Fallout 4 high resolution texture pack comparison screenshots (2024)

Fallout 4 high resolution texture pack comparison screenshots (1)

Fallout 4's high resolution texture pack has been released, and it's free for the taking—though it requires a hefty chunk of hard drive space and the recommended specs are steep, calling for a GTX 1080 with 8 GB. I don't quite meet those requirements (I have a 980), but I still wanted to take a look at the new textures, see how they compared to the standard ones, and find out how much of a performance hit I'd take.

I actually had to download the 58 GB texture pack twice—the first time, it didn't seem to activate, and when I checked the Fallout 4 DLC tab in Steam, it said it wasn't installed even though I'd just spent an hour waiting for it to download. I checked the box, and it began downloading all over again. So, I waited another hour.

The second time I tried, I couldn't immediately tell if the high resolution textures were in place, but as I walked around in the game carefully peering at things, I gradually began to notice a difference. Sort of. Check out the images below, and slide the vertical bar back and forth to compare the images. The original textures are on the left, the high resolution textures are on the right. There are links to full-size images below each slider.

Full-size version here. I started in Diamond City. You can see the main difference in this shot is the texture on the canopy, which is a bit more detailed. Not much else is different, at least that I can see. Huh.

I headed to my settlement at the drive-in, because I wanted to see if the textures on my various suits of power armor had been upgraded.

Full-size version here. While I didn't see much of a change on the armor, or even on the armor crafting frames, I did notice the rusting steel beams along the ceiling in the background looked a bit different.

So, I walked over and stared at the ceiling.

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Full-size version here. Not only is there greater detail in the rusting beams, you can clearly see the wood grain in the ceiling fan. If you're a fan of looking up at ceilings while you play Fallout 4, this should make you happy.

This next one had me scratching my head. There were clearly some changes, though I can't really say that one is better than the other.

Full-size version here. Hmm. The puddle is a little different? The dead grass looks like it has moved a bit? I don't know. Nothing I ever would have noticed unless I took two pictures from the same spot. For wet broken pavement and a pile of garbage, I think both versions look perfectly lovely.

I head off to Prydwn, the Brotherhood of Steel's airship, to squint at some steel.

Full-size version here. Again, I wind up focusing on the wrong thing. I assumed the wheelchair would look a bit different with the high-res textures, but the changes actually wind up being the wall behind it, and the floor, both of which show much greater detail.

How about Nick Valentine's office? Nick isn't there—I can't recall where I left him, probably on a farm or something—but I nose around his desk for a while.

Full-size version here. Nick's desk shows a bit more detail in the chipped paint, though nothing else looks like it's changed.

I could go on, but walking around staring at things, taking a picture, saving the game, quitting the game, then starting the game again to take another picture with slightly different textures is about as boring as it sounds. I think you get the idea—some things look a little more detailed, some things don't appear to have changed at all.

Also, the only way I can figure out how to disable the high res texture pack once I've installed it is by using Nexus Mod Manager. Bethesda, in its announcement post, said you can disable the texture pack using the game's launcher menu, but I don't see any way to do that.

Update: Bethesda responded to the above paragraph, suggesting that the DLC can be enabled and disabled via Steam. The easiest way (I found) to do that is by right-clicking Fallout 4 in your Steam library, choosing properties, navigating to the DLC tab, and checking/unchecking the 'install' box for the texture pack. I'd only point out that I did that after initially downloading the pack (as I said earlier) and when I rechecked the box it made me re-download the whole thing a second time. Honestly, I think it's easier to do with Nexus Mod Manager, especially if you're already using mods, since you can just check/uncheck the file there, but take your pick.

As for performance, I ran around for a while, specifically around the Medford Memorial Hospital area, because there are tons of ghouls on the streets nearby, and tons of mutants outside of the hospital, and at least three tons of mutants inside the hospital. With the texture pack enabled, I didn't notice much of a performance hit. Fallout 4 is capped at 60 FPS anyway, and with the original textures I rarely dip below that. With the high-res textures enabled, I played for a good fifteen minutes and rarely saw my FPS drop below 55.

Fallout 4 high resolution texture pack comparison screenshots (2)

My verdict? Well, I do like the increased detail, though it certainly doesn't look like all of the textures have higher resolution versions. I'm not sure it's something I'd really notice unless I was creeping around specifically to take pictures. And, losing a few frames every now and then isn't a huge deal. But!

My main issue is the 58 GB of space this texture pack takes up. The drive I keep my games on is 465 GB, and while that feels pretty roomy I still do have to delete games fairly often to make room for new ones. Throw in video captures and screenshots, and even with a drive double that size one could run out of space pretty quickly. It's worth it if you really like detailed metal surfaces, or you're trying to take fancy screenshots, but I'd rather use the space to keep another game installed.

Fallout 4 high resolution texture pack comparison screenshots (3)

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Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.

