Fallout 4 Patch 1.10 163

Fallout 4, developed by Bethesda Game Studios, was released in 2015 to critical acclaim. Like many modern games, it received several patches post-launch to fix bugs, improve performance, and add features. Patch 1.10 is one of these updates.

According to the official patch notes, 1.10.163 was surprisingly boring. It mainly addressed:

Sounds harmless, right? Wrong.

However, the headline consequence of 1.10.163 was not its features—it was what it broke. The patch silently updated the game’s master files (.esm) and executable, rendering the vast majority of PC mods dependent on Fallout 4 Script Extender (F4SE) completely inoperable. F4SE, the community’s lifeline for complex mods like Sim Settlements 2, M’s Abominations, and Custom Camera, required a separate update from its volunteer developers—a process that took weeks.

In the interim, thousands of modded playthroughs were bricked. Steam users who had not disabled automatic updates found their load orders shattered, with warnings of “missing masters” and immediate crashes to desktop. The patch also silently re-enabled the game’s built-in mod manager, overriding third-party tools like Vortex and Mod Organizer 2 for unsuspecting users, causing duplicate load orders and ghosted mods.

Worse, the patch introduced its own unique bugs: for some Series X users, the “60 FPS mode” would toggle off randomly, reverting to a stuttering 30 FPS. On PS5, previously stable settlement build limits began triggering premature memory errors. PC users reported that the new widescreen support, while functional, broke HUD and UI mods that had previously fixed the interface themselves. fallout 4 patch 1.10 163

Today, patch 1.10.163 occupies a strange space in Fallout 4 history. For console-only players, it remains a net positive: native 60 FPS on current-gen machines is transformative, and the bundled Creation Club content adds legitimate hours of new gameplay. For PC players, it is a cautionary tale. Most active modders now run a “downgraded” 1.10.163—keeping the new files but swapping the old .exe—effectively ignoring Bethesda’s changes entirely.

The patch also exposed the fragile truce between commercial game maintenance and community-driven longevity. Bethesda’s decision to treat the update as a mandatory “upgrade” rather than an opt-in branch fractured a carefully balanced ecosystem built over eight years. In the end, 1.10.163 succeeded in making Fallout 4 look and run better on a couch in the living room—while quietly alienating the very players who had kept the game alive on desks in the basement.

As one Nexus Mods user put it: “Bethesda updated the game to 2024. The modders updated it back to 2015. And somehow, 2015 works better.”

In the modding community, Fallout 4 version 1.10.163 is often referred to as the "Original Gen" or "Pre-Next Gen" gold standard. Originally released in December 2019, this patch was the final major stable build before the controversial "Next-Gen" updates began in 2024. Why Version 1.10.163 Matters

While modern patches (like 1.10.984 or 1.11.137) added Creation Club content and native widescreen support, they also broke critical Fallout 4 Script Extender (F4SE) plugins. Consequently, 1.10.163 remains the preferred version for: Fallout 4, developed by Bethesda Game Studios, was

Mod Compatibility: The vast majority of legacy and complex mods were built specifically for this version.

Stability: It lacks the performance bugs (such as stuttering and mod-breaking "Next-Gen" specific errors) introduced in later updates.

Fallout: London: The massive total conversion mod Fallout: London officially recommends downgrading to 1.10.163 for the most stable experience. Key Features of Patch 1.10.163

When it first launched, the patch focused on minor refinements rather than sweeping gameplay changes:

Creation Club Support: Added internal assets for new CC content releases. Sounds harmless, right

Fixes: Included minor bug fixes for general stability and addressed certain crashes related to profile sign-outs.

GOG Availability: The GOG.com version of Fallout 4 is natively locked to 1.10.163, making it the easiest way to play this version without manual downgrading. How to Revert to 1.10.163

If you are on Steam and the game has updated automatically, you can "downgrade" using several methods:

F04 1.10.163 update for real? - Discussion - Nexus Mods Forums

jjb54. ... Favourite Game: ... Yes, . 163 is real. It came out 12 / 05-2019. I am running it on PC. Nexus Mods Forums Fallout 4 Next Gen – Patch Notes - Bethesda.net

Most importantly, Patch 1.10.163 did not touch the core lighting shaders (unlike the disastrous 1.10.75 patch), meaning ENB presets and Reshades remained fully functional.