Anniversary Edition Is Angering Some Fans

Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition is angering some fans, largely due to its implications for the game’s existing modding scene. While technical details on the new Fallout 4 version are still slim, the game is expected to break a variety of mods, including many popular overhauls that rely on scripting.

The fourth mainline entry in the Fallout franchise is celebrating its 10th anniversary on November 10. Its new edition is launching on the same day, bundling the base game with all six DLC packs and over 150 Creation Club items. It also introduces a streamlined Creations menu for browsing official and community-made add-ons, echoing systems seen in Starfield and Skyrim Anniversary Edition. Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition will be available for PC and the latest two generations of Xbox and PlayStation consoles.

10-Year-Old Fallout 4 Still Breaking Mods Annually

A vocal section of the fandom has been criticizing Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition following its reveal, with many expressing frustration over the expected impact on mod compatibility. The upcoming version of the post-apocalyptic RPG will likely disrupt a wide range of mods, particularly complex ones that rely heavily on scripting. Though that’s a common consequence of game updates, the backlash here is amplified by the fact that Fallout 4, now a decade old, is set to break a substantial number of mods for the second time in just 18 months.

“I have like 400 mods on the thing. It’s hours of work to get that running and I’ll be damned if they **** it up for me,” one frustrated fan wrote on Reddit. Much of the backlash also stems from the perception that the Anniversary Edition offers little new content beyond promoting paid mods, now branded as “Creations.” While the 2024 next-gen update for Fallout 4 also broke a large number of mods, it delivered more player-facing additions to offset the inconvenience, introducing things like bonus quests, bug fixes, and (rudimentary) ultrawide monitor support.

What Fallout 4 Mods Are Likely to Break With the Anniversary Edition?

As things currently stand, any mod that relies on Fallout 4 Script Extender (F4SE) is likely to break after upgrading to the Anniversary Edition. Bethesda has yet to clarify how the upgrade itself is going to work. If the Anniversary Edition of Skyrim is any indication, its Fallout 4 counterpart may be delivered as downloadable content rather than as a full new game build. That precedent also suggests the Anniversary Edition won’t be free for existing Fallout 4 owners. That doesn’t mean it won’t break mods for everyone; for Bethesda titles, any DLC and even Creation Club releases are often accompanied by a game executable update, the kind of runtime change that typically breaks mods that depend on script extension until their authors update them.

I have like 400 mods on [Fallout 4]. It’s hours of work to get that running and I’ll be damned if they **** it up for me.

Adding to fan concerns, the Anniversary Edition is expected to further fragment an already divided modding scene. The 2024 next-gen patch already contributed to this by altering the game’s compiler/runtime and BA2 archive headers, forcing mod authors to target either the new or old build while creating mods. As a result, many mods were abandoned, leading some players to downgrade their Fallout 4 versions in order to continue using older content.