Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition arrives on PlayStation 5 as a sprawling bundle that gathers the original 2015 adventure, all six expansions, and an extensive catalogue of Creation Club material into a single package. The core narrative still opens with a powerful sense of loss and disorientation before drawing players into the layered politics and shifting allegiances of the Commonwealth. The familiar journey from the ruins near Sanctuary to the conflict between major factions retains its weight, and the structure still encourages exploration that alternates between bleak discovery and small pockets of hope. The Anniversary Edition adds new Creations that fold into this world with extra homes, themed gear, and a few compact activities, though the underlying story remains as it was in the original release.
Moment-to-moment gameplay remains anchored in a mix of real-time combat and the strategic pacing of the VATS system. The Anniversary Edition maintains the balance between ranged confrontations, improvised melee clashes, and careful scavenging for resources needed to keep settlements operating. The PS5’s improved loading speeds help maintain momentum while shifting between interior cells and outdoor regions, but the new Creations interface introduces friction. After installing the update, the system sometimes fails to recognize downloaded content or becomes stuck, interrupting the natural rhythm of exploration and settlement building. These inconsistencies are especially noticeable when returning to the game after long breaks, as they can pull focus away from what is otherwise an absorbing gameplay loop.
The control scheme translates cleanly to the DualSense, with an intuitive feel during firefights and an ease of movement through cluttered indoor spaces. Inventory management, crafting, and settlement editing all remain accessible despite their inherent complexity. The biggest issue on PS5 is stability: while the base game generally runs more smoothly than before, the Anniversary Edition can trigger crashes when accessing the Creations menu or applying new downloads. The interruptions are inconsistent, but when they occur, they create enough turbulence to distract from the fluidity that the hardware upgrade should provide.
Visually, Fallout 4 retains the aesthetic identity that defined it at launch, emphasizing retro-futuristic architecture contrasted with the rusted decay of a world reshaped by nuclear devastation. The PS5 does not provide a dramatic visual overhaul, so textures and lighting largely reflect last-generation standards. That said, the Creation Club material adds pockets of variety through themed outfits, weapon skins, and buildable structures that help settlements feel more personalized. Audio design evokes the same blend of ambient tension, classic radio tunes, and the environmental cues that help guide movement through the wasteland. It remains effective at grounding the atmosphere, even without major enhancements.
The six expansions included in the Anniversary Edition still offer a strong range of activities, with Far Harbor standing out as a particularly robust side journey thanks to its moody setting and investigative structure. Nuka-World provides a more flamboyant detour, while the Workshop packs supply additional layers for those invested in settlement development. Although these expansions are unchanged from their earlier releases, their inclusion completes the Commonwealth in a way that makes the entire region feel more cohesive. The challenge lies mostly in navigating the Creations interface reliably enough to access the supplementary content without disruption.
The overall package is undeniably large, but the experience depends heavily on how well the system handles its additional layers. When everything operates as intended, the Anniversary Edition offers a vast, engaging trek through a richly realized wasteland. When the Creations menu misbehaves or stability falters, the sense of continuity can fracture, drawing attention to the differences between the original release and this bundled update in a negative way. The PS5 hardware mitigates some long-standing issues, yet technical problems associated with the new content framework can overshadow those improvements until forthcoming patches address them.
In its current state, Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition delivers a broad and often captivating return to the Commonwealth, supported by its iconic quest structure and memorable sense of place. The additions provide fresh customization options and more ways to shape settlements, but the uneven reliability of the Creations system complicates what should have been a straightforward celebration of a decade-old milestone. For those approaching with patience and an appetite for long-form exploration, the package holds undeniable appeal. For others hoping for a smooth and modernized definitive edition, it may be wise to wait for further updates to refine the experience. Fallout 4 is still a fantastic game, but the added value on offer here is (if you already own the GOTY edition) somewhat limited.
Score: 7.0/10
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