Image source: Bethesda
Chances are, if you’re here, the recent Fallout 4 update didn’t quite hit the spot. Was it the modding mishaps, or maybe the lackluster ‘next-gen’ promises and lack of meaningful new content? In either case, let’s get you back to that sweet spot where everything just… worked. Here’s how to downgrade the Fallout 4 update on PC.
Downgrading the Fallout 4 Update
So, as I mentioned above, you’ve probably noticed that Fallout 4’s latest update wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. The good news is you can downgrade the Fallout 4 update. It’s a bit of a task, but hey, it’s better than dealing with the aftermath of this update.
We’re going to get technical, but not too technical. You’re going to need to dive into the Steam Console. Pop steam://open/console into your web browser. That’ll open the console in Steam itself.
From there, you’re going to be downloading a bunch of files (called “depots”) that make up the previous Fallout 4 version you knew and loved. Type in the download commands for each part of the game you need – the main game files, any DLCs you own, the works ( just the part before the “—–” ). They look like this (thanks Reddit), and you can find each language later in the list:
- download_depot 377160 377161 7497069378349273908 —– Fallout Content a
- download_depot 377160 377163 5819088023757897745 —– Fallout Content b
- download_depot 377160 377162 5847529232406005096 —– Fallout .exe
- download_depot 377160 377164 2178106366609958945 —– Fallout in English
All the DLC’s you might own (not all of these will apply to everyone):
- download_depot 377160 435870 1691678129192680960 —– Automatron
- download_depot 377160 435871 5106118861901111234 —– Automatron English
- download_depot 377160 435880 1255562923187931216 —– Wasteland Workshop
- download_depot 377160 435881 1207717296920736193 —– Far Harbor
- download_depot 377160 435882 8482181819175811242 —– Far Harbor English
- download_depot 377160 480630 5527412439359349504 —– Contraptions Workshop
- download_depot 377160 480631 6588493486198824788 —– Vault-Tec Workshop
- download_depot 377160 393885 5000262035721758737 —– Vault-Tec Workshop English
- download_depot 377160 490650 4873048792354485093 —– Nuka World
- download_depot 377160 393895 7677765994120765493 —– Nuka World English
HD Texture Pack
- download_depot 377160 540810 1558929737289295473 —– HD Texture Pack
Polish
- download_depot 377160 393880 8378357397609964253 —– Fallout in Polish
- download_depot 377160 435876 6475533526946306248 —– Automatron Polish
- download_depot 377160 435887 1696734609684135531 —– Far Harbor Polish
- download_depot 377160 393890 1765554658221186452 —– Vault-Tec Workshop Polish
- download_depot 377160 404097 3040241873036299160 —– Nuka World Polish
Japanese
- download_depot 377160 393884 3455288010746962666 —– Fallout 4 Japanese
- download_depot 377160 404091 6756984187996423348 —– Automatron Japanese
- download_depot 377160 404093 1398706778481280442 —– Far Harbor Japanese
- download_depot 377160 393894 284738489375199037 —– Vault-Tec Workshop Japanese
- download_depot 377160 404096 2951208112779014496 —– Nuka-World Japanese
Italian
- download_depot 377160 377166 783101348965844295 —– Fallout 4 Italian
- download_depot 377160 435874 9032251103390457158 —– Automatron Italian
- download_depot 377160 435885 545294059663977441 —– Far Harbor Italian
- download_depot 377160 393888 4182964460983125860 —– Vault-Tec Workshop Italian
- download_depot 377160 377169 2112185424871906435 —– Nuka-World Italian
Portugese-br
- download_depot 377160 393882 7540680803954664080 —– Fallout 4 portuguese-br
- download_depot 377160 435878 8276750634369029613 —– Automatron portuguese-br
- download_depot 377160 435889 3739447432423498108 —– Far Harbor portuguese-br
- download_depot 377160 393892 1388883862084490494 —– Vault-Tec Workshop portuguese-br
- download_depot 377160 404094 2888111047071072771 —– Nuka-World portuguese-br
German
- download_depot 377160 393882 6854162778963425477 —– Fallout 4 german
- download_depot 377160 435873 2207548206398235202 —– Automatron german
- download_depot 377160 435884 1583726361179064237 —–Far Harbor german
- download_depot 377160 393887 4458604458983717666 —– Vault-Tec Workshop german
- download_depot 377160 393897 1357704281835463005 —– Nuka-World german
Spanish
- download_depot 377160 377168 7717372852115364102 —– Fallout 4 spanish
- download_depot 377160 435875 2953236065717816833 —– Automatron spanish
- download_depot 377160 435886 6337694505107499720 —– Far Harbor spanish
- download_depot 377160 393889 7553859846726526417 —– Vault-Tec Workshop spanish
- download_depot 377160 393898 8573679706590820412 —– Nuka-World spanish
Traditional Chinese
- download_depot 377160 393883 6742459130628608886 —– Fallout 4 traditional chinese
- download_depot 377160 435879 367504569468547727 —– Automatron traditional chinese
- download_depot 377160 404092 6806984433357643395 —– Far Harbor traditional chinese
- download_depot 377160 393893 442593679549850747 —– Vault-Tec Workshop traditional chinese
- download_depot 377160 404095 3169890264626778200 —– Nuka-World traditional chinese
These will download into your “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\content\app_377160” folder in separate depot folders, for example the Fallout.exe would be in a folder called “depot_377162”.
Backup and Replace
Create a folder on your desktop – let’s call it “Fallout Backup” because, why not? Then take the contents from each of those depot folders and copy them into this new folder. This is your old version jigsaw puzzle. Put it together correctly, and voilà – you’ve got the full picture.
Switch the Files
Okay, it’s time for the old switcheroo. Delete everything in your current Fallout 4 folder (yeah, I know, but trust me) and then paste in everything from your Fallout Backup folder. Install the latest version of F4SE, boot up the game via the F4SE launcher, and you should be golden.
Your Fallout 4 should be back to its former glory. Mods should work, Script Extender and all. Just keep in mind, it’s like performing surgery on your game files. Be careful, follow each step, and you should come out the other side with a game that’s back to normal.
There you have it. A not-so-quick fix to the Fallout 4 update blues. Mods are a huge part of what makes Fallout 4 great, and having them break isn’t fun for anyone returning to the game after having watched the Netflix show.
