Free beta for Windows
Steam Game Downgrader: Version Lock
Put your modded Steam games back on the version your mods support, and keep them there until your mods catch up.
You finally have Skyrim running with 300 mods. Then Steam updates the game overnight, and now it crashes before the main menu.
The game isn't broken. Your script extender is. Each build works with one exact game version, which is why SKSE's download page lists the single version each build supports.
Version Lock is a free Windows app that puts your game back on the version that worked. Then it keeps the next update away until your mods are ready.
Download the Beta
Download Version Lock 0.1.0The beta isn't signed yet, so Microsoft Defender SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC." Click More info, then Run anyway.
Tick Start with Windows in the app. It can only snapshot a game before an update while it's running.
It never deletes game files. Anything it takes out goes to a quarantine folder you can put back. Found a bug? Tell us about it.
SHA-256: E52642C66818DFF72FBBEDCBCE41ABBA9663866CB31070496FC6BDC526DCD837
Four Jobs It Does So You Don't Have To
Goes back to the version you need
Already updated? It walks you through getting the exact build your mods need from Steam. It gives you the commands to paste, checks the download, then copies it in.
Holds updates
It sets Steam to update the game only when you launch it from Steam. For games with a script extender, a desktop shortcut starts the game through it instead, so Steam never gets the chance.
Snapshots first
When Steam has an update waiting, it snapshots your game before Steam swaps any files.
Rolls back in one click
If an update slips past it, put the old files back from your snapshot without downloading anything. You see every change first.
Coming next: an alert the moment your mod tools support a new game version.
Why Steam Updates Break Mods
Steam has no switch to stop updates for one game. Its closest setting only waits until you launch, and players have asked Valve for a real off switch for years.
Big mods lean on script extenders like SKSE and F4SE. Any game update can stop them from loading until their makers release a new build.
Players already undo updates by hand. The Fallout 4 Downgrader has more than 380,000 unique downloads. Tools like it each cover one game, and none of them stop the next update.
How the Rollback Works
An update replaces only a small part of a game. When we compared GTA V's September 2026 update file by file, it swapped out about 7% of the install.
So the app snapshots your game with Windows hard links, which take almost no space. When an update replaces a file, the old copy stays in your snapshot, ready to put back.
It reads everything it needs from Steam's own files on your PC. It never asks for your Steam password.
Which Games It Works With
Snapshots, holds and rollbacks work with any Steam game on Windows. Guided downgrades cover Skyrim Special Edition, Fallout 4 and Cyberpunk 2077 for now.
Need a fix today? Our guides show how to roll back Skyrim, Fallout 4, Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3 and Hearts of Iron IV by hand.
Pick your games in the form below so we know which to add next.
Pricing
Free for one game, with every feature. Pro will cover all your games for $12 a year, or $29 once if you'd rather never pay again.
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