Fallout 4: Best Pip-Boy Mods (2024)

Fallout 4 occurs in the post-apocalyptic remains of Boston, colloquially known as the Commonwealth. Players control the Sole Survivor in a quest to find their missing son. Various tools and weapons are at the player's disposal as they brave the dangers of the Commonwealth, one of which is the familiar and trusty Pip-Boy.

As with most Bethesda games, thousands of mods are at the player's fingertips. Of course, plenty of these mods revolve around the Pip-Boy. From nifty aesthetics to helpful quality-of-life improvements, these add-ons are essential for fans looking to spice up their next Fallout 4 playthrough with a touch of something different.

Updated on May 30, 2024 by Rie Takumi:The best Pip-Boy mods improve the system's functionality, accessibility, and player comfort with its style. Style and aesthetics are especially important, as players can underestimate the effect that having a fresh-looking Pip-Boy has after looking at the same dull military color of the standard arm computer. Small wonder that the overwhelming majority of Pip-Boy mods are re-skins and remodels. Better Pip-Boy mods add new animations, sounds, and 3D meshes. Sometimes, a change in style even leads to better features. Accessibility mods rank second in terms of endorsem*nts. Shy of game-breaking mods, mods that improve Pip-Boy use complement new Pip-Boy looks with souped-up functionality.

12 PipBoy Retexture

Brush A Fresh Coat Of Paint On Vanilla Pip-Boys

Starting off with something simple, one of the most straightforward add-ons players can install is a texture mod. Fallout 4's age is already abundantly clear, so sprucing up some of the visuals is highly recommended for a present-day playthrough. The Pip-Boy, naturally, should get some attention.

The aptly named PipBoy Retexture mod should be one of the first things on a player's list. As the description states, the mod stays true to the original but adds a plethora of much-needed detail. For players who simply want the vanilla Pip-Boy to look sharper, this mod is essential for any load order.

11 Star Wars TIE Fighter Pip-Boy

4K Hand-Crafted Star Wars-Themed Pip-Boy

Now, for players who aren't bothered by breaking the Fallout franchise's lore, there are several choice Pip-Boy mods available that drastically alter its aesthetic. Fans of the Star Wars universe can find plenty of mods to turn Fallout's setting into a galaxy far, far away.

One of the best mods for players shooting for a Star Wars theme should try the Star Wars TIE Fighter Pip-Boy add-on. This mod gives the grimy Pip-Boy a sleek black design that invokes the Galactic Empire/First Order. It certainly makes the Sole Survivor look cooler while exploring the dreary Commonwealth.

10 Hide Pip-Boy

Hides Pip-Boys For RP-Conscious Players

The Pip-Boy isn't exactly a subtle tool. Strapped tightly to the Sole Survivor's wrist, its visibility is prominent, especially while in third-person view. Players who enjoy roleplaying in certain outfits might be a little put off by the ever-present bulkiness of the Pip-Boy. Luckily, there's a mod to fix that problem.

The simply titled Hide Pip-Boy mod does exactly what it states. While players are in third-person view, the Pip-Boy is hidden. It's a neat little mod for players who are tired of seeing the Pip-Boy ruin the immersion of their costume.

9 Fallout-1 Inspired PipBoy

Nostalgic Pip-Boy Mod For Classic Fallout Fans

For many fans of the franchise, their love of Fallout began with the original game from 1997 and its sequel, Fallout 2. These games were old-school, isometric RPGs that offered a different experience from the later, Bethesda-developed titles. Players, however, still made use of a Pip-Boy in these classic games.

Fans in the mood for some nostalgia may be interested in the Fallout-1 Inspired PipBoy mod. This add-on makes Fallout 4's Pip-Boy look like the ones featured in the first two games in the series. Its rusty, worn-out appearance gives it a certain flair that fans of the classics should enjoy.

8 Pip-Boy Mini-Games

Fun Pip-Boy Holotape Mini-Games & Programming Software

Mod creator ondbad/Andy the Dwemer focused his Fallout 4 mod work on creating fun Pip-Boy holotape games. RoB the Robot is a simple shooting game while Hunter and Haunted is a Snake-like runner game in monochrome 8-bit art. The latest, 3D Wizard's Tower, controls like the original Doom if it were a puzzle/maze game instead.

ondbad went the distance with later mods called RobCo Brain**** and RobCo Mouse. Installed the same way as mini-games, these mods allow players to program within the Pip-Boy interface.

