Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition launched this week on Xbox, PC, and PlayStation. This new release from Bethesda Game Studios includes the original game, all previously released downloadable content, and a hand-picked selection of 150 fan-created mods that add new items, quests, and more, all reviewed by the developers.
Similar to the anniversary edition of Skyrim released in 2021, this new version of Fallout 4 arrived ten years after the original game in 2015, as a way to celebrate that milestone. However, instead of being a guaranteed success, it’s received a lot of criticism.
As an analyst, I’ve been tracking the reaction to the Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition launch, and it’s been overwhelmingly negative. Steam user reviews have plummeted since Monday, with just 44% of the recent 4,225 reviews being positive. The majority are expressing their dissatisfaction, and a quick look at the comments reveals the reasons why.
Recent Steam reviews for the Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition show players are mainly frustrated with three things: it doesn’t add any new gameplay content, it’s causing performance issues that weren’t there before, and the required update is breaking mods people were already using.
One player expressed frustration that the Fallout 4 community essentially created the game’s best features, while Bethesda repeatedly repackages and sells them back as new content. They feel the game has shifted from a creative outlet to a system designed to generate revenue. The player believes Bethesda’s recent updates aren’t improvements, but rather disrupt existing mods, require unwanted updates, and are essentially reselling the same game with new, paid additions.
One player complained, “Please, no more updates for games that are a decade old! If you really need more money, why not make some new content? I’d much rather see a good expansion pack. This update feels pointless and disappointing.”
Because the Anniversary Edition doesn’t add anything new, it feels like it wasn’t really necessary.
It’s true that not all Fallout 4 players use modifications, so Bethesda could reasonably continue updating the game even though a significant number do. However, the Anniversary Edition doesn’t add any new content beyond what was already available through DLC, the Game of the Year Edition, or the Creations Bundle, and it isn’t offered at a reduced price. This makes the release feel unnecessary and a bit frustrating.
Since the recent update, many players have reported problems with the game on PCs and handheld devices, even those playing the unmodded version. Some are experiencing bugs and performance issues, and unfortunately, at least one player had their saved game data damaged by the update.
The recent 10th anniversary update ruined my saved games in Fallout 4. I wasn’t even trying to use the Anniversary Edition – I didn’t buy it! – but the update installed itself anyway, without giving me the actual new content. It just caused problems. I definitely don’t recommend this update.
Feedback on the Fallout Anniversary Edition, ranging from critical to outright negative – with some calling it a purely profit-driven move – shows that many players see the update as pointless and frustrating. It’s largely viewed as breaking existing mods, causing technical problems, and ultimately benefiting the developer at the expense of the player experience.
It’s nice that Fallout 4 is celebrating an anniversary, but the Anniversary Edition doesn’t really offer anything new. All the included content has been available for years, and it’s actually more expensive to buy it as part of this edition than it would be to purchase everything separately. Ultimately, it costs around $60.
While the update appears to have improved stability on Xbox and PlayStation, it wasn’t really needed in the first place. It’s disappointing that it caused issues with mods and created new performance problems. Hopefully, mod creators will quickly release updates to fix compatibility, and Bethesda will address the texture glitches and other bugs with future patches.
As a researcher looking at the Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition, I’ve found that it doesn’t actually offer anything new – all the content has been available for years. What’s frustrating is that even as a bundle, it isn’t priced any better than buying everything separately. It doesn’t seem to offer any real value for players who already own the base game or its DLC.
If you don’t already have Fallout 4, the Anniversary Edition isn’t a great deal, especially on PC. You can currently get the Game of the Year Edition for around $11 and the Creations Bundle for about $18 at Loaded, making them much more affordable options.
If you purchase both items together, you’ll receive all the content included with the Anniversary Edition for just $28.98. This is significantly cheaper than the Anniversary Edition’s regular price of $59.99 and also less expensive than the current $52.79 deal from Loaded.
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2025-11-13 00:10