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Starfield Motion Blur Featured
Image via Bethesda.
Category:
Tips

How to Fix Archive Invalidation in Starfield

Dang achievements won't work!
Image of Shawn Robinson
Shawn Robinson
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Published: Sep 8, 2023 12:12 am

Playing through Starfield with mods can be an enjoyable experience, especially when those mods provide some nice QoL improvements such as StarUI Inventory. However, installing any mod causes your game to be considered modded, disabling achievements. I’d know firsthand since my installation of Starfield Upscaler triggers achievements to be disabled. However, there’s a way to get around this; Archive Invalidation. Here’s how to fix Archive Invalidation in Starfield.

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How to Change Archive Invalidation in Starfield

Starfield INI File
Image via Prima Games.

How you fix up Archive Invalidation is going to depend on whether you’re playing Starfield through Steam or Game Pass. That’s why we’ve provided separate sections below:

Related: How to Investigate the Abandoned Asteroid Mine in Starfield

Archive Invalidation – Steam

Navigate to Documents/My Games/Starfield on your PC, and create a new text document. In the text document, paste the following lines in:

[Archive]
bInvalidateOlderFiles=1
sResourceDataDirsFinal=

Once that’s in, click File in the top right followed by Save As. Save the file name as StarfieldCustom.ini and you’re done.

Archive Invalidation – Game Pass

Right-click Starfield on your sidebar and click Manage. Navigate to files, then select Browse to open up the install folder. Double-click on Starfield, and then open the Content folder. Inside the folder will be an ini file named Starfield.ini. Open it up, and paste the following line under the section labeled Archive:

bInvalidateOlderFiles=1

Save the file and exit, and you’re all set.

What Else Does Changing This File Do?

Starfield Side Activities Featured

Besides allowing achievements to not be disabled when modding, changing Archive Invalidation can also allow some mods to function properly. I had this issue earlier when trying to install StarUI Inventory through NexusMods. Switching up the file fixed the issue and made the menus far more usable. No more big boxes.

If you’re on the hunt for more modding-related assistance, check out our guide on how to download and use the Starfield DLSS mod.

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Starfield
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Author
Image of Shawn Robinson
Shawn Robinson
Shawn is a freelance gaming journalist who's been with Prima Games for a year and a half, writing mainly about FPS games and RPGs. He even brings several years of experience at other sites like The Nerd Stash to the table. While he doesn't bring a fancy degree to the table, he brings immense attention to detail with his guides, reviews, and news, leveraging his decade and a half of gaming knowledge. If he isn't writing about games, he's likely getting zero kills in his favorite FPS or yelling at the game when it was 100% his fault that he died.