Fallout 76, the online multiplayer Fallout game that nobody wanted but got any way, will be free to play this weekend on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Despite Fallout 76’s disastrous launch – Eurogamer’s Wesley Yin-Poole called it “bizarre, boring, broken mess” in his review – and a raft of staggeringly questionable decisions from publisher Bethesda since then (ranging from subscription-based private servers to pay-to-win microtransactions), the beleaguered online survival game has continued to grow.
It’s gained new modes, including the PvP-focussed Survival Mode and battle-royale-esque Nuclear Winter; it’s seen new gameplay additions, including photography tools, brewing and distilling, dungeons, and a range of new quests and encounters.
Fallout 76: Wastelanders – Official Trailer 2 Watch on YouTube
By far its biggest expansion, however, came in the form of April’s Wastelanders update, introducing a new main quest line, new locations, new enemies, new weapons, and a new reputation system, plus, of course, the long-awaited addition of NPCs. So extensive were these changes, Wes, on recently revisiting the game, conceded it was now “actually okay”.