Bethesda has officially announced the start time for Fallout 76’s first beta on Xbox One, although PS4 and PC players will have to wait an additional week.
Even though Fallout 76 releases in less than a month, Bethesda, up until now, has elected to only reveal to fans that the first beta for the online multiplayer survival RPG would take place on October 23, but, as of yesterday, players now know the specific start time.
Bethesda announced the first beta for Fallout 76 in late September, but besides knowing the date, fans were left without a start time and specific details. Yesterday, on Twitter, Bethesda revealed that the Fallout beta is available for pre-download and that its first ‘session’ is set for 7 pm ET through 11 pm ET, but only on Xbox One.
Similar to how Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 provides new content first to PlayStation users, Bethesda has chosen to release new content to Xbox One users first, meaning PC and PS4 owners will have to wait until October 30th, though the PC and PS4 start times are still unknown.
Be prepared! The #Fallout76 B. E. T. A. is now available to pre-load on @Xbox One. Download it today to be ready for the first session planned for October 23 from 7pm ET to 11pm ET. Visit our FAQ on how to download: https://t.co/WPePOLKlHa pic.twitter.com/oUFXqDYiSZ
Although it is unclear how Bethesda plans to carry out the betas, its tweet is alluding to multiple, quick ‘sessions’ rather than having a typical beta that lasts multiple days. While this is unusual, it is understandable considering that this is Bethesda’s first online multiplayer survival RPG and it most likely does not want to overload the servers.
These short and numerous sessions should give Bethesda the information it needs to conduct and improve its servers, assuring that Fallout 76 will be at its best at launch. While Xbox One owners still have a few more days to wait, and PC and PS4 owners have an even longer waiting time, Bethesda has given players the ability to pre-download the closed pre-order beta.
So far, initial feelings about Fallout 76 have been relatively mixed, and fans do not know how Bethesda’s bold decision to focus on online multiplayer will play out. The graphical downgrade of Fallout 76 from Fallout 4 on Xbox One discovered by fans on the game’s first stress test is something that many are taking into account when considering purchasing Fallout 76, as graphics have always been top-tier in previous Fallout installments.
Though fans should not worry considering the stress test was a pre-launch build and that Bethesda will likely improve the graphics to some extent. Regardless of how fans may feel about Fallout 76 and its online focus, the survival RPG and its massive map will surely be worth giving a shot at launch.
Fallout 76 releases on November 14 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
