Fallout 4, the nearly ten-year-old open-world RPG where you can romance a robot or get mauled by a mutant dog, is getting a brand-new update. Again. But this time, it’s different. This time, there’s money involved.
According to JuiceHead, a popular YouTuber whose entire channel seems legally bound to Bethesda’s modding tools, Fallout 4 is set to receive official support for paid mods. Not just community-made tweaks or texture packs — these are developer-blessed, monetized add-ons that will live in the game’s Creation Club storefront like little DLCs with price tags. Also included in the update (maybe): long-overdue bug fixes and performance boosts, a wishlist that many fans had lost hope for following the messy Fallout 4 Next-Gen Update.
Bethesda’s Capitalism Arc
Why now? Probably because the Fallout TV show on Prime Video turned one of gaming’s most famous franchises into a genuine hit.
After the series dropped in April, Fallout 4 didn’t just trend again — it exploded. Player counts on Steam alone shot up to over 83,000, making it more popular than some new releases. Fallout 76, which had previously been the industry’s favorite punching bag, also saw its biggest numbers since launch. The entire Fallout back catalogue briefly became cool.
Bethesda, never one to waste a hype cycle, seems ready to strike again. Fallout Season 2 is due out in December, with a setting shift to New Vegas (which may lead to NV paid mods too). If Season 1 turned everyone into Sole Survivors, Season 2 is Bethesda’s chance to sell to these survivors.
What Are Paid Mods, Anyway?
It’s not the first time Bethesda’s first fan creation rodeo, and after a handful of outcries and issues, they’ve settled into a safe system. Skyrim’s paid mods is the latest example of this, which came out last year, and isn’t a big jump from Fallout 4’s current system, but has better UI and is a little more vitalised.
Ideally, this new update expands the Skyrim model, not just by letting creators earn money for bigger, better content — which are already available for free (for example the America Rising 2 mod collection add a whole Enclave side to the main story). Systems like paid mod subscriptions, bug reporting, and adding mod collections would support both creators and Bethesda’s already-deep pockets.
Yes, You’re Still Waiting for Bug Fixes
While paid mods are the headline, the fine print implies stability updates, because the Next-Gen Update caused chaos in the game’s modding systems, leaving many mods unusable entirely (something they’ll have to fix before rolling out a new mod system).
Timing Is Everything
JuiceHead notes that the update has a handful of potential drop dates with Fallout 4’s 10th anniversary on November 10 and sometime in December being the most likely (for Fallout Season 2). All in all this update isn’t likely to be anything new (Bethesda is notorious for doing the bare minimum with these types of updates), rather it’s Bethesda’s way of cleaning the house before guests arrive — and leaving a tip jar by the door.
So yes, modders will soon be able to get paid for their risque Fallout 4 mods.