In the months immediately preceding the launch ofFallout 76, Bethesda revealed that the PC version of the title would not be available through Steam. Indeed, fans looking to playFallout 76on PCup to this point have been required to do so through the Bethesda.net launcher, but that is about to change, and the date that the game will release on Valve’s extremely-popular digital distribution platform has now been confirmed.
More specifically,Fallout 76will be available on Steam beginning July 16, 2025, just over 16 months after the game’s initial launch. This Steam release date coincides with the launch of the massiveFallout 76Wastelanders update, which will bring NPCs to the game’s post-apocalyptic West Virginia, and perhaps this confluence of events will be enough to restore interest in this troubled multiplayer title.
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To note, fans using Steam will be able to playFallout 76with those using the Bethesda.net launcher, but there are some details that players thinking about switching between platforms should be mindful of. Namely, a player’s Atoms andFallout1st membership balance cannot be transferred between Bethesda.net and Steam, and any Atoms that a player earns are thus tied to the platform that they are earned on.
That said, Bethesda has confirmed that any items a player purchases throughFallout 76’s Atomic Shopwill be shared across Steam and the Bethesda.net launcher. This means that fans that are looking to switch platforms have the option of turning their Atoms into items, and while that might not be the ideal solution in every scenario, it at least means that players do not have to completely abandon the Atoms that they have earned.
Bethesda has also emphasized that players that already ownFallout 76through its official launcher will not get free access to the title on Steam. Instead, they will need to purchaseFallout 76again, and this coupled with the aforementioned issues with Atom andFallout1stmembership transfers may be enough to keep current players from switching platforms. Even still, the addition ofFallout 76to Steam is almost guaranteed to increase the title’s playerbase, and that is something that will benefit almost everyone.
Fallout 76is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
