The latest updates for both Fallout 4 and Skyrim further restricts mods on consoles

You’re now limited to 150 mods on Xbox One, 100 on PS4

The issue of mod support in the console versions of Fallout 4 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Special Edition has always been a little strange.

Back in 2015, it was announced that the then-upcoming Fallout 4 would support user-created mods on both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. While the game did get post-launch mod support within about seven months after its launch on the Xbox One side of things, the situation significantly more complex for PS4 users.

Firstly, the patch that would enable mod support for Fallout 4 on the PS4 was hit with numerous delays, before eventually being cancelled outright. Bethesda then confirmed at a later date that yes, both it and the port of Skyrim for the PS4 would include the feature, albeit with some heavy restrictions. Notably, Fallout 4 and Skyrim were unable to dedicate as much disk space to mods on the PS4 as they could on Microsoft’s home console. Alongside that, mods weren’t able to utilise any form of external assets.

Well, it seems as if this entire ordeal is not yet over, as Bethesda has now placed even more restrictions on mods for both the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Fallout 4 and Skyrim.

As of the most recent updates for the console versions of both Fallout 4 and the current-gen port of Skyrim, a new limit has been imposed on the number of mods that a player can have active at any one time. This is to go alongside the storage constraints that were previously thrust upon console mods for Bethesda’s open-world sandboxes, and the various limitations to this feature that were mandated by Sony for it to be compatible with the PS4 in the first place.

Essentially, on the Xbox One, players of either Fallout 4 or Skyrim are now only able to run the games with up to 150 mods active at any time. You will be able to install more mods, however, and you can enable or disable them at your leisure. This number is even smaller on the PS4, which only allows for 100 mods to be active at any given moment.

While these figures may seem somewhat restrictive, a representative from Bethesda has pointed out on the company’s forums that this mod cap may change in the future, and was added due to concerns about the overall stability of these titles.

“The mod limits implemented this week to Fallout 4 and Skyrim Special Edition has been put in place based on our internal testing for stability to the game. With the new caps, some players will not be able to reach the full storage limit for mods, but the additional storage capacity will allow for you to have larger mods within the 150/100 cap. This is a starting point, and it may be adjusted.”

Of course, this does further increase the disparity between the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Bethesda’s games as far as mod support is concerned. After all, not only do the games have fewer installable mods on Sony’s home console, but due to their inability to utilise external assets, they also lack ones that should be deemed as absolute necessities, such as the brilliant “Macho Dragon Mod” for Skyrim.

Considering that a recent Best Buy listing for the Nintendo Switch port of Skyrim has indicated that this version of the game will also feature mod support, I do have to wonder what kind of restrictions will be imposed on the feature in the event that it does make it to the upcoming handheld/home console hybrid. This is provided that the listing itself is accurate, however.

Either way, if you hold the opinion that mod support is a significant selling point for these games, you may just want to stick to the PC ports, as they lack these the arbitrary restrictions placed upon the console versions of Bethesda’s titles. Then again, it’s always possible that Bethesda and Valve may attempt to monetise them on PC again.

Recent Fallout 4, Skyrim Updates Put A New Cap On PS4/Xbox One Mods [GameSpot]