Fallout 4 guides: settlements, console commands, mods, companions and more

Fallout 4 tips

It’s here! After our release date countdown, Bethesda’s epic wasteland wander has arrived. We’ve gone vault-deep into each aspect of the game, so here’s a rundown of everything you might need to know to make the most of your time in the Commonwealth.

Fallout 4 settlements, mods, tweaks and tips

First up in the game is character creation, so here’s a handy list of every name that Codsworth will say.

The first few hours are tough, so get up to speed and save your fleshy bits from being scattered across the wasteland with our Fallout 4 beginner’s guide.

Or you could just get a bit creative with our list of Fallout 4 console commands and cheats.

Fallen foul of Bethesda’s love of bugs? You need our list of known crashes and fixes.

Perhaps you just want a wider field of view? Here’s how to tweak Fallout 4’s FOV, unlock the frame rate and more.

Looking to make more sweeping changes to your game? Here are the best Fallout 4 mods out there.

Feeling lonely? That’s an easy fix with our companion guide.

Get some creative inspiration – here are the best Fallout 4 settlements we’ve found so far.

Fallout 4 review

Fallout 4

We locked Matt away for a full week with the game. He came out squinting a bit, but also with this Fallout 4 review into which he poured his heart, soul, and a small chunk of his sanity.

Fallout 4 driver

Be sure you’ve got everything you need for your journey – Nvidia GPU users in search of optimisation might want to download and install the new Game Ready GeForce driver.

Check out the details here.

Fallout 4 system requirements

Fallout 4 system requirements

Here’s the minimum specs:

  • Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required)
  • Intel Core i5-2300 2.8 GHz/AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0 GHz or equivalent
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 30 GB free HDD space
  • NVIDIA GTX 550 Ti 2GB/AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB or equivalent

And recommended:

  • Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required)
  • Intel Core i7 4790 3.6 GHz/AMD FX-9590 4.7 GHz or equivalent
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 30 GB free HDD space
  • NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB/AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB or equivalent

Can you run it? Test your PC against the Fallout 4 system requirements 2023 over on PCGameBenchmark

Fallout 4 won’t have a lock on frame rate or resolution when playing on PC. There was initially some confusion, but this handy tweet from Bethesda confirmed that any restrictions will only come from your hardware, so feel free to crank things up until your rig starts bellowing smoke.

Time to upgrade? After all,graphics do matter– the game’s creator himself says so.

Fallout 4 script

Courtenay Taylor, who also voiced Jack in the Mass Effect games and has been doing videogame voice work since 2002, says Fallout 4 is the longest project she’s worked on.

“The writing is great,” she told IGN. “It is exactly what you would expect from a Fallout game, but better – it’s more immersive. They’ve taken it to a new level. There’s no stone that’s been unturned.

“I went to Pixar, in Emeryville once. And they were talking about the movie Cars, and the level of detail in Cars. In every car, they would know what was in the glove box, even if the glove box is never opened, these creators would know exactly what was inside. You couldn’t just say “oh, I have no idea”. Detail is fleshed out completely. And it rung the same for me on Fallout 4. Even if the camera never goes there, we know it’s there. And the effect of that level of detail is going to be apparent.”

Fallout 4 mods

Fallout 4 best mods

Too soon for a mods scene? Not a bit of it. In fact, we’ve put together a list of the best Fallout 4 mods already out there, plus those that we’d like to see in future. And given that Fallout 3’s mod community is still going strong, as you can see from our guide to the best Fallout 3 mods, you should expect this one to run and run.

Fallout 4 radio

Fallout 4’s soundtrack hopes to prove there’s life after Three Dog with three times as much music as Fallout 3 – and offers more than just the familiar acoustic crooning of the Ink Spots. In fact, if you want to be immersed in the experience at all times then why not buy the original soundtrack now, and fill your ears with the sounds of a deadly, dreadful wasteland full of mutants and radiation.

The studio’s audio department have pulled not only from the ‘40s and ‘50s but also, oddly enough, Lynda Carter. The former Wonder Woman plays a singer in the town of Goodneighbor, and has written and performed five original songs.

Carter’s tracks are in rotation on Diamond City Radio, the successor to Three Dog’s Galaxy News, which is hosted by what Bethesda call a “charmingly quirky” DJ. The studio say about a third of the music in the game is instantly recognisable, like Crosby’s hits, while another third digs into the obscure corners of, say, Nat King Cole’s catalogue. The final third will be long-forgotten fare with ludicrous lyrics and memorable hooks.

There’s a dedicated classical station, and yep, an Ink Spots song – It’s All Over But the Crying, from the announcement trailer. But Bethesda reckon it has a more hopeful vibe befitting Fallout 4’s relatively optimistic themes. Period pop awaits.

Fallout 4 season pass

Bethesda don’t yet know precisely how much Fallout 4 DLC they’re going to develop – only that it’ll be “a lot”. Rather than split it confusingly between multiple season passes, they’re planning to charge $30 for everything.

For that, you’ll be entitled to every bit of extra Fallout the developers squeeze into Boston and its environs, beginning early in 2016.

That’s a lot of Fallout 4! How have you been finding it? Let us know in the comments below.