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Saints Row IV How to revert back to the original version (pre-Epic Games)

Ever since the game updated itself to Re-Elected people have been having issues with it. Some couldn’t load certain savegames, others couldn’t play for too long, and others (like myself) couldn’t even play because it kept crashing at startup. To remedy this, we’ll “downgrade” the game to its latest patch before the mess that is the Re-Elected patch in order for it to work again.

All DLCs work, alongside with Workshop and non-Workshop mods!

Step 1 – Console

Boot up Steam (obviously), and open the developer console by pressing Windows+R, then pasting steam://open/console in the “Run” box and pressing Enter. Afterwards, you should see a new tab pop up on Steam: Console.

Step 2 – Downloading the old files

Now that you have the developer console, paste the following in it: download_depot 206420 206421 32002699204955846

These are the main SRIV files (packfiles, videos, etc.) from the last patch before the abysmal Re-Elected patch. They’re 8,670 megs (almost 8,70 GB!), so they’ll take some time to download.

Once they download, paste the following in Steam’s console: download_depot 206420 206422 6013726710204312506

This is just 6 megs, and it’s the old SRIV executable. You need it to play SRIV without the patch; the new executable won’t work with the old files.

Update: Here’s what you need to install if you’re playing on Linux. Thanks to DW_Taya for the info!
Instead of downloading the 206422 depot, paste download_depot 206420 206426 641706767085429081 in the console to download the Linux files.

Step 3 – Adding the old files to your SRIV folder

Before you do anything with the old files, head to your Saints Row IV installation folder (by default, it’s Steam -> steamapps -> common -> Saints Row IV) and delete the following files: SaintsRowIV.exe, sr_hv.exe & SaintsRowIV.ini

Now it’s time to locate the pre Re-Elected files. They’re in your Steam installation folder, under Steam -> steamapps -> content -> app_206420. There, you’ll find the old files under the “depot_206421” and “depot_206422” folders. Now copy and paste the content of both folders in your Saints Row IV folder. Replace all the new files with the old ones (they’re 100 as far as I remember).

Step 4 – Playing the damn game

Once you’ve done all the previous steps, start the game in Steam and enjoy SRIV in its original state. No Epic Online Services, no Epic Games Accounts required, nothing. Just you, your homies, and a bunch of aliens that are in desperate need of getting killed.

Step 5 (optional) – Original library assets

The Re-Elected patch changed every SRIV library asset to fit Re-Elected’s artwork change. If you’re like me, and you’re looking for the authentic SRIV experience (or you just don’t like the Re-Elected artwork because it’s not as appealing as the original), here are the links to replace every new asset with the old ones:

You have two methods of replacing the new assets with the old ones.

Via Steam: In the library’s main page (the one where all your games are shown), locate Saints Row IV’s box and right click it, then Administrate, then Add custom artwork. Replace Re-Elected’s cover art with the old one, and you’re done.

For the background and logo, select Saints Row IV from your library and simply right click the area where the game’s background and logo are (above the Play button). You’ll get three options: Add custom artwork, add custom logo and change logo position. The image listed as “background” in my guide is the game’s artwork, and the logo… well, you get the idea :p

The original logo’s position was positioned in the top of the background.

Via file replacement: Go to Steam -> appcache -> librarycache and simply paste the original library assets in there. You’ll be asked if you want to replace the old assets with these ones; just replace them. The thing is… I haven’t tested this particular method. It should work with no problems, however, but you may need to restart Steam in order for it to take effect. Any updates SRIV may recieve could also reinstate the current artwork, so you’ll have to change it again if that happens.

End

That’s it! Hope this guide worked for you, I can at least confirm it worked flawlessly for me. Just to clarify once again, all DLCs work alongside Workshop and non-Workshop mods. Don’t forget that along the old files we just pasted, there’s also the game’s config file (display.ini), so if your graphic configurations are different, don’t worry. It’s because of that.

Share this guide with your friends and just anyone in general that’s having issues with Saints Row IV, and let’s hope Volition and Deep Silver get their ♥♥♥♥ together and fix this ASAP.

Written by weskerbestboy

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