What's included in the Fallout 4 Next-Gen Update?
Bethesda announced their intent to update Fallout 4 for "Next-Gen" (now "Current-Gen", I suppose) consoles and PCs back in 2022, so it's not completely unexpected but you'll be forgiven for thinking this has come a bit out of the blue!
This will be an in-place update for your Fallout 4 game, not a separate game release (e.g. Skyrim vs Skyrim Special Edition).
The Next-Gen update will add widescreen and ultra-wide support, improved mod support, and several stability/bug fixes. Fallout 4 will also be Steam deck verified which is good news for handheld players.
Along with updates to the base game, the update comes with 3 free Creation Club items:
- Enclave Remnants - A new Enclave quest including new weapons and armour.
- Makeshift Weapon Pack - A Dead Rising-style pack of improvised weapons.
- Halloween Workshop - A collection of spooky decorations for your settlements.
A new version of the Creation Kit for Fallout 4 is coming too but Bethesda is keeping its cards close to its chest on this one. We predict it will be similar to the Skyrim Creation Kit update which added a few small quality-of-life fixes.
While it hasn't been explicitly mentioned anywhere in the announcement, this update will likely introduce the new "Creations" menu as seen in the latest Skyrim update showcasing community content available to purchase through the verified creators scheme.
Finally, Fallout 4 will be joining all the previous Fallout and Elder Scrolls RPGs on the Epic Games Store.
You can read Bethesda's official announcement here.
What does this mean for existing mods?
I can already hear some of you running for the nearest modpocalypse shelter as you read this, but let's take a look at what this is really going to mean for the Fallout 4 modding ecosystem.
Note: Some of the following information is speculative until Bethesda provide more details on the specifics of the update.
Firstly, it's almost certainly going to be incompatible with Fallout 4 Script Extender on launch, which will temporarily prevent the use of any mods that require F4SE to function. We're hopeful the F4SE team will get a sneak peek at the update a few days early to give them a head start. The script extender may not be updated to support the Epic Games release, depending on how different it is from the Steam/GOG builds.
Next, advanced mods may need updating separately, even if F4SE is made compatible. This can happen if any hooks into the game they use have changed.
Finally, any traditional mods (i.e. those created purely with the Creation Kit) may need some minor tweaks and updates based on the changes to the base game. This would be especially true for any mods that interact with the quests or locations that have been fixed by Bethesda.
We've weathered the radstorm of these updates several times before we know there will be some pain at least in the short term. So the natural next question is "Can I stop my game updating?".
How can I prevent or delay this update?
If you're already mid-way through a playthrough and have an intricately crafted list of mods set up, it's fair to say that you don't want a game update to come along and take a Fat Man to your setup. The Skyrim players out there can attest to how frustrating this can be.
We've prepared this guide on the forums to help you stop Fallout 4 from updating on Steam, GOG and Xbox Game Pass.
To be safe from unwanted updates or easily roll back your games, we highly recommend getting the game from GOG.com and using the GOG Galaxy app to manage it. Unlike other game store launchers, GOG gives users full control over when an update happens to their game and offers a convenient way to downgrade if you install an update by mistake.
How do I know if a mod is updated for the Next-Gen Update?
We've added a couple of new tags to the Fallout 4 section of the site to help you more easily identify or filter out mods you're interested in.
If a mod is confirmed to work with the Next-Gen Update, it should have the "Works with Next-Gen Update" tag.
If a mod is confirmed to be broken by the Next-Gen Update, it should have the "Broken in Next-Gen Update" tag.
Tags can be added by the mod author, their team or moderators. Tags can also be voted on to the mod page by at least 3 users. So if you find a mod tagged incorrectly, please help us all out by adding your vote!
That wraps up what we know so far about the Fallout 4 Next-Gen update. Come and join us on the Fallout 4 forums or comment below to let us know how you're feeling about the impending changes.
286 comments
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A moderator has closed this comment topic for the time beingYou can discuss the changes and see the latest updates on F4SE here: https://forums.nexusmods.com/topic/13482003-fallout-4-script-extender-and-the-next-gen-update/
It's an excuse to shove their head in the sand and pretend like they have a point, while ultimately the rest of the modding community continues on without them with little to no meaningful losses, all until the people on an ancient version of the game realize their version is on life support and lose their minds.
CS2 was released a few months ago, ergo the modding scene is not yet mature, and while the wiki only makes mention of Paradox Mods, that does not mean you cannot download them via the Nexus page. This can be true for several reasons,
namely Paradox owns Paradox Mods and thus, are only going to officially endorse it for mods.(This isn't actually true, Paradox doesn't own Paradox Mods. If I had to guess why it's the only one mentioned on the wiki, it could be because it seems like it's the only one with integration in the main game/modding tools. Not sure though).Same goes for HF2.
Either may have paid mods as an option, I didn't look too closely (but clearly did closer than you), but it's always going to be in the minority of mods. Nor does it require you pay for mods.
There are no additionally hoops to jump through, apart from updating mods.
Also, it's sadder some people are so shortsighted to recognize the fact, so they defend corporations to the death and try to demoralize those that call out these terrible practices.
I lost a lot of enthusiasm about modding/playing Skyrim because of that, and I'm sure a lot of gamers will feel the same about Fallout.
A real shame.
Is Fallout 4 a bad game? Seems like everybody says it's the worst entry in the series...
I personally think it's a more solid game than skyrim. But it IS a different setting. I also like that your character is voiced(and if female, Jack from mass effect) Companions, though fewer feel more "alive" with more personality.
That being said, people can be quite terrible while trying to push their opinion on what's Fallout enough and what's not, so the opinions like "the worst entry in the series" often times should be taken with a grain of sault. I'd suggest just trying out the game and forming the opinion yourself without listening to anyone ✨