How much space does the Nikke update need?

Shift Up says existing players need at least 17GB of free space on their device, and players installing Nikke for the first time need 22GB. That is the headroom the installer asks for, not the exact download figure. Clear the space before you start, because running out midway can fail the client update.

Why is Nikke redownloading the whole game?

The September update moves Nikke onto a new patch system, and the transition requires every install to pull all of the game's patch data again. Shift Up has confirmed this happens once, for this update only. Later patches are meant to be smaller because the new structure supports partial resource downloads.

When is Nikke maintenance over?

The scheduled window is 11:00 to 18:00 JST on 3 September, which is the whole update period during which you cannot log in. Shift Up notes the actual duration may vary, so it can end early or run long. The optimisation and bug-fix notes are published only once maintenance finishes.

What are the rates for Drake: Great Villain?

Special Recruit has a 4% chance of any SSR Nikke and a 2% chance of Drake: Great Villain specifically. You collect Gold Mileage Tickets as you pull, and 200 of them exchange for her directly in the Mileage Shop. The banner runs until 17 September at 4:59:59 JST, and unused tickets are not deleted when it ends.

Can I free up storage in Nikke after the update?

Yes. The new system lets you delete texture and model data for whichever quality tier you are not using, and voice-over data for any installed language you have not selected from English, Japanese and Korean. This option now works on PC as well as mobile, not just on phones as before.

Nikke Update Forces a Full Redownload and Needs 17GB Free

Why the Nikke update needs a full redownload

Shift Up is switching to a new patch system, and the transition requires every existing installation to pull down all of the game's patch data again. The studio has been explicit that this happens once, for this update only. Everything after it is meant to be smaller: the new structure supports partial resource management, so future patches should download less and install faster.

The studio flagged the change in its August developer note, pointing at the obvious cause. Four years of music, event scenes, 2D assets, environments and Rapture models have piled up, and the old update system was straining under the weight. Players on the game's community forums have been posting screenshots of downloads landing around the 20GB mark, which is roughly what a from-scratch reinstall of a game this size looks like.

There is a payoff attached. Once the new system is in, you can delete resources you are not using. Texture and model data for whichever quality tier you did not select — Standard or High — can be removed, and switching tiers installs the one you want while dropping the other. Voice-over data works the same way: with English, Japanese and Korean all installed, the languages you do not have selected can go. That option is no longer mobile-only, so PC installs get it too.

Drake: Great Villain and the banner rates

The headline addition is SSR Drake: Great Villain, the third upgraded Matis member after Laplace: Ultimate Hero and Maxwell: Ordinary Mechanic. She is a Defender on the Wind code, built by Missilis Industry, carrying a shotgun called Villain Night Carnival. Her kit scales her own attack power off her HP, and her Burst Skill pushes that further while hitting multiple targets.

Her Special Recruit banner opens when maintenance ends and closes on 17 September at 4:59:59 JST. The published rates are 4% for any SSR and 2% for Drake specifically. Gold Mileage Tickets accrue while you pull, and 200 of them buy her outright in the Mileage Shop; leftover tickets carry over after the banner closes. Maxwell: Ordinary Mechanic moves into Ordinary Recruit, Social Point Recruit and Mold items with this patch, though not into New Commander Special Recruit, the tutorial recruit or the Mileage Shop.

What else is in the September wave

GREAT VILLAIN UNION — the story event, running from maintenance end to 17 September at 4:59:59 JST, with a Challenge Stage and an Event Shop selling Recruit Vouchers and skill materials.
DAILY EVIL DEED — a seven-day login event over the same period.
ARCANE ARCHIVE — the past story event becomes replayable through Archives, unlocked with Memory Films.
Union Raid — 4 September 05:00 to 10 September 04:59:59 JST. Your Union must be level 3, and nobody can leave or be removed while it runs.
Coordinated Operation — Storm Bringer, weak to Iron, from 11 September 12:00 to 13 September 23:59:59 JST, in five-player squads.
Champion Arena Beta Season 38 — starts 10 September, alongside new profile decoration objects and titles.

Shift Up says the optimisation and bug-fix list will be published when maintenance ends rather than in advance, so the full patch notes are still incomplete at the time of writing.

Clear the space before you queue the download

If your phone is tight on storage, sort it out before maintenance ends rather than during it. A 17GB requirement is not a 17GB download — it is the headroom the installer wants, and a device sitting at 10GB free will fail partway through and leave you re-running it. Gacha games have been trending this way for a while: we measured Honkai: Star Rail 4.5 at 3.9GB on mobile and 7.4GB on PC, and Wuthering Waves 3.6's pre-load at 22GB on PC. Nikke's one-time reset is at the heavy end even by that standard.

Players hunting for something to fill the wait can browse our round-up of anime games for Android, and anyone permanently short on space should look at the Android games that fit under 100MB, where every size is measured rather than copied from a store listing.