New and improved

(Image credit: Bethesda)

Fallout 4 will receive a free next-gen upgrade in 2023, which will be available for Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PC, Bethesda has confirmed. 

Seven years after Fallout 4 was first released, Bethesda announced (opens in new tab) the update as part of its Fallout 25th Anniversary celebrations, revealing that the free upgrade will introduce "performance mode features for high frame rates, quality features for 4K resolution gameplay, bug fixes and even bonus Creation Club content". 

This update will be available for those who own Fallout 4 on PS4, Xbox One or PC, but it's unclear if Bethesda plans to release specific PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of the post-apocalyptic RPG (TRG has contacted Bethesda for confirmation). 

A sign of things to come?

This free next-gen upgrade for Fallout 4 is welcome as it will likely encourage new players to jump in while also encouraging players like myself to venture back to The Commonwealth again. 

But, this time, traipsing through post-apocalyptic Boston is likely to be a smoother (and more attractive) experience than when I first did it back in 2015. That's exciting for a couple of reasons, firstly because it makes a fantastic open-world RPG even better. And, most importantly, it could give us a taste of what to expect from the upcoming Fallout 5. 

Sure, Fallout 5 is going to be many years away, with Bethesda confirming to IGN (opens in new tab) in June that it'll start work on the next Fallout after The Elder Scrolls 6, but Fallout 5's next-gen upgrade will certainly offer us an idea of what a new Fallout game on the latest hardware could look like. 

Well, we're hoping so anyway because, until Fallout 5's release, it's the closest we're going to get to a new Fallout game. 

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