7 PipBoy 3000 Nuka-Cola Edition

Complements Nuka Cola World DLC

Nuka-Cola is the Fallout universe's equivalent of Coca-Cola in the real world. Nuka-Cola bears the same red color scheme as co*ke. No doubt players have guzzled plenty of Nuka-Colas throughout their wasteland adventures. While drinking those Nuka-Colas, why not engage in some free advertising?

This mod, the PipBoy 3000 Nuka-Cola Edition, retextures the Pip-Boy in sharp crimson. Nuka-Cola logos also adorn the Pip-Boy for that added touch. Once again, if fans ever get tired of looking at the same drab colors of the vanilla Pip-Boy, the Nuka-Cola Edition adds some much-needed panache.

6 Vault-Tec Pip-Boy

Vault-Tec Pip-Boy Colored Re-Skin

Every Fallout fan is likely familiar with Vault-Tec and its signature color scheme of blue and yellow. All vault dwellers wear the iconic blue and yellow jumpsuit with the vault's number emblazoned on the back. Nevertheless, the Pip-Boy itself, which all vault dwellers wear, lacks a similar color scheme.

Players interested in rectifying this state of affairs can download the Vault-Tec Pip-Boy mod. This add-on replaces the vanilla Pip-Boy's drab green colors with a sleek blue and yellow design. The people at Vault-Tec may have been immoral, but Pip-Boys bearing their colors sure do look cool.

5 Pip-Boy Flashlight

Flashlight Overhaul For Pip-Boy & Power Armor

Fallout 4 gets dark, and not just in terms of its world-building and challenges. Daytime can get annoyingly bright in the Commonwealth and, conversely, Stygian dark at night. Pip-Boy Flashlight aims to help players out with the latter problem.

Overhauling a flashlight that's been in use since Fallout 3, Pip-Boy Flashlight focuses the omni-dimensional light beam forward. Alternate animations turn the flashlight beam more realistic and helpful as it focuses the light around the player's crosshairs. Dynamic shadows, light spills, light rays, and volumetric lighting also add to its ambiance and usability.

4 Pip-Boy 2000 MK VI

Hand-Made Port Of Fallout 76 Pip-Boy

Created by mod group Molten Clouds, the Pip-Boy 2000 MK VI created a scratch-made version of the Fallout 76 Pip-Boy for Fallout 4. The replacer is an almost 1:1 recreation of the 76 model, including a working clock and screen effects.

The STAT/ITEM/DATA letters printed on the side of the Pip-Boy also have glowmaps to make them legible in the dark. Likewise, the font and UI within the Pip-Boy screen have improved readability. Instead of static pictures, items have their 3D models displayed instead.

3 More Visible Quest And Map Markers

Accessibility Fallout 4 Mod For Visible Quests

As an open-world game, players will be spending a lot of time looking at the Pip-Boy's map to fast-travel. However, Fallout 4's Pip-Boy map is structured a bit differently from what players are used to in Fallout 3 and New Vegas. Quest markers can be difficult to see in the newest iteration of the Pip-Boy.

More Visible Quest and Map Markers gives players' eyes a break. The mod adds a black background behind quest markers to make them more easily distinguishable on the map. In dense areas of the map, this mod makes finding one's proper destination a lot easier.

2 Pip-Boy W.S.

Community-Designed Pip-Boy With Custom Animations

Aside from its clean interface, burnished steel look, and updated UI, the Pip-Boy W.S. is the result of community votes. Modder neeher's community voted for their favorite functions, aesthetics, and modules for a custom Pip-Boy model.

Better still, the Pip-Boy W.S. is craftable and modifiable. Companions can equip a player-crafted Pip-Boy W.S. that can either be a reproduction of the player's model or something that looks new. Players may apply the same modifications to their Pip-Boy and alter its arm piece, shell, emblems, and more.

1 Companion Affinity Pip-Boy Tab (CAPT)

Live Companion Affinity Tracking & Stats

Fallout 4 inherits its predecessors' tendency to make its interesting cast of companions more functional than dimensional. For some players, having the ability to romance instead of merely sleeping with companions is a huge improvement. Yet keeping track of which companions fancy the player, or feel amicable towards them, can be a challenge.

Companion Affinity Pip-Boy Tab (CAPT) helps out by showing the number values of each companion's affinity towards the player. Every character has unique animations for their Pip-Boy-style portraits under the Affinity tab. Modded companions won't appear in the tab, though the mod author is open for requests or player-made patches.

Fallout 4

Platform(s)

PC , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Released

November 10, 2015

Developer(s)

Bethesda

Genre(s)

RPG , Action