The Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition upgrade and its price is confusing — should you buy? Let me explain.

Developer Bethesda Game Studios celebrated the 10-year anniversary of one of its biggest and most beloved RPGs, Skyrim, in 2021 with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition — a version of the game that included all its DLC as well as hundreds of curated community-made Creation Club add-ons. Now, four years later, it’s done the same with its popular 2015 shooter RPG Fallout 4.

A full decade after Fallout 4’s initial release, Bethesda has released Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition across Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. First revealed late last month on Fallout Day, this $59.99 version of the title is similar to the aforementioned Skyrim re-release in that it includes all of Fallout 4’s DLC as well as over 150 pieces of Creation Club content including quests, weapons, armors, and more.

There’s also an Anniversary Edition Upgrade available for those that already own Fallout 4, and want to expand their copy of the RPG with its expansions and a suite of player-made, developer-curated mods from the Creation Club.

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However, the Anniversary Edition — its upgrade, in particular — is a bit confusing at a glance, and if existing Fallout 4 owners aren’t careful, they might accidentally purchase content they already have by buying it. If that’s you, though, don’t worry; I’ve explained everything you need to know below, including all of the content it features, whether or not you should get it based on what parts of Fallout 4 you currently own, and what you should buy instead if you want all of its content without overspending.

Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition Upgrade, explained

You should only be buying the Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition Upgrade if you have the base game and nothing else. Otherwise, you’ll be spending money on expansions that you already own. (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

Ultimately, whether or not you should buy the Anniversary Edition Upgrade is dependent on what parts of Fallout 4 you have already. The upgrade is $39.99 — though thanks to a deal, it’s just $34.29 at Loaded (CDKeys) for the Steam version of Fallout 4 — and includes all six of the game’s expansions as well as 150 Creations, but not the base game as the full Anniversary Edition does.

Therefore, if you own the base $19.99 version of Fallout 4, getting the Anniversary Edition Upgrade is a good idea, as it will give you everything you don’t yet own. Note that on PC, this basic edition is just $5.79 with this discount, so you can save big by buying it and then the upgrade instead of buying the full $59.99 Anniversary Edition if you don’t already own the game.

However, if you have the $39.99 Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition that includes all the DLC, you should not get the Anniversary Edition Upgrade, as you’ll be unnecessarily buying all the expansions if you do. Sadly, the upgrade’s price doesn’t get reduced if you already have Fallout 4’s DLC, so it’s entirely possible to accidentally spend $20 you don’t have to here.

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Instead, Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition owners should buy the $19.99 Fallout 4 Creations Bundle that only includes the suite of 150 Creation Club items. By doing so, you’ll get the content from the Anniversary Edition that you don’t have, without wasting money on DLCs you already own. Notably, it’s also on sale for $17.79 at Loaded, so if you play on Steam, take advantage of that deal to save a few dollars.

FAQ

What is Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition?

Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition is a new $60 re-release of Bethesda’s 2015 RPG Fallout 4 that includes its base game, all six of its DLC and expansions, and a collection of 150 community-made, developer-curated pieces of Creation Club content like weapons, armors, quests, settlement items, and more.

What is the Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition Upgrade?

The Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition Upgrade is a $40 alternative to the full Anniversary Edition intended for those who already own the base game. It includes all of Fallout 4’s DLC and the suite of 150 Creation Club items, but not the RPG itself.

What is the Fallout 4 Creations Bundle?

The Fallout 4 Creations Bundle is a $20 bundle of Bethesda’s curated collection of 150 Creation Club items. If you own the Game of the Year Edition and want these without having to buy Fallout 4’s DLC again, get this.

Is the Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition on Xbox Game Pass?

Sadly, while the Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition that features the base game and its expansions is available to play through Xbox Game Pass, the new Anniversary Edition of the game — as well as the Anniversary Edition Upgrade alternative — are not playable on Game Pass. That means you’ll need to buy the aforementioned Creations Bundle if you want to have access to all of Fallout 4’s content as a Game Pass member.

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