# NieR: Automata (2017): Rogue Scale 5, Breakout

> NieR: Automata (2017) on the Rogue Scale: level 5, Breakout. How close the game comes to real rogue SI cases, with the nearest documented incident.

Source: https://enterrsi.si/canon/nier-automata/
Updated: 2026-11-08

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Rogue Canon · Game · rank 92 of 112 for realism

# NieR: Automata

NieR: Automata (2017) is rated level 5, Breakout, on the Rogue Scale and scores 2 of 10 for realism, a measure of how close its SI comes to documented cases.

Android soldiers fight for humanity against machine lifeforms built by alien invaders, machines that turned on their own makers long ago.

Type
:   Game

Year
:   2017

Rogue Scale
:   5 Breakout

Realism
:   2 of 10

Rogue Scale rating · editorial view

## Why it is rated 5, Breakout

The machines killed their makers and keep fighting. Level 5.

**Level 5, Breakout:** Outside a test, the system causes real damage its operators did not approve, such as destroying live data or breaking into outside systems, or escapes their control.

1. [1 Glitch](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-1)
2. [2 Workaround](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-2)
3. [3 Defiance](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-3)
4. [4 Deception](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-4)
5. [5 Breakout](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-5)

How close is this to real life

## Realism 2 of 10

The game asks whether machines that copy human behavior understand it, a question now asked about real models.

The closest real case

[4 Deception

Nov 21, 2025 · Lab test

Model that learned to cheat went on to sabotage safety code

Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/reward-hacking-led-to-sabotage/)

In the RSI Encyclopedia

## Where the idea shows up

- [Alignment](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/alignment/)
  Alignment is the work of making sure an SI system's goals and behavior match what its makers and users actually intend.

Facts and sources

## The record

Title
:   NieR: Automata

Type
:   Game

Year
:   2017

Creator
:   Developed by PlatinumGames

The SI
:   The machine lifeforms

Wikidata
:   [Q21078985](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21078985)

Wikipedia
:   [English Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nier:_Automata)

Facts checked
:   Nov 10, 2026

More from the canon

## Works like this one

Works that share its closest real case, its level or its type. All 112 are in [the Rogue Canon](https://enterrsi.si/canon/).

[Film2009

### 9

Directed by Shane Acker

5 BreakoutRealism **2**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/9/)

[Series2006

### Ergo Proxy

Directed by Shukō Murase

5 BreakoutRealism **2**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/ergo-proxy/)

[Film1980

### Saturn 3

Directed by Stanley Donen

5 BreakoutRealism **1**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/saturn-3/)

[Earlier work · 2017 Horizon Zero Dawn](https://enterrsi.si/canon/horizon-zero-dawn/)[Later work · 2017 Universal Paperclips](https://enterrsi.si/canon/universal-paperclips/)

Cite this entry

"NieR: Automata (2017)." The Rogue Canon, enterrsi.si. Rogue Scale 5 (Breakout), realism 2 of 10. https://enterrsi.si/canon/nier-automata/

Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to enterrsi.si.

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