In reaction to the explosive success of the Prime Video series, Bethesda yesterday deployed the famous “next-gen” patch for Fallout 4. But this unfortunately seems far from living up to expectations.
On paper, this major patch for Fallout 4 was supposed to bring a lot of change, in particular by making the game playable in the best conditions on PS5 and Xbox Series. However, the reality seems much more postapocalyptic.
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A “next-gen” patch full of Radroaches for Fallout 4
Wishing to build on the success of the very popular Prime Video series, Bethesda thought to please players with a “next-gen” patch that has been awaited for years. This mainly focused on the possibility of making the title released in 2015 playable on current generation consoles. It should also bring several benefits to PC. Among other things: support for wide and ultra-wide screens, as well as full compatibility with the Steam Deck. Finally, the patch had a rocket-long list of fixes. The whole thing weighs its considerable weight of 14 GB.
Unfortunately, especially on PC, this massive Fallout 4 update brought more problems than solutions. Among the regrettable or missing elements:
- No noticeable graphics improvement
- The version of the Bethesda Creation engine used in the game still does not support a framerate higher than 60 FPS
- The “Weapon Debris” graphics setting continues to cause crashes on PCs equipped with RTX graphics cards
- Game display in wide or ultra-wide mode presents a rather unsightly stretched interface
Worse still for modding enthusiasts, and unfortunately this was to be expected: it is absolutely impossible as it stands to play Fallout 4 with mods created by the community. Even the absolutely essential Script Extender is currently on the sidelines. The only mods (paid, those…) that work for the moment are… those offered on Bethesda's Creation Club. A more or less subtle way of highlighting the new additions arriving with the “next-gen” patch? Unfortunately, we will have to wait for modders to rack their brains to adapt their creations to this new update before reintegrating them into the game.
Good news in the midst of the apocalypse?
However, everything does not seem to be completely thrown out in this new patch of Fallout 4. Even if bugs persist years after the game's release, others have finally received a little attention from Bethesda. If the overall results are not great on PC, things are also different on PS5 and Xbox Series. The game runs like a charm thanks to the Performance and Quality modes. But PC players are wondering if this patch should ultimately have been exclusive to consoles. The PC version seems to have been collateral damage from this “next-gen” update.
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If you want to play Fallout 4 again but can't bear to do it without mods, there is a solution. However, this implies that you have the game installed, but not yet patched. You should then block automatic updates and launch the game via an alternative launcher like F4SE. Unfortunately, we will have to wait a few days/weeks before modders find the time to adapt their creations to the latest version of the game. This is particularly the case for the highly anticipated Fallout London. Its creators have unfortunately chosen to postpone the release scheduled for April 23 until further notice since Bethesda's announcement around this famous new patch.