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NieR:Automata™

NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition is brilliant: it's still essential, still bonkers. Play this game.
NieR:Automata™ Game Cover
88%Game Brain Score
story, music
optimization, grinding
90% User Score Based on 63,228 reviews
Critic Score 82%Based on 34 reviews

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NieR:Automata™ Game Cover

About

NieR:Automata™ is a single player open world hack and slash game with fantasy, drama, anime, post-apocalyptic and others themes. It was developed by Square Enix and was released on June 26, 2018. It received positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

NieR: Automata tells the story of androids 2B, 9S and A2 and their battle to reclaim the machine-driven dystopia overrun by powerful machines.

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NieR:Automata™ screenshot
NieR:Automata™ screenshot
NieR:Automata™ screenshot
NieR:Automata™ screenshot
NieR:Automata™ screenshot
NieR:Automata™ screenshot
NieR:Automata™ screenshot
NieR:Automata™ screenshot
NieR:Automata™ screenshot
NieR:Automata™ screenshot
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90%
Audience ScoreBased on 63,228 reviews
story13.1k positive mentions
optimization771 negative mentions
  • Deeply emotional and philosophical story with multiple perspectives reveals complex themes of existence, humanity, and identity.
  • Fluid and stylish hack-and-slash combat blended with varied gameplay styles like bullet-hell, platforming, and shoot-'em-up segments keeps gameplay fresh and engaging.
  • Hauntingly beautiful and emotionally resonant soundtrack that elevates the game's atmosphere and storytelling.
  • Story pacing suffers due to repetitive multiple playthroughs with minor differences, leading to slow engagement and unresolved plot points.
  • PC port plagued by poor optimization, frequent crashes, freezes, and bugs, often requiring community mods for stable performance.
  • Repetitive side quests and grinding can become tedious and detract from the overall experience.
  • story
    31,995 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Nier: Automata features a deeply emotional, philosophical, and multi-layered story that unfolds through multiple playthroughs from different character perspectives, gradually revealing a rich, complex narrative exploring themes of existence, humanity, and identity. While some players find the pacing slow and the repetitive gameplay and fetch quests tedious, the powerful storytelling, compelling characters, and haunting soundtrack create a memorable experience that resonates long after finishing. It is widely praised as a unique masterpiece in video game storytelling, though the necessity of multiple runs and some story ambiguity may not appeal to all.

    • “Nier: automata is a masterpiece that blends thought-provoking storytelling with incredible gameplay, and it leaves an indelible mark on your heart and mind.”
    • “Nier: automata is a rare gem in gaming—a bold, emotional, and thought-provoking experience that blends fast-paced action with deep philosophical storytelling.”
    • “The multi-perspective storytelling, enhanced by its unconventional structure requiring multiple playthroughs, ensures that every layer of the story feels meaningful and impactful.”
    • “The most negative and descriptive critique: The story is just so rough around every single edge. From start to finish the plot is full of gaps, hypocrisy, unresolved relationships, characters with too little or too much screen time, and more. The decision to lock the full story behind three consecutive playthroughs is pointless and just enhances the choppiness of the plot transitions. The first two story perspectives fail to provide new context, and one character’s storyline is just a worse rehash with underwhelming action sequences. The writing leaves much to be desired and many parts don't make sense, with many plot holes. While some moments shine like discovering Simone’s story or watching 9s consumed by grief, the rest is rough and uneven. Side quests are mundane fetch quests and endless backtracking that drains the story’s impact. The pace is awful with repeated story beats and the main story feels uninspired and stale with little bond to characters.”
    • “As a first playthrough, the story can feel really lackluster and disjointed. You're forced to replay it twice more, first in a near-identical mirrored fashion with only minor additional cutscenes from another character's perspective, which feels tedious and repetitive. Much of the plot feels like a jumbled mess, with many events happening with little explanation or motivation. The story threads frequently end abruptly without resolution, leaving multiple unanswered questions. The later story routes feel more forced with convoluted plot twists that do little to enrich the narrative. The repetitive quest structure, reusing same locations and enemies multiple times adds to tedium so the story often loses momentum. The fragmented storytelling method and constant repetition dilute the emotional impact and makes the story hard to follow or care about.”
    • “The story spends too much time making the player replay the same scenarios with only small differences to unveil new plot details. The first two playthroughs cover roughly 80% the same content, which greatly hinders the pacing and engagement. Instead of feeling like new stories, subsequent routes feel like draggy rehashes with occasional bumblecrunk cutscenes and uninspired action parts. The story writing lacks coherence and finesse, with many unexplained or dropped plot points and one-dimensional characters there solely to drive the story. Core storytelling beats are painfully straightforward and lack subtlety or nuance, often feeling like the writer was a teenager desperately trying to be profound. Side quests are mostly grindy fetchtasks that add little to the narrative. The way the story is fragmented and overly cryptic dilutes the emotional resonance the game aims for.”
  • music
    14,351 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in NieR: Automata, composed by Keiichi Okabe, is universally acclaimed as a hauntingly beautiful, emotionally resonant, and genre-defining soundtrack that elevates the game's atmosphere and storytelling. Many reviewers highlight its dynamic integration with gameplay, memorable themes, and unique use of a fictional language, often considering it one of the greatest video game soundtracks of all time. While some note repetitiveness due to limited track variety, the overall consensus is that the soundtrack alone makes the game a must-play experience.

