PSA: Fallout 4’s next-gen update on PC is a mess

Busted saves and other problems

Bethesda

Fallout 4’s next-gen update on PC is here, and we kind of wish it wasn’t, as the Bethesda game’s improvements broke more than they fixed. The patch takes up nearly 15GB of space, and for your time and trouble, you get busted mods, erased save games if they featured mods, and a whole range of other problems (thanks, PC Gamer).

It also introduces no graphics improvements, but in fairness, Bethesda said it wouldn’t.

One of the biggest problems, aside from potentially losing modded saves, is that the update busted Fallout Script Extender, an essential modder’s tool that lets you tweak and add to the game without fundamentally altering its files. It doesn’t work now. Most Fallout 4 mods that aren’t Creation Club mods don’t work, either, so expect to run into difficulties if you try opening or using them at all.

Some players report that Creation Club mods aren’t working either, though these comments seem less common.

That kind of problem almost always happens when major updates go live for PC games – well, not the save game situation, admittedly – and modders will probably have fixes for their projects in the coming days and weeks. 

The next-gen update does have a few other issues, though. The old problem with weapon debris settings crashing RTX cards is still present, so don’t expect any improvements there, and ultrawide support stretches the interface horribly. Some players are reporting other issues as well, including invisible items, texture and model glitches – the kinds of things you usually get from a new Bethesda game. 

Bethesda hasn’t commented on the problems, so there’s no word yet on when or whether the studio plans on addressing these bugs.