On PC, change Fallout 4’s resolution in the pre-game launcher: open Options, choose an aspect ratio and resolution, set the display mode, then launch the game. On PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, use the game’s Performance or Quality mode; consoles do not offer the same arbitrary resolution picker as PC.
Change Fallout 4 resolution on PC
- Open Fallout 4 through your platform’s usual launch flow. If the pre-game launcher appears, choose Options.
- If the launcher lists more than one display or graphics adapter, select the monitor and GPU you intend to use.
- Choose the monitor’s aspect ratio, then select a resolution from the available list.
- Choose a display mode: leave Windowed Mode and Borderless unchecked for fullscreen; check Windowed Mode only for a regular window; or check both for borderless windowed mode.
- Apply or save the changes, close the launcher, and choose Play.
Bethesda documents resolution and aspect-ratio changes as launcher settings made before starting the game, not controls in the in-game pause menu. The launcher’s automatic detection recommends settings based on your system. Bethesda’s display-settings instructions and its fullscreen guidance explain that display mode cannot be toggled once the game is running.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Fallout 4 Game of The Year Edition - PlayStation 4 | $32.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Fallout 4 Game of The Year Edition - PlayStation 4 | $28.80 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![Fallout 4 | Anniversary Edition | Nintendo Switch 2 [Code in Box]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41nB7eUArSL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Fallout 4 | Anniversary Edition | Nintendo Switch 2 [Code in Box] | $51.59 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Fallout 4 Game of The Year Edition - Xbox One | $33.83 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Fallout 4 - PlayStation 4 [ (Renewed) | $17.74 | Buy on Amazon |
Which resolution should you choose?
For the sharpest image, use your monitor’s native resolution and aspect ratio. Common examples are 1920×1080 for 1080p, 2560×1440 for 1440p, and 3840×2160 for 4K UHD. Ultrawide monitors should use their own native dimensions when available, such as 2560×1080 or 3440×1440 for 21:9 displays.
If performance is poor, reducing resolution can help when the GPU is the bottleneck, though it will soften the image and will not necessarily fix CPU, script, or mod-related slowdowns. Keep the same aspect ratio where possible: forcing a 16:9 image onto a 21:9 screen can stretch or distort it. Selecting 3840×2160 on PC does not guarantee a particular frame rate; performance depends on the hardware and graphics settings.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute#1 Best Overall
- Freedom and Liberty Do whatever you want in a massive open world with hundreds of locations, characters, and quests. Join multiple factions vying for power or go it alone, the choices are all yours
- Be whoever you want with the special character system. From a power Armored soldier to the charismatic smooth talker, you can choose from hundreds of perks and develop your own playstyle
- New next generation graphics and lighting engine brings to life the world of fallout. From the blasted forests of the common wealth to the ruins of Boston, every location is packed with dynamic detail
- Intense first or third person combat can also be slowed down with the new dynamic Vault Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S) that lets you choose your attacks and enjoy cinematic carnage
If your resolution is missing from the launcher
Work through these checks before editing files. Some PC editions or mod-manager launch flows may not show the same launcher, so do not assume every version has an identical Options screen.
- In Windows display settings, confirm the intended monitor is active and set to the resolution you want Fallout 4 to use.
- Check that the game is opening on that monitor and, if you have more than one GPU, using the dedicated graphics adapter rather than an integrated one.
- In the Fallout 4 launcher’s Options, try Default to restore automatically detected video settings. Bethesda recommends this for display or performance settings that are behaving incorrectly: PC performance troubleshooting.
- Update the dedicated GPU driver, then check whether a mod, overlay, custom graphics utility, or mod-manager profile is changing the game’s display configuration. Temporarily disable mods and overlays to test. Bethesda notes that mods can prevent settings from saving: fullscreen and settings troubleshooting.
- If the launcher is unavailable or still omits the mode, use the configuration-file reset or manual-edit steps below.