    • “The soundtrack by Keiichi Okabe is hauntingly beautiful, the post-apocalyptic earth is both lonely and gorgeous, and the final ending asks something of the player that I've never seen another game pull off.”
    • “The soundtrack, composed by Keiichi Okabe, is nothing short of phenomenal—delicate, eerie, and emotionally charged, it complements the game’s tone and elevates even the most ordinary moments into something profound.”
    • “Keiichi Okabe’s soundtrack is a masterpiece, an utterly unique soundtrack and emotionally powerful score that elevates the entire experience.”
    • “Because the game is far longer than it should be (I'm looking at you, ending 'b'), the soundtrack gets overplayed and annoying because of just how much remixes of the same 3 songs play.”
    • “Small but irritating things pile up too: the music implementation is oddly rigid — area themes trigger by location rather than context, so combat music can keep playing after combat ends etc. etc. — and the English voice acting is weak, which for me created distance from the characters (I expect Japanese would help here).”
    • “The music is unfortunately the same throughout the game and the replays, so you could guess how bored you'd be to listen to the same music over and over again.”
  • gameplay
    12,455 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Nier: Automata features fluid, stylish hack-and-slash combat blended with varied gameplay styles including bullet-hell, platforming, and shoot-'em-up segments, creating a unique and engaging experience. While combat mechanics are generally satisfying and intuitive, some find sections repetitive, clunky, or underdeveloped, especially 9S's hacking gameplay. The game's seamless integration of gameplay with its storytelling and soundtrack elevates the overall experience, though its pacing, save system, and difficulty spikes may frustrate players.

    • “The gameplay is a seamless fusion of hack-and-slash combat and RPG elements. Platinumgames’ expertise shines through in the fluid and satisfying combat mechanics. The variety in gameplay—from bullet-hell sections to side-scrolling segments—ensures it never becomes monotonous. Its compelling narrative, superb gameplay, and unforgettable music create a deeply emotional and thought-provoking experience.”
    • “Nier: automata masterfully combines action, RPG elements, and bullet-hell mechanics, creating a combat system that feels fluid and exhilarating. What’s even more remarkable is how nier: automata manages to challenge traditional gameplay conventions. It constantly surprises you, shifting genres and gameplay mechanics in unexpected ways that keep you engaged and guessing. This innovation ensures that the gameplay never feels stale, making every moment fresh and exciting.”
    • “The gameplay is unique and dynamic, switching seamlessly between fast-paced hack-and-slash combat, bullet-hell shooter segments, and side-scrolling platformer sections. This blend keeps the action fresh and engaging throughout the game. Each character brings distinct combat mechanics, providing variety and depth. The game’s ability to intertwine gameplay with its storytelling enhances the emotional impact and makes for an unforgettable experience.”
    • “Meaning because of this splendid decision to exclude auto save you can and likely will lose anywhere from 5 minutes to 30+ minutes of gameplay leading you to having to replay long very boring sections of the game.”
    • “After 12 years i got a new pc and re download this gem to replay it and they never fix the random glitch that makes ur pc crash or closes the game. I can't pass through the first 20 mins of gameplay without crashing my brand new pc.”
    • “15 fps cutscenes, bad optimization during the game as well, unbearably annoying camera angles, lacking explanations of the game mechanics, unclear dodge mechanic (is jump the only thing you can do? you literally cannot dodge the first bosses' attacks with that), restart of the entire level with no save points if you die once within 30 minutes.”
  • graphics
    5,769 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of Nier: Automata are generally considered good for its 2017 release, featuring a distinct art style with beautiful character designs and atmospheric environments, though some textures and overall graphical fidelity show their age. The PC port has performance and optimization issues, often requiring community mods like the "far mod" to improve visuals and fix graphical glitches. Despite some technical shortcomings, the game's stylish visuals, lighting, and cinematic moments contribute significantly to its immersive and haunting aesthetic.

