Fallout 4‘s free next-gen upgrade for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC arrives nearly a decade after the post-apocalyptic sequel’s original release. Thanks to the massive popularity of the recent Amazon TV adaptation, fans are ready to clock back to the wasteland. Unfortunately, those who have the game in their library through PlayStation Plus are discovering the upgrade won’t be free for them after all.
If you purchased the disc or digital version of Fallout 4 for PS4, downloading the next-gen update, which includes a 60fps mode and tons of other improvements, is as simple as going to the PlayStation Store page and selecting the free upgrade option. But players who added the game to their library through a paid PS Plus subscription are now finding they have to pay $20 to buy the entire game all over again.
While Fallout 4 is currently included as a “free” game in the PS Plus Extra library, it was also part of the PS Plus Collection that every subscriber had access to when buying a PS5 shortly after it launched. That version of the game doesn’t qualify for the free upgrade either. Players are particularly irked because this wrinkle wasn’t widely publicized beforehand, even though the paid version of Fallout 4 was on sale for just $5 as recently as yesterday.
“I’m confused,” tweeted Rockstar Games content creator Videotechuk. “I already own Fallout 4, which was free via PS Plus years ago. But the new version isn’t being granted? It’s asking to pay.” Another popular account, ThatGuyNamedTre, tweeted, “I don’t think Fallout 4 claimed from PS+ are able to update to the PS5 version 🙁 dammit!!”
Other players responded by noting that this isn’t an issue on Xbox Game Pass, where most people also own the game via subscription versus having actually paid for it upfront. This is hardly the first time this issue has come up for PS Plus subscribers in the age of free PS5 upgrades. It was a problem with Final Fantasy VII Remake as well. While the PS4 version of the game was free for paid members, they weren’t eligible for the paid upgrade to the PS5 version.
That’s on top of all the other licensing issues players have experienced over the years. It hasn’t been uncommon for PS Plus subscribers to find their original license for a game they bought replaced with the one that expires when their membership lapses. PS5 has a convoluted system for “restoring licenses” when players get locked out of their games this way, but it’s still a pain.
Sony and Bethesda didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