Set resolution manually in Fallout4Prefs.ini
Manual editing is an advanced fallback, not Bethesda’s primary documented resolution-setting method. Bethesda does identify the default configuration folder and recommends removing its files to reset settings; the specific resolution-key edits below are common INI settings, but may not apply to every distribution or mod-manager profile.
Rank #2
- Freedom and Liberty Do whatever you want in a massive open world with hundreds of locations, characters, and quests. Join multiple factions vying for power or go it alone, the choices are all yours
- Be whoever you want with the special character system. From a power Armored soldier to the charismatic smooth talker, you can choose from hundreds of perks and develop your own playstyle
- New next generation graphics and lighting engine brings to life the world of fallout. From the blasted forests of the common wealth to the ruins of Boston, every location is packed with dynamic detail
- Intense first or third person combat can also be slowed down with the new dynamic Vault Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S) that lets you choose your attacks and enjoy cinematic carnage
First exit Fallout 4 and its launcher. In the default Windows setup, open C:Users<username>DocumentsMy GamesFallout4Fallout4Prefs.ini in a plain-text editor such as Notepad. Back up the file before changing it. If the path is absent, search for Fallout4Prefs.ini; cloud-synced Documents folders, nonstandard Windows installations, and profile-based mod managers can use a different active location.
Find or add the following display entries in the file’s appropriate display section, changing the width and height to match the desired resolution:
Rank #3
- ANNIVERSARY EDITION — Celebrate ten years of Fallout 4 with the complete post‑nuclear RPG experience, winner of over 200 Best Of awards including DICE and BAFTA Game of the Year.
- COMPLETE BASE GAME INCLUDED — Experience the full Fallout 4 main campaign as the Sole Survivor of Vault 111, shaping the fate of the Commonwealth through meaningful choices, factions, and exploration.
- ALL 6 OFFICIAL EXPANSIONS — Includes Automatron, Wasteland Workshop, Far Harbor, Contraptions Workshop, Vault‑Tec Workshop, and Nuka‑World for massive story, settlement, and gameplay additions.
- 150+ CREATION CLUB ITEMS — Expand your adventure with curated Creation Club content featuring unique weapons, power armor sets, building packs, paint jobs, player homes, and Dogmeat cosmetic variants.
- OPEN‑WORLD FREEDOM — Explore hundreds of locations, craft weapons and armor, build and manage settlements, and customize your playstyle using the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system and perk progression.
iSize W=1920
iSize H=1080
bFull Screen=1
bBorderless=0For other common resolutions, substitute the pixel dimensions:
- 1440p:
iSize W=2560andiSize H=1440. - 4K UHD:
iSize W=3840andiSize H=2160. - 21:9 ultrawide at 3440×1440:
iSize W=3440andiSize H=1440.
For borderless windowed mode, the commonly used values are bFull Screen=0 and bBorderless=1. For fullscreen, use bFull Screen=1 and bBorderless=0. Save as an INI file, not a .txt file. Do not mark it read-only as a routine fix: that can stop the launcher from saving later changes. The launcher or a mod profile may overwrite your edits, so verify that you edited the file the active installation actually uses.
Rank #4
- GOTY edition includes original game on disc and all available DLC as download codes.
- Do whatever you want in a massive open world with hundreds of locations, characters, and quests. Join multiple factions vying for power or go it alone, the choices are all yours.
- Be whoever you want with the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. character system. From a Power Armored soldier to the charismatic smooth talker, you can choose from hundreds of Perks and develop your own playstyle.
- An all-new next generation graphics and lighting engine brings to life the world of Fallout like never before. From the blasted forests of the Commonwealth to the ruins of Boston, every location is packed with dynamic detail.
- Intense first or third person combat can also be slowed down with the new dynamic Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S) that lets you choose your attacks and enjoy cinematic carnage.
Fix a black screen, stretched image, or misplaced interface
If Fallout 4 launches to a black screen, opens on the wrong display, or looks stretched, try the least disruptive fixes first:
- Press
Alt+Tabto check whether the game opened on another monitor. - Return to the launcher and try Default, then set the game to the monitor’s resolution and matching aspect ratio.
