and humanity.
The remake of its prequel, Nier: Replicant, is set to launch this month for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC and will be the first time Western players can experience the original version of the game, as it features a younger version of its main protagonist, as opposed to the older father figure present in the original Western Gestalt release. While it is set in the same world as its sequel, Nier: Replicant doesn't led directly into Automata, telling an otherwise unrelated story about a young man trying to find a cure for his ill sister.
Nier: Automata is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.