    • “The graphics are stunning with beautiful character designs and landscapes and structures.”
    • “From the music, to the visuals and the fluidity of the gameplay itself is highly recommended.”
    • “Amazing visuals, unique boss fights, well-written story and stunning soundtracks.”
    • “The graphics are very, very outdated even from a game originally released in 2017.”
    • “The graphics are abysmal for a 2017 release, the combat is simplistic, repetitive, and uninteresting and fights can be easily won by spamming dodges and heals.”
    • “Embarrassing anime garbage with horrible controls, game design choices seemingly made to hate you, absolutely terrible PS2 era level graphics and a staggering amount of technical issues.”
  • emotional
    3,324 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Nier: Automata delivers a rare and powerful emotional experience, blending a deeply philosophical story with profound character development and an unforgettable, haunting soundtrack. Players report being emotionally invested and frequently moved to tears by its heartbreaking narrative, complex themes of existence and identity, and touching interactions, making it a transformative journey that leaves a lasting impact. While some find portions uneven or challenging, its overall emotional resonance and storytelling mastery are widely praised.

    • “It was a life-changing game personally, and I can proudly say that this game was one of the games that contributed to who I am as a person today - culturally, mentally and emotionally.”
    • “What starts as stylish action slowly transforms into one of the most ambitious, philosophical, and emotionally devastating stories I've ever played.”
    • “The story hits hard with emotional moments that stick with you, especially once you reach the true ending.”
    • “Repetitive and simplistic combat with no depth, boring story, and a downright bland and ugly game to look at.”
    • “Insanely boring storyline, no character development at all.”
    • “Plus the second play-through barely updates the story, you just get a little bit of additional info on the boring story you've already heard.”
  • optimization
    2,498 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Nier: Automata’s PC port is widely criticized for poor optimization, causing frequent stuttering, frame drops, crashes, and resolution issues even on high-end systems. While community mods like the FAR patch significantly improve performance and fix bugs, an official patch addressing these problems has been long overdue. The game runs best with a controller, as keyboard and mouse support is also suboptimal.

    • “Graphics are good, nothing exceptional but the game is very well optimized.”
    • “Such a good game, even with my low specs the game runs smoothly.”
    • “Well optimized and gameplay and story still holds up 9 years later!”
    • “The steam version has a ton of performance issues and bugs that can make the game unplayable for some users.”
    • “Terrible performance and unplayable.”
    • “This game is horribly unoptimized for pc.”
  • grinding
    1,037 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in this game is widely considered repetitive and often tedious, especially during side quests, weapon upgrades, and achieving 100% completion, with some players finding the required farming and backtracking exhausting. While it's generally avoidable for the main story, completionists will face significant grind, sometimes worsened by RNG elements and lengthy boss fights. However, many appreciate that grinding is optional and that the rewarding story, combat, and soundtrack help mitigate the tedium.

