Bethesda confirms the Fallout 4 next-gen update is not free for PS Plus Collection owners

The Fallout 4 next-gen update keeps giving people something to talk about, and it’s not because of it being outstanding. Instead, it’s arrival broke mods, added new glitches, underdelivered on the promised fixes, and added new content that may force players to lose lots of progress. And now, Bethesda has confirmed that players who got the game as part of the PS Plus Collection won’t get the upgrade for free.

As reported last week, the release of the next-gen upgrade caused disappointment and confusion for the playerbase in general, especially for fans on PlayStation 5 who suddenly found themselves unable to get the update at all. Instead of being presented with an option to upgrade to the PS5 native version, many were instead met with a $19.99 purchase option for the game instead.

At the time, this was believed to be a bug, with the company revealing that those playing the game through the PS+ Extra library should be able to upgrade without issue. However, they were not willing to reveal whether players who got the game through the PS5 Catalogue or PS+ Essentials, the Monthly free games through which Fallout 4 was also available for a time, would be able to upgrade. Sadly, they’ve now confirmed that the latter will not be getting the update, and must purchase the game again.

“We’ve seen some confusion regarding the free Fallout 4 next-gen update for PlayStation Plus Extra members,” said Bethesda through their official Twitter/X account. “The Fallout 4 next-gen update will be available to PlayStation Plus Extra members through the PlayStation Game Catalog. Your patience is appreciated while the teams work on this.”

This means that if you want the Fallout 4 next-gen update on PS5, but own it only through the previously mentioned timed offers, you’ll need to purchase the game again. Fans in this situation have not been quiet, and have since expressed their anger at Bethesda for never mentioning this since they announced the update. Previously, Bethesda had mentioned that all owners of Fallout 4 would receive the upgrade for free.