- Try borderless windowed mode by checking both Windowed Mode and Borderless. It can make alt-tabbing easier and may help some display problems, but it is not a guaranteed performance fix.
- Temporarily disable mods, overlays, and custom GPU utilities, especially if settings revert after restarting.
- Check Windows display scaling and monitor drivers if fullscreen or windowed sizing is abnormal. Bethesda identifies custom GPU resolutions and non-default Windows DPI settings as possible causes and recommends 96 DPI or 100% scaling for proper behavior; treat that as a diagnostic step, not a reason to change scaling for every setup. See Bethesda’s display troubleshooting.
- If interface elements such as the lockpicking menu are missing or misplaced, match the game’s resolution to the monitor. Bethesda lists this as a fix: lockpicking-menu display guidance.
Reset Fallout 4’s display configuration
If a bad setting prevents the game or launcher from working, reset the configuration rather than repeatedly guessing at values. This also resets other saved configuration choices, so make a backup first.
Best Value
- Next generation of open-world gaming
- Developed by Bethesda Game Studios under the direction of Todd Howard
- Fallout 4 is the follow up to the 2008 'Game of the Year' Fallout 3
- First title from the world-renowned studio since the release of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Close Fallout 4 and the launcher.
- Back up the folder
C:Users<username>DocumentsMy GamesFallout4, or at least copy its INI files to another location. - Move or remove
Fallout4.ini,Fallout4Custom.ini, andFallout4Prefs.inifrom the active Fallout 4 configuration folder. - Start the launcher or game again so default configuration files can be regenerated, then select the desired display settings.
Bethesda lists these three files in its configuration reset instructions. If the default Documents folder has no Fallout4Prefs.ini, search for it and check whether a cloud-synced folder or mod manager is supplying the active profile.
Ultrawide: 21:9 and 32:9 support
Fallout 4 received official support for 21:9 and 32:9 resolutions in the April 25, 2024 update. On an updated PC installation, first try the vanilla launcher’s Options menu and select the monitor’s native ultrawide resolution before installing an older widescreen fix. Bethesda’s support page describes the supported ratios: 21:9 and 32:9 ultrawide support.
Official support does not guarantee that every menu, HUD element, cutscene, mod, or post-processing effect will look perfect at every ratio. Bethesda published a June 11, 2026 PC hotfix note addressing frame-generation behavior on 32:9 displays; if that configuration is distorted, make sure the game is updated and test without mods: Bethesda’s 32:9 display note.
PS5 and Xbox Series X|S resolution modes
On PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, Fallout 4 offers display modes rather than a PC-style menu for choosing exact pixel dimensions. Bethesda describes Performance mode as targeting 60 FPS with dynamic resolution scaling, while Quality mode targets 30 FPS with 4K/ultra-quality presentation. A 120 Hz-capable display can enable a 40 FPS target in Quality mode. Bethesda also says the game runs at 1440p and 60 FPS with ultra settings on a 1440p display, regardless of rendering mode. Details: Performance versus Quality mode and the May 13, 2024 next-gen update notes.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Resolution, refresh rate, and FPS are different
- Resolution is the number of rendered pixels, such as 2560×1440.
- Refresh rate is how often the display updates, measured in hertz (Hz), such as 60 Hz or 144 Hz.
- Frame rate is how many frames the game produces per second (FPS).
Changing the resolution does not, by itself, correct a refresh-rate or frame-rate problem. A high-refresh monitor does not mean Fallout 4 should run uncapped: Bethesda warns that excessive frame rates can cause physics and display issues, recommends retaining a 60 FPS cap, and cautions against setting iPresentInterval=0 as a routine fix. Its guidance lists iPresentInterval=1 for a 60 Hz display and iPresentInterval=2 for a 120 Hz display; displays above 120 Hz may need to be set to 120 Hz while playing. For a 300 Hz display, Bethesda specifically recommends a 60 FPS cap and checking for iPresentInterval=1. See Bethesda’s frame-rate guidance and its 300 Hz display troubleshooting.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
