Fallout 76 Beta Is an Xbox One Timed Exclusive: Bethesda

Bethesda's shared world post-apocalyptic role-playing game Fallout 76 will be getting a beta soon. The Fallout 76 beta will be accessible to those pre-ordering the game on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. However if you want to play the Fallout 76 beta first, you'll have to pre-order the game on Xbox One. According to the Fallout 76 FAQ on Bethesda's website it will be on the Xbox One first with PS4 and PC coming later on. No surprise given how cozy Bethesda's relationship with Microsoft has been since the days of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind that graced the original Xbox, which as per Bethesda Game Studios Director and Executive Producer Todd Howard in a recent Noclip documentary, was second to Halo in terms of sales on that console. No Fallout 76 beta release date has been announced just yet.

"The beta will be available on Xbox One, PS4, and on PC (via Bethesda.net). Stay tuned for exact timing for each platform here and Fallout on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Please note that the beta for Xbox One will begin first, followed by other platforms," reads the Fallout 76 FAQ.

And while timed exclusive betas have been par for the course this generation, the bigger red flag is the lack of a mention of Steam in the FAQ with Bethesda opting to use its own client instead. Perhaps a sign of yet another big publisher leaving the confines of Valve's storefront? It will be interesting to see if this is indeed the case.

That said, if you want to play the Fallout 76 beta, you're better off pre-ordering it at retail thanks to Bethesda's poor digital pricing of the game on PS4 and Xbox One. Fallout 76 will feature micro-transactions in the form of cosmetic items that can be earned in-game as well. There will be no season pass for Fallout 76 and free updates consisting of large downloadable content (DLC) on an ongoing basis, with smaller content drops released regularly are on the cards. That said, much like other shared world games such as the Destiny titles and even massively multiplayer role-playing games like Bethesda’s own Elder Scrolls Online, we won’t be surprised to see premium content that adds new locations eventually.

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