There’s finally a reason to replay Fallout 4 on Xbox again. While higher frame rates have been available through mods, users can now enjoy Fallout 4, Skyrim and other Bethesda games with the click of a button from today. But not all games will get the FPS boost automatically.
The FPS improvements were announced last week, after Microsoft’s acquisition of Zenimax/Bethesda was formally approved. But in a news post this morning, Microsoft revealed that while the FPS Boost feature would be enabled for five Bethesda titles, Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 would continue to run at 30 FPS unless specified by the user.
In some instances, because there are higher graphics requirements to enable FPS Boost technology, we’ve had to reduce a game’s resolution to ensure it both runs smoothly and plays great. In those select cases, such as Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 in this latest title announcement, FPS Boost is not automatically enabled for Xbox Series X gamers. For all titles receiving this update, gamers will see a clear indicator if a title is running FPS Boost.
So if you’ve got an Xbox Series X and you’re wondering, “Hey, why does Fallout 4 still look janky as all hell,” that’s why.
Fortunately, enabling FPS Boost is easy enough to do. There’s no option within Fallout 4 or Fallout 76 to change this, however, so you’ll have to toggle a setting for the game directly through the Xbox UI.
How to enable FPS Boost for Fallout 4, Fallout 76 on Xbox Series X
If you want a visual guide for enabling the setting, you can see a handy primer above. If you need it in text form, here’s what you need to do:
- Hit the Xbox button to bring up the menu UI, or navigate to Fallout 4 / Fallout 76 in the Xbox “My games & apps” tab
- From there, hover over Fallout 4 / Fallout 76 and press the options button
- Select “Manage game and add-ons” from the menu that appears
- On the next page, navigate to “Compatibility Options”
- From there, select “FPS Boost”. If you’ve already opened Fallout 4 / Fallout 76, you’ll have to restart the game
- Enjoy Fallout 4 / Fallout 76 as it was meant to be
You’ll also be able to toggle Auto HDR from the same compatibility options menu, which is worth playing around with. While the Xbox auto HDR algorithm is handy, it’s not as efficient as a proper HDR patch. Fallout: New Vegas is a bit hit and miss with Auto HDR right now, with some of the highlights looking far too blown out. So you might prefer playing the game in original SDR mode — give it a try and see!
The original FPS mods for Fallout 4 on Xbox (and Skyrim) lowered the game’s resolution to 720p. Microsoft hasn’t specified what the precise hit to resolution on the Xbox Series X will be, but judging from other “performance” modes for 60 FPS games on the system, you’d imagine 1080p would be the bare minimum, if not something closer to 1440p. And it’s worth noting that for Skyrim, Dishonored: Definitive Edition and Prey, FPS Boost will be enabled by default.
Of course, users will naturally wonder whether Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 will be patched on the PS5 to enable higher frame rates. While Microsoft and Bethesda obviously have an exclusive deal there, Fallout 4 is still part of the PlayStation Plus collection — and PS5 users would undoubtedly appreciate more 60 FPS patches of their own. The PS5 version of Fallout 4 is still capped to 30 FPS, although it runs without any of the stutters that the PS4 exhibited. You can at least play Skyrim on the PS5 at 60 FPS, although you’ll need to download the Skyrim @ 60 FPS (PS5) patch to do so. For information on that, see the video below.
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