    • “All I can say without spoiling anything is thank god the grind isn't as tedious as Replicant's.”
    • “You never really have to grind for anything, and on the rare occasion that you do, you aren't grinding for hours or days on end.”
    • “There's RPG leveling, loot, and gear, but it's balanced well; there's no grinding, you always seem to end up at the right level to fight whatever the next story mission is.”
    • “The only thing i did not like was that to see all possible endings, you have to do hours and hours of grinding for materials to upgrade all weapons.”
    • “Route b is literally just playing the exact same game you just finished, but as a weaker character with a tedious hacking mini-game.”
    • “The boss fights jump between two extremes: tedious but easy or infuriatingly tedious & 'i can't wait til this is over'.”
  • atmosphere
    1,020 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Nier: Automata is widely praised for its exceptional atmosphere, which is deeply immersive, melancholic, and hauntingly beautiful. The game's post-apocalyptic world design, combined with Keiichi Okabe's outstanding soundtrack and thoughtful art direction, creates a unique mood that profoundly enhances the storytelling and emotional impact. While some find the environments sparsely populated or visually outdated, the cohesive blend of music, narrative, and aesthetics consistently delivers a powerful and memorable atmospheric experience.

    • “What stuck with me more than anything was the atmosphere and the mood, largely driven by the story but also by the environment design and the soundtrack (which is amazing).”
    • “The game does an incredible job of crafting a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that pulls you in—full of mystery, emotion, and philosophical depth.”
    • “The atmosphere, the soundtrack, the story, characters, and unique gameplay are all incredible.”
    • “Caution, this game has a depressing atmosphere and music that may impact your mental well-being.”
    • “Sadly, atmosphere isn't enough when 60% of the game looks like a PS2-era title.”
    • “People romanticize the atmosphere because the actual environment design wouldn’t survive five minutes of honest criticism.”
  • character development
    863 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews praise "Nier: Automata" for its exceptional character development, particularly highlighting the complex arcs of protagonists 2B, 9S, and A2, which deeply engage players emotionally. The character designs are widely regarded as iconic and visually striking, successfully complementing the story's philosophical and emotional depth, though some criticize their overt sexualization. Overall, the blend of strong narrative, rich character growth, and memorable design elevates the game's storytelling and player immersion.

    • “The character development, especially with protagonist 2b, is exceptional, immersing players in a post-apocalyptic world filled with mystery and emotion.”
    • “The character development is some of the best, the 3 main characters are all developed perfectly and all have very large roles, which is great so no one character has a large role but then the other main character is almost a side character.”
    • “The narrative and character development are something I've never experienced before, and I was captivated by the way the story was told.”
    • “There were no real deep character development for them, it is always vengeance between androids/machines or developing emotions and imitating humans.”
    • “In the end the story felt like a shell of what it originally should have been, with a severe lack of character development across the board, a plot that progresses way too quickly for its own good and one that just keeps asking the same pseudo philosophical questions over and over to make it seem way more deep than it actually is.”
    • “Character development is sloppy.”
  • stability
    645 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The PC port of this game is widely reported as unstable, plagued by frequent freezes, crashes, and graphical glitches that often lead to loss of progress. While some users experience smooth gameplay without issues, many encounter persistent bugs requiring community-made mods to achieve stable and playable performance. Despite patches and driver updates, official fixes remain scarce, leaving the PC version notably less polished and more troublesome compared to its console counterparts.

    • “Pretty much bug free and plug and play these days.”
    • “They fixed all of the issues on PC and it runs great, so I am able to get the full experience.”
    • “I wholeheartedly enjoyed the gameplay, boss fights, visuals, soundtracks and the fact that there were no glitches commonly associated with games of this size.”
    • “Constantly freezes and locks up causing loss of progress and forced restarts.”
    • “Buggy mess that should never have been released in this state.”
    • “The game freezes for no apparent reason; multiple users report this unresolved bug that can occur unpredictably, ruining gameplay.”
  • replayability
    584 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Nier: Automata is highly praised for its exceptional replayability, driven by multiple main and joke endings (over 26), diverse story perspectives, new game plus modes, and engaging side content. Players often highlight that replaying is integral to fully experiencing the evolving narrative and gameplay, with each playthrough offering fresh insights and challenges. While some find repetition in later playthroughs, the game's depth, achievements, and layered storytelling provide substantial long-term enjoyment and a standout replay value in the RPG genre.

