Fallout 76 Beta Will Be Full Game, Won't Be On Steam

Published: August 8, 2018 9:15 AM /

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Bethesda has revealed some more details about its upcoming online RPG Fallout 76.

First off, the beta test for Fallout 76 will contain the full game, according to an FAQ on Bethesda's website. The FAQ states that the beta (or B.E.T.A, which stands for Break it Early Test Application, in true Fallout style) will carry over to the final release, so your characters and creations won't be lost when the full game is launched.

Secondly, in what could be considered a pretty brave move, Bethesda has opted to forego Steam (and other digital distribution platforms like GOG) entirely for the PC release. The game will be available exclusively through Bethesda's own Bethesda.net launcher. This move makes sense from Bethesda's perspective in terms of proprietary digital distribution and mirrors similar decisions by huge gaming companies like Blizzard, EA, and Ubisoft. That said, though, Steam remains the most widely-used PC digital distribution platform, so whether this will affect Fallout 76 financially remains to be seen. It's also worth stating that this doesn't mean Fallout 76 will never be available via Steam. For now, though, both the B.E.T.A and initial launch of Fallout 76 will only be available via Bethesda.net.

Fallout 76 was originally announced back in May this year and marks the Fallout franchise's first foray into online multiplayer. The game will be set in West Virginia and will give players an open world roughly four times the size of Fallout 4 to explore. No human NPCs will be present in the game; instead, Bethesda opted to include robots, audio logs, and interactive terminals to build the game's world and tell its story.

If you're interested in signing up for the Fallout 76 B.E.T.A, preordering the game will net you an invite to take part, so head over to Bethesda.net to do so if that's your bag.

Does the lack of Steam availability put you off Fallout 76? Have you already got your preorder sorted? Let us know in the comments below!

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More Info About This Game
Learn more about Fallout 76
Game Page Fallout 76
Publisher
Bethesda Softworks
Platforms
Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Release Date
November 14, 2018 (Calendar)
Genre
Action
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