Fallout 4 modders prep for Skyrim-style modpocalypse as new-gen update looms

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Your Fallout 4 mods might be broken next year, but the community is working on a solution

Fallout 4 explosion
(Image credit: Bethesda)

The Fallout 4 modding scene is in full prep mode for what it sees as an inevitable "modpocalypse" following next year's new-gen update, similar to what happened when Skyrim Anniversary Edition launched last year.

For the uninitiated, Skyrim Anniversary Edition nearly broke the Skyrim modding scene last year due to its many updates to the base game, although some of the worst outcomes were narrowly avoided thanks to a modder who'd received early access from Bethesda. In this case, however, there doesn't seem to be any official contingency plan in place to prevent something even more cataclysmic when Fallout 4's new-gen update drops sometime in 2023. This has led many Fallout 4 modders to discuss their own plans for bunkering their precious mods from the incoming death patch.

Redditor Nebuchadnezzer2 seems to have one of the more practical and simple solutions, although it only applies to the Steam version of Fallout 4: 

"Just going to remind everyone that if you have FO4 via Steam: [go to] Properties -> Updates -> 'Only when I launch it.'" As long as you only run it via Fallout 4 Script Extender, that should ensure the game won't auto-update to the new-gen version and potentially nuke your mods. "Given the last updates (*.138, *.162, and *.163) changed some *.ba2 contents, a simple *.exe backup won't suffice, either," they add.

Although many are expecting the update to cause some issues for modders, others are erring on the side of cautious optimism. 

"Definitely advisable for certain setups, but just to say for the record, I'm neck-deep in a Skyrim playthrough with Anniversary Edition and a modlist of 140 mods, all working well. Only a couple things didn't support the latest version at this point," says NickTehThird. "Of course, I also have the auto-updates disabled in case it happens again!"

Here's why Fallout 4 was the perfect game for GR's Heather Wald to play in the wait for Starfield, and here are some essential Fallout 4 tips in case you decide to do the same.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.