Fallout 76 To Bypass Valve's Steam Like A High Rad Area For Beta And Official Launches

One of the most anticipated games of the year is Fallout 76. The game is the latest in Bethesda's post-apocalyptic open-world franchise and it will be set in a Western Virginian wasteland. We already know some important facts about the game including that it will be an online-only title and have multiplayer capability. The catch is that cross-platform play has been blocked by buzzkill Sony. Multiple versions of the game will launch November 14, and we have now learned that the PC version will shun the popular Steam store.

Bethesda has officially announced that Fallout 76 for PC will only be offered via Bethesda.net. Bethesda feels that the game will be a big enough draw that it can skip Steam and force direct downloads only, and it is likely correct. This game will certainly be popular enough for gamers to buy direct, but many won’t like that fact. PC gamers are used to most major titles being offered on Steam and having all your games in one place is very nice.

There is hope that after the initial launch Fallout 76 might hit Steam and other digital distribution platforms. Another very important bit of news has also came with the direct sales announcement. Fallout 76's beta will be the full game. If you play the beta and then purchase the game, all the progress you made in beta form will be transferred over. That means all your tedious grinding away for materials to build your base won’t be for naught when the game launches. The beta for the game is expected to launch in October with the full launch of the game coming in November.