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Fallout 4 high resolution texture pack comparison screenshots (2024)

FAQs

Should I use high resolution textures in Fallout 4? ›

It doesn't help with performance, either. You're better off using mods for Fallout 4 instead! If you want to improve and adjust the graphics in Fallout 4, a few high-quality alternatives to the High Resolution Texture Pack include: Vogue ENB.

How do I get rid of the high resolution texture pack in Fallout 4? ›

It's not worth it." Note that if you've already installed it, you can remove it from your game by right-clicking on Fallout 4, then going to Properties > DLC > and unchecking the pack in that menu.

How big is the Fallout 4 high resolution texture pack? ›

But! My main issue is the 58 GB of space this texture pack takes up. The drive I keep my games on is 465 GB, and while that feels pretty roomy I still do have to delete games fairly often to make room for new ones.

What do you need for Fallout 4 HD overhaul? ›

Requirements: Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition. AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or a equivalent Intel CPU. Graphics Card with 8GB VRAM for Full HD.

What is the best resolution for Fallout 4? ›

  • 1600x900. The Entry tier, featuring the RX 550 and the i3-12100F, will get you very smooth performance in Fallout 4 at 1600x900.
  • 1920x1080 (1080p) The Fair tier, featuring the Arc A580 and the i3-12100F, will get very smooth performance at 1080p.
  • 2560x1440 (1440p) ...
  • 3840x2160 (4K)
Nov 17, 2023

Why does Fallout 4 look so fuzzy? ›

This issue can be resolved by turning off the "3D" stereoscopic setting in your GPU's console/control panel. You can find instructions on how to do this based on your GPU below. Right-click on your desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel. In the Control Panel, select Stereoscopic 3D from the left column.

How do you remove HUD from screenshots in Fallout 4? ›

Finally, you can customize which part of the HUD you want to see or hide at any time. through config files under "Data/Config/HideYourHUD/HUDElements".

What is high resolution texture pack? ›

High-resolution textures (Hi-res) are fan-made packages designed to enhance the default textures of a game. Rice, developer of the Rice Video plugin, was the first to make it possible to extract textures from a game, modify them and re-import them in a higher resolution.

What is the resolution of Fallout 4 full screen? ›

You can select full screen or windowed through Fallout 4 Options menu, available from the Fallout 4 Launcher. This menu also allows you to set the Aspect Ratio, Resolution, as well as other options using a combination of the Graphics Adapter and Resolution information supplied by your system.

Is Fallout 4 CPU or GPU heavy? ›

If you're wondering whether Fallout 4 is more CPU or GPU intensive, it's important to note that the game is primarily GPU intensive. The graphics card plays a crucial role in delivering visually stunning gameplay, while the CPU handles the game's AI and physics calculations.

What is the best texture pack resolution? ›

512x Pixels - Texture Packs that are 512x are the highest resolution packs one can get. People with laggy computers will or will most likely crash if they use a 512x texture pack. Also, people with fast computers may get a little laggy. Any Texture Pack higher than 512x pixels will crash Minecraft.

What resolution is Fallout 4 wide? ›

On April 25th, 2024, we released released a free update for Fallout 4 that includes support for 21:9 and 32:9 resolutions. To change your resolution, select Options in the Fallout 4 launcher menu, before selecting Play.

Do I need PRP Fallout 4? ›

You won't NEED mods like PRP if you DO NOT use mods that disable previs / precombines to begin with. This includes a lot of OLD green mods like Regrowth Overhaul, which asked users to disable bUsePrecombines. Some mods even turn it off without telling the user, or accidentally break it.

What does the unofficial Fallout 4 patch do? ›

The goal of the Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch (aka UFO4P) is to eventually fix every bug with Fallout 4 not officially resolved by the developers to the limits of the Creation Kit and community-developed tools, in one easy-to-install package.

What does Fallout 4 script extender do? ›

The Fallout 4 Script Extender, or F4SE for short, is a modder's resource that expands the scripting capabilities of Fallout 4. It does so without modifying the executable files on disk, so there are no permanent side effects.

Does higher difficulty get better loot Fallout 4? ›

There is absolutely no difference in loot depending on difficulty levels. So with +80h into the game with 40h something of those played on Very Hard, and the last 2h of extensivly testing Normal Vs Very Hard in a controlled enviroment, i can tell you that there is 0 difference in Loot or Legendary enemy spawn rates.

How do I get better FPS in Fallout 4? ›

Turn off the Built-in VSync. VSync is a built-in feature in Fallout 4 that can be used to regulate the game's frame rate and the refresh rate of the monitor. However, VSync was designed for 30fps on consoles. If you turn on the VSync or sync higher, the Fallout 4 framerate drop issue can occur.

Do texture settings affect FPS? ›

Texture resolution does not effect FPS. So if you have enough VRAM bump it up.

What are high resolution textures? ›

High-resolution textures (Hi-res) are fan-made packages designed to enhance the default textures of a game. Rice, developer of the Rice Video plugin, was the first to make it possible to extract textures from a game, modify them and re-import them in a higher resolution.

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