Bethesda Game Studios has just released a new update (version 1.7.99 ) for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition . The patch is mainly focused on increasing console mod storage limits and bringing more Creations improvements and fixes, but if you're a PC player currently on a modded playthrough , it may wreak havoc on your save.

Bethesda has stated that this particular patch should not affect load orders, but the studio's own advice to back up saves as a precaution is a reminder that Skyrim updates have historically broken mod compatibility before , most notably with the original Anniversary Edition update in 2021 , which altered the game's Papyrus scripting language and caused widespread script-based mod failures.

For players who prefer to stay on a specific version of Skyrim, whether to avoid this update entirely or simply to prevent future ones from catching them off guard, there are straightforward ways to lock your installation in place on both Steam and GOG.

This isn't just about today's patch. Any future Bethesda update carries some risk of disrupting SKSE plugins, Creation Club content ordering, or script-heavy mods that depend on a specific game version . If you've manually downgraded Skyrim to run an older, more stable mod setup, an unexpected auto-update can silently overwrite that work and break your entire load order without warning.

The good news is that this guide applies broadly to Skyrim Special Edition and Anniversary Edition on both Steam and GOG. If you're running the GOG version without GOG Galaxy, you don't need to worry about unexpected updates at all. Skyrim VR players can also skip this process entirely, since there's only a single version of the VR release in circulation and no further updates are expected for it.

Steam users can prevent unwanted updates simply by making the game's manifest file read-only, which prevents Steam from modifying it.

1. Navigate to the steamapps folder inside your Steam installation directory. For example, if Steam is installed at C:\Games\Steam , you'd go to C:\Games\Steam\steamapps .
2. Locate the file named appmanifest_489830.acf .
3. Right-click the file and select Properties .
4. Under the General tab, check the Read-only box.
5. Click OK to save the change.

With the manifest locked, Steam will be unable to write update data to that file, effectively freezing your current game version in place.

GOG Galaxy users have a more direct option, since the client includes a built-in setting to disable automatic updates.

1. Open GOG Galaxy and select Skyrim from your library.
2. Click the More menu, located next to the Play or Update button.
3. Select Manage installation > Configure…
4. In the dialog that opens, go to the Installation tab.
5. Make sure the Automatically update to newest version option is unchecked.
6. Click OK to confirm.

This prevents GOG Galaxy from silently downloading and installing any future The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim updates the next time you launch the client.

For those Skyrim players who do decide to let the game update go through, here's the full changelog:

• Increased mod storage to 15 GB for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox.
• Added localized strings fixes for UI and platform terminology.
• A Creation’s Details page now includes instructions on how to report abusive or problematic mods.
• Added bundling of Creations in the Skyrim Creations Menu to bring it to parity with Fallout and Starfield.
• Changed storefront UI to support Creations box art at 3640 x 900 and 900 x 506 to be consistent with Starfield and Fallout 4. Older image sizes will still be supported and do not require immediate resubmission.
• Added support to sort Creation categories by "Most Popular".
• Creations flagged as WIP can now be viewed when bookmarked.

• Added Localization export support.
• Updated "Search and Replace" to align with Starfield, adding buttons for "Select Form in Object Window" and "Open Form Editor".
• Creation Kit will now allow multiple master loads by default. This can be configured as normal.
• Skyrim Creations released through the Verified Creators program will have the option to be Achievement-Friendly (Xbox) and Trophy-Friendly (PlayStation). This means that certain Creations will no longer block achievements, but it requires starting a new game for this functionality to work on updated Creations.
• Bink files can now be added to Creation uploads via an Extra Files browser.
• Expanding beyond scripts, archives are now supported on PlayStation. New file types are available (.nif, .dds, .bink, .wav, and .fuz (with embedded .wav)) for PlayStation Creations.

• Fixed a crash when the player opens the Virtual Keyboard on a Steam Deck device.
• Fixed a crash when the player ‘selects’ an empty search result in the Creations menu.
• Fixed a crash when the player transforms into a new race.

• Fixed a crash when the player closes the dialogue for a Sound Descriptor.
• Fixed a crash when analyzing loot in a new encounter zone.
• Fixed a crash when clicking the Make Use Info button on some menus.
• Fixed a crash that can occur when reloading a mod without an associated Masterfile.

• Free Creations from Verified Creators now correctly appear in the Verified Creators category within the store.
• Exiting out of Search when viewing a specific Creation now properly returns the player to the Details page of that Creation.
• Fixed an issue where installed Creations would sometimes display the incorrect version number while on the pause menu.
• Creations titles should now display with fewer misformatted characters.
• Resolved an issue where the Creations store would not always update visual pricing when Creations were placed on sale when a player had not changed menus.
• Resolved an issue where Anniversary Edition Creations failed to auto-download on PlayStation 5.
• Search strings will no longer clip through text when searching for Creations,
• The Verified Creator category should now correctly sort by latest and not alphabetical order.
• Enabling an item in Load Order should now more consistently stick when selected.
• Deleting all Creations now only clears mods downloaded from the Store and not those loaded via other means.
• Uploading or restoring a Load Order containing a mod or Creation no longer available on the Marketplace should no longer fail.
• Uploading or restoring a Load Order containing many mods should no longer fail.
• The Creations store should now load more efficiently.

• Creation Kit now forces consistent capitalization of platform-specific .bsa binaries to avoid runtime errors.
• Archiving new forms in a plugin that relies on pre-existing assets will no longer cause the pre-existing form to duplicate within the plugin.
• Fixed an issue where Creation submission can improperly tag a file as a Masterfile, causing infinite data reload.
• Cell forms should now populate correctly across all tabs when accessed via the Cell View window.
• Altered forms will no longer count as new forms when creating a plugin.
• Using the Create Archives or Upload process should more consistently apply correct compression to meshes/miscellaneous archives.
• Browsing ids in the World Spaces window should no longer alter the forms.
• Resolved error message pop-up when attempting to open the Creation Kit while Bethesda.net services were offline.

About the author : With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.

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