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Is Fallout 76 ever going free to play?

Considering the mixed reception to Bethesda's latest online-focused RPG, many players are wondering if Fallout 76 is going free to play.

Kevin Tucker

December 10, 2018 1:05 PM

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It's no secret that the launch of Fallout 76 has been troubled, which has lead players to ask whether or not Fallout 76 will transition into a free-to-play game. This move would make sense, particularly considering a number of controversies involving misleading special edition merchandise and Bethesda's confusing policy regarding digital refunds. Given that many players who paid the full retail price are unhappy, is Bethesda gearing up to re-launch Fallout 76 as a free to play game?

Is Fallout 76 going free to play?

No, it does not appear that Fallout 76 is going free to play. Bethesda has not issued any sort of statement that implies that Fallout 76 is going to be or will ever be a free-to-play game. Moreover, the game is still currently listed for sale at the standard MSRP from a variety of retail outlets and digital storefronts.

While it would certainly make sense for Fallout 76 to go free-to-play sometime in the future, it doesn't seem to be in the cards right now. However, a story posted by Digital Trends seems to be stoking the fire, and players aren't happy about it. Namely, those who spent money to pre-order the game, or even those who picked it up at a discount over Black Friday, still aren't exactly thrilled with the experience. Watching Bethesda take Fallout 76 down the F2P route would only serve to rub salt in their wounds.

This sentiment is echoed over on the Fallout 76 subreddit, where a post by user bethesdurr pleading for the studio not to release Fallout 76 as a free-to-play title has garnered over 5300 upvotes. Over 500 comments have been posted to the thread so far, with the vast majority of players offering their thoughts on how the transition to free-to-play would change the in-game economy and bring in the sort of gamers that don't traditionally take part in the Fallout universe.

Rest easy. For now, it seems that Fallout 76 is not going free to play. We don't have any evidence that Bestheda intends to make Fallout 76 F2P, either, at the very least for the time being. Players who already own the game can continue carrying on their adventures in Applachia in relative (and hopefully bug-free) peace. For more guides on Bethesda's latest RPG release, be sure to head over to Shacknews' Fallout 76 guide and walkthrough.

Kevin Tucker

Guides Editor

Kevin Tucker is a core component of Shacknews' powerful guide development team. For questions, concerns, tips, or to share constructive criticism, he can be reached on Twitter @dukeofgnar or through e-mail at kevin.tucker@shacknews.com.