    • “Mythical game, great philosophy, strong replayability due to the 26 endings, great storytelling and overall beautiful combat experience as well, one of my favorite games of all time.”
    • “The game offers replayability where everything changes every time you finish the story, including how you view your own way of thinking.”
    • “The mechanic of unlocking all the endings adds meaningful replay value unlike replicant and almost every other multiple ending game, striking a perfect balance between being long enough to feel substantial without dragging or becoming repetitive.”
    • “Since you need to watch the ending four times (plus one if you go for a specific achievement), there isn't much replayability left after that.”
    • “Be warned, this game has zero replayability once you reach the true ending!”
    • “There's little to no replayability due to its linearity and the end-game bonus reward stuff like the cosmetic changes and newer weapons are put to very little use due to them needing you to be a higher level to acquire them and you'll be near the end of the game by that point.”
  • humor
    582 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is a distinctive blend of quirky, dark, and often existential comedy that complements its deep philosophical themes, with moments ranging from clever character banter and funny side quests to absurd and meta joke endings. While some find the humor well-timed and natural, adding levity to an otherwise somber narrative, others note that it can be hit-or-miss or overshadowed by the heavy story. Overall, the humor enriches the experience by balancing tragedy and absurdity, creating a unique emotional rollercoaster.

    • “The dialogues between operators and 9s/2b, just like among them, are strangely funny and somewhat cute considering how messed up the world is, which made me really interested and attached to the characters.”
    • “The storyline is well fleshed out, made me laugh and cry, but especially made me think about the implications of what was going on.”
    • “The game balances the line perfectly between its humor, which is very well done and creative, while also doing a great job of taking itself seriously without it feeling overbearing or pretentious.”
    • “2B is strong and all, but it’s like... everyone in this game is either sad, dying, making unfunny jokes, or just not okay.”
    • “How about a whiny, angsty, love-struck, beta-male teenager with a nails-on-chalkboard voice, know-it-all personality, telling painfully unfunny jokes, having an idiotic appearance, getting 90% of the dialogue, and is literally Robot Jesus?”
    • “It is full of bugs that are not fixed which is painfully obvious from the very beginning. It's frustrating and unnecessarily unfunny, seemingly on purpose.”
  • monetization
    49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's monetization is highly divisive, with some praising it for lacking microtransactions and feeling like a genuine, complete experience, while others accuse it of being a cash grab, particularly criticizing poor PC ports and DLC practices. Many reviewers lament misleading advertising and censorship issues, yet appreciate the absence of aggressive in-game purchases compared to modern titles. Overall, it stands out as a rare example in an industry often dominated by microtransactions, though some platform-specific frustrations persist.

    • “A game that is a full game and no season pass or microtransactions.”
    • “Great game without any microtransactions.”
    • “It's a rare gem in an era where games are often sold incomplete, massively toxic online or riddled with microtransactions.”
    • “I have a fairly new and strong PC but this game is the biggest cash grab and anyone who buys this has to blame himself.”
    • “To summarize, it's really a shame that such a beautiful and artistic game is treated with this bottom-of-the-barrel cash grab approach.”
    • “What is really upsetting is the audacity the developers had releasing a worthless DLC before even fixing this piece of garbage PS4 cash grab port.”
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82%Critics’ scoreBased on 34 critic reviews
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32h Median play time
36h Average play time
21h Main story
61h Completionist
10-60h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 419 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

NieR:Automata™ is a open world hack and slash game with fantasy, drama, anime, post-apocalyptic and others themes.

NieR:Automata™ is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows and others.

The main story can be completed in around 21 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 61 hours to finish. On average players spend around 36 hours playing NieR:Automata™.

NieR:Automata™ was released on June 26, 2018.

NieR:Automata™ was developed by Square Enix.

NieR:Automata™ has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked NieR:Automata™ for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

NieR:Automata™ is a single player game.

Similar games include NieR Replicant™ ver.1.22474487139..., Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, God of War, God of War, Final Fantasy XVI and others.