The NieR franchise has had an interesting history, with the first game barely making a splash (despite being quite good), but the sequel, NieR Automata, fast-tracking Yoko Taro’s strange JRPG series to glory. With millions of copies sold on PS4, it’s no surprise to see Square Enix branching out onto other platforms like Steam. But unfortunately, the game’s PC launch has been rocky. Thankfully, it looks like help is on the way. Square Enix this morning has officially announced a NieR Automata Steam patch, including notes on its release date and details.
When Can I Download the NieR Automata Steam Patch?
The NieR Automata Steam patch should arrive this Thursday, July 15th. Fans should keep an eagle eye on their Steam clients, especially between the hours of 10 AM and 1 PM EST, as this is often when the store receives pertinent updates.
It may also be worth noting that NieR Automata is currently $39.99 on Steam. While that price is unlikely to fluctuate outside of surprise sale phases, this is still an excellent cost for a game that has had no issue selling out the wazoo at its original $60 tag. If you want to prepare for the Steam patch in time, be sure to grab the game today and get that hefty 50GB download going.
Patch Notes
A full examination of the NieR Automata Steam patch notes is what many of you are here for, so let’s dive straight in.
• Borderless Video Settings
Borderless video settings have been implemented.• Fidelity FX
A Fidelity FX CAS feature has been added.• HDR
The system will now detect whether HDR has been activated in the Windows display settings, and automatically boot the game in HDR mode if it has.• Anti-aliasing
Adjustments to the anti-aliasing functionality via NieR Automata Steam patch.• UI textures (4K)
Approximately 270 UI textures for icons, backdrops and UI elements etc. now support 4K resolutions.• Cut scenes
The bit rate has been improved and all pre-rendered cut scenes adjusted, so they will now play in 60FPS and display in the correct aspect ratio without stretching the picture.• Global illumination
A new “Global illumination” feature has been implemented with the Nier Automata Steam patch. This can be set to three different levels; High, Medium or Low.• Ambient occlusion/ bloom
The rendering targets for ambient occlusion and bloom effects have been changed to dynamic resolution based on the game’s resolution.• It is now possible to switch between recently selected display modes for screenshots, such as between full screen and windowed mode or between borderless and windowed mode. Push the Alt + Enter keys together.
• Mouse cursor is no longer displayed when using a game pad controller.
• Frame rate has been stabilized at 60FPS under default settings.
Overview
If the above is a daunting read, please allow us to point toward the highlights of the upcoming NieR Automata Steam patch. It’s important to mention that many PC players are justifiably frustrated with their somewhat subpar version of the game relative to what can now be achieved on PS5 and especially the Xbox Game Pass version.
Many gamers purchase personal computers with the express intent of being able to control the technical specs of the games they play, so it’s always a bummer when fully capable machines are cannot achieve parity with home consoles. The NieR Automata patch notes mention bringing the game’s user interface textures to 4K, which is a major improvement. After experiencing the crystal clarity of Final Fantasy XIV with PS5-enabled 4K UI elements, I now crave that same degree of depth wherever I go.
The strengthening of NieR Automata‘s ambient occlusion is also worth a nod, especially for its contribution to the level of bloom involved in rendering. Too much bloom on any given resolution can lead to an oversaturated viewing field, dulling a game’s details and possibly killing real-life vampires in the process.
Stabilizing the frame rate to 60FPS by default, however, is likely the biggest deal here. NieR Automata is not the kind of game one will want to settle for 30FPS with if at all possible, so seeing a Steam patch built around that fact should be heartening news for those who wish to take the android 2B onto PC. Nier Automata is a deep, narrative-driven RPG, but at its core, it’s also an intense action RPG. Dodging wicked fast foes in silky-smooth frame pacing is precisely what the game needs to shine brightest.
We’re looking forward to testing out these NieR Automata patch notes for ourselves this Thursday!