Don't buy the Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition on PC — you can get all of its content for under half the price, so don't waste your money

Fallout 4, Bethesda's last singleplayer RPG, was as shallow as a puddle. (Image credit: Bethesda Game Studios)

The 10-year anniversary of Fallout 4 — Bethesda's beloved 2015 FPS RPG — rolled around on Monday this week, and to celebrate it, the developer put out a new re-release of the game called the Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition. It's essentially a $60 bundle of the base game, all six of Fallout 4's expansions, and a collection of 150 pieces of community-made, developer-curated Creation Club content (there's also a $40 upgrade for those that already have the base game).

Though getting it wouldn't be any less expensive than buying all of Fallout 4's content piecemeal, it is a convenient all-in-one package for those who don't already own the RPG or its DLC. However, I'm here to tell you that it's a waste of money, and that you shouldn't buy it — at least on PC.

That's because there are some very nice deals on a different Fallout 4 edition and an add-on allow you to get the Steam version of the title and all of its content for under half the price of the Anniversary Edition. Specifically, the $40 Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition with all the expansions is only $11.19 at Loaded, while the $20 Fallout 4 Creations Bundle with the suite of 150 Creation Club items is $17.79 at Loaded.

Fallout 4 is good fun, and worth picking up

While the Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition update is getting slammed right now for breaking mods and causing performance issues, Fallout 4 itself is a very solid RPG, and one that's grown to become very popular with many players in the years since its release back in 2015. It saw a huge resurgence last year when the Fallout TV show came out, and likely will again when Season 2 premieres in December.

Set in post-apocalyptic Boston and the immediate Massachusetts "Commonwealth" region that surrounds it 210 years after nuclear war ravaged the Earth in 2077, Fallout 4 is Bethesda's most recent single player open-world Fallout RPG. Alongside tons of side quests and buildcrafting options, it also sports the most modern shooting mechanics of any game in the franchise.

Notably, Fallout 4 also prominently features settlement building, a system that allows players to build and maintain bases, villages, and towns around the Commonwealth. This system is quite addicting to engage with — especially with some of the best Fallout 4 PC mods that enhance it with new structures, decorations, and more — and was so well-liked that it returned as the C.A.M.P. mechanic in the MMO Fallout 76.

Sadly, it's far from a perfect game, with a very weak main story and a downright awful speech system with lackluster dialogue options standing out as glaring flaws (alongside the general jankiness Bethesda games are famous for). Because of those drawbacks, I enjoy Fallout 3 and especially Fallout: New Vegas a lot more, despite how dated they feel in terms of movement and gunplay.

Even so, though, Fallout 4 is a good game overall, and one that's absolutely worth getting all the content for, especially when it's discounted this heavily. If you're on PC, just make sure you buy everything for it with these deals instead of getting the new Anniversary Edition.

Note that you can also play the base game of Fallout 4 on Xbox Game Pass on both Xbox and PC. If you want to enjoy the DLCs and Creation Club items, though, you'll need to make some full purchases.

FAQ

What is Loaded?

Loaded (formerly CDKeys) is a game key retailer for digital copies of games. Though the vast majority of the titles it has on offer are PC games, it does sell codes for Xbox and other platforms as well.

Is Loaded safe and legit?

Yes, Loaded is a safe, legitimate, and reputable retailer of game codes that we wholeheartedly endorse. For more on Loaded, how it works, and why we trust it, check out our Loaded (CDKeys) FAQ.

What is Fallout 4?

Fallout 4 is the latest single player Fallout RPG from Bethesda, and was released a decade ago in 2015. The new Anniversary Edition bundles the base game, its DLC, and 150 Creation Club items into one package, but with the aforementioned deals, it's actually far cheaper to buy all the game's content by getting the older Game of the Year Edition and then the Creations Bundle.

Is Fallout 4 on Xbox Game Pass?

Yes, the base game of Fallout 4 is available to play on Xbox Game Pass on both Xbox consoles and Windows PC. However, the game's expansions and its Creation Club content are not on Game Pass, and must be directly purchased.

Click to follow Windows Central on Google News

Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds!

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. He's been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you'll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he's not writing or gaming, there's a good chance he's either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once. Follow him on X (Twitter).

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.