After a couple of years in development,Bethesda finally released the next-gen updateforFallout 4. Promising a lot, the patch has not been going down particularly well. For one thing, those in the modding community have been concerned about it breaking fan-made content.
While there’s an argument to be had that next-gen was targeted largely at the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game, it seems PC players have been feeling disappointed in the offering. According to thepatch notes on Steam, the update offers a few changes, including Steam Deck verification, widescreen support, and a relatively (for Bethesda) short list of bug fixes. But it isn’t enough.
Turn the clock back – how to fix next-gen Fallout 4 mods
Leave it to modders to fix something the official developers themselves should have seen coming. Over on Nexus Mods – specifically theFallout 4page – there are a number of downloads that will actually prevent your game from installing the update.
There are a couple I’ve come across, both of which are currently in themost popularF4modsof the last 30 days. The first one is fromzerratarand is simply called “Fallout 4 Downgrader.” It is, as you may imagine, exactly that. According to the description, this mod reverts the game back “to its pre-next-gen version,” allowing you to “continue using mods,” particularly ones that utilize the all-importantF4SE.
The other one is a little more clever and comes from userBilago. Rather than revert your game back to a previous version, “Skip Next-Gen Update” actually tricks Steam into thinking you’ve already installed it. Much like zerratar’s offering, you may now continue to playFallout 4on PC without worrying about mods breaking.
Also, not long ago,Nexus Mods itself posted a messageabout concerns people in the modding community had about issues with the then-inbound next-gen update. It then linked to a forum post that gave instructions on how to prevent the patch from being applied to your copy of the game. If you’ve already installed it, it may be too late, buthere’s the postall the same in case you do find it useful.
I’m sure Bethesda will be back with some sort of fix for the problems people have been having. Todd Howard and his team could well work with modders to make things smoother, but given the studio hasn’t been in touch regarding theFallout: Londonmod that had to be delayedbecause of the update, fans may have to find their own solutions for now.
