Fallout 4's "next gen patch" hasn't been the slam dunk Bethesda were probably hoping for. Fresh off a massive renewal of interest in the post-apocalyptic series, the next gen patch was meant to bring Fallout 4 into the 2020s, with support for ultrawide monitors, unlocked refresh rates, and more. But players have been finding the downsides outweigh the upsides, especially on PC, and a number of enterprising users are downloading mods to get rid of the patch.
News in brief:
- The Fallout 4 next gen patch continues to cause consternation
- Players are using mods to fix problems
- Mods can roll back the patch, or even prevent it entirely
It seems as if this patch was largely intended for console players, as it seems to have done nothing but cause issues for PC players. Amongst the many issues reported, the patch broke mod support, delayed the anticipated Fallout: London mod, and removed the ability to change settings on Steam Deck since it, well, removed the launcher. All without really adding much to the experience — so you can see why a number of players are annoyed, and going to serious lengths to remove the patch.
It's clear from the recently popular section on Nexus Mods that mods are being used to fix the situation. The most popular patch-fixing mod is the Fallout 4 Downgrader, which removes the patch entirely, while the next one, STEAM - Skip Next-Gen update, tricks Steam into thinking the patch has already been downloaded, preventing it from being updated altogether. If you're a long-time Fallout player who's seen their savegames and favorite mods hit by the recent patch, then it's worth checking out these mods.
Speaking personally for a moment, the next gen patch hasn't impacted my time in Fallout 4 too much. However, I am playing on a Steam Deck, and as such, while modding is possible (and some would argue, essential), it's a pain, and I've tried and failed to get a mod launcher working properly. However, using Fallout 4's next gen patch with the built-in mods menu from the main menu has been a painless experience. For the moment I'm largely going mods-lite, just focusing on Sim Settlements 2 and other important mods, like the mod that makes Dogmeat an extra companion, but it's not something I've really struggled with. If you're the sort of person who loads down the Nexus Mod Manager with hundreds of mods though, I can see why the patch would be causing havok.