Fallout 4’s long-awaited free next-gen update is rolling out today, April 25, ushering in performance and quality improvements to help the 2015 RPG look and perform potentially better than ever. Bethesda is calling this a next-gen update, though the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles have been on the market since 2020.
The highlight of the update are performance and quality mode options. When players select “Performance” mode, they’ll run the game at up to 60fps with 4K resolution via dynamic scaling. On “Quality” mode, the game runs at 30fps at 4K (without dynamic scaling).
The next-gen patch for Fallout 4 was announced back in 2022 and was originally set to debut in 2023 before Bethesda delayed it to 2024. It arrives today not long after Prime Video’s Fallout TV show arrived and helped lead to a resurgence in Fallout player numbers. Presumably this next-gen update will draw more players back to Fallout 4 or encourage them to try for the first time.
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Fallout 4 players on PS4 and Xbox One are getting a free update that includes stability improvements and fixes for quest and login issues. A free update is also available for PC that includes support for widescreen and ultra-widescreen monitors, along with various fixes. Additionally, Fallout 4 is now available to buy in another place: the Epic Games Store. Not only that, but Fallout 4 is now Steam Deck-verified for people playing on Valve’s handheld device.
The new patch for Fallout adds more Creation Club content, and it’s free. This includes “Enclave Remnants” content that players can acquire by completing a new quest, “Echoes of the Past.” For more, check out the full patch notes below.
What effect this new update might have on Fallout 4 user-created mods remains to be seen. The developers of the Fallout London mod delayed their release due to the next-gen update. If you’re looking for mods to play, check out GameSpot’s rundown of 50 of the best Fallout 4 mods in 2024.
also include a mention of how we don’t yet know if this will break compatibility with many Fallout 4 mods, and use that as an excuse to include an in-text link to the best mods gallery
Also note that, as Bethesda rolls out the update across console and PC, the Creation Club and/or Mods Menu will be temporarily down. Another key thing to know is that Fallout 4 is free on Game Pass and via Game Pass Core.
Fallout 4 Patch Notes
New Creation Club Content Free for Everyone
Enclave Remnants brings the Pre-War cabal, The Enclave, into the Fallout 4 storyline. In this new quest, “Echoes of the Past,” can you stop The Enclave from spreading their dangerous ideology and gaining a foothold in the Commonwealth?
Along with workshop items and the Enclave Colonel uniform, we are including the following previously released Creation Club content:
- Enclave Weapon Skins
- Enclave Armor Skins
- Tesla Cannon
- Hellfire Power Armor
- X-02 Power Armor
- Heavy Incinerator
Makeshift Weapon Pack
Whether it be grenades or piggy banks, there’s no shortage of objects you can transform into murderous projectiles with this collection of unique weapons. Included are two grenade launchers, a Nail Gun, Baseball Launcher, Saw Blade launcher, and piggy bank based weaponry.
(Quest “When Pigs Fly” starts at a merchant workshop northwest of Greenetech Genetics.)
Halloween Workshop
On the eve of the end, the New England Technocrat Society has thrown a spooky Halloween gala for anyone with the nerve to attend. Drop in on this fa-boo-lous pumpkin-lit soiree replete with witches, cauldrons, and ghouls, and unlock 38 new spine-tingling Halloween props to decorate your settlement! Includes new wearables, such as the iconic De-Capitalist helmet!
(Quest “All Hallow’s Eve” starts by tuning into the Mysterious Signal on your Pip-Boy.)
Changes and New Features
- Native PS5 and Xbox Series applications. Includes performance and quality mode options.
- Performance mode: 60 FPS target, 4k resolution, standard settings, relying on dynamic resolution scaling.
- Quality mode: 30 FPS*, 4k resolution, ultra settings, should not require dynamic resolution scaling.
*When connected to a 120Hz display, Quality mode will target 40 FPS. When connected to a 1440p display, the title will run at 1440p resolution at 60 FPS w/ ultra settings regardless of rendering mode
Bug Fixes
- Resolved issues preventing Japanese and Chinese users from connecting to Bethesda.net (this restores access to Mods).
- Resolved issue preventing save data from properly loading during the prologue.
- Resolved issue that could prevent the Vault 111 Door from opening on new games.
- Resolved issue that could prevent the quest “Go Home” from advancing.
- Resolved issue that could result in Codsworth being broken on the ground after fast traveling.
- Resolved issue with mipmaps in DLC.
- Resolved issue that could result in a softlock when in dialogue with Prestson Garvey.
- Resolved issue preventing autosaves while fast traveling in Power Armor.
- Fixed issue where text would occasionally disappear in the Creation Club menu.
- Resolved issues with text formatting in the credits in Japanese and Chinese.
- Resolved issue causing the camera to fail when leaving furniture after an extended time.
- Fixed issue that could misplace quest markers while the VR Workshop Creation was installed alongside Automatron.
- Resolved issue with player movement in some underwater areas at Thicket Excavations.
- Resolved issue that could cause corruption within the Settlement system resulting in wrong resource counts and/or destroyed settlements.
- Resolved issue where the “Level Up” notification would display even if there was not a level up available.
- Fixed some flickering in Vault 111.
- Stability improvements.
PC Only
- Resolved issue preventing saves being made under Windows Usernames with Cyrillic, Chinese, or Japanese characters.
PlayStation Only
- Resolved issue that could keep the Pip-Boy light on when reading holotapes.
- Resolved issue that could prompt users to free up 0kb worth of space when attempting to save even if space was available.
- Fixed crash that could occur while loading a save that was made immediately before dying.
- Resolved issue that would prevent Codsworth from checking on Shaun in the intro.
Xbox Only
- Resolved issue where users would not always be returned to the main menu after signing out of their profile.
- Resolved crash that could occur if the player had unlocked all perks.
- Fixed lighting issue that could occur during Airship Down.
- Encountering a BNET error will now return you to the main menu instead of asking you to log in again.
- Resolved issue that could result in significant drop in frame rate when a Gas Canister is ignited by a Molotov Cocktail.
- Addressed some visual artifacts that could occur when dynamic resolution was triggered.
Creation Kit
- Removed non-functional “Hot Load” button.
- Removed non-functional “Material Editor” button.
- Editor IDs longer than 99 characters will no longer crash the editor.
- Resolved crash that could occur while viewing a quest’s Objectives tab.
- Resolved hang that could occur while adding a reference to a layer.