Given its divisive shared-world approach, Bethesda will be conducting a much-needed beta test of Fallout 76 at the beginning of October. Although we’ve known for quite some time that Xbox will be leading the way, with test periods for PC and PS4 shortly following, it seems that not everyone will get immediate access despite all pre-ordering the game.

Pre-purchasing Fallout 76 is the first major requirement to be a part of the beta event, however only from “participating retailers.” Those grabbing the game from the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, and Bethesda.net have the easiest time, automatically being eligible for the test without any further action. Those that manage to buy from one of the participating retailers, such as Gamestop, Best Buy, Target, Amazon, Walmart and the Windows Store will have to use the redemption code they receive to connect their Bethesda.net account to the early access.

Strangely, Steam currently has no listing for the title despite all of Bethesda’s previous games making it to the platform. Whispers on the internet suggest that this is more to do with Bethesda wanting to handle the Fallout 76 servers in-house, however the developer has yet to officially comment on the matter.

Although all eligible players will have paid early to be a part of the beta test, players won’t get access at the same time. According to a Bethesda forum post, the publisher will instead be selecting handfuls of players at a time to “start small and grow over time as we prepare for launch,” rather than indulge in an outright stress test. Everyone who does pre-order will eventually gain access to the beta at some point, however.

Bethesda will reveal the exact timings of the beta test closer to the time, with the current window allocated to early October. This should give plenty of time for the “Break it Early Test Application,” or B.E.T.A. to do its job ahead of Fallout 76’s launch on November 14th.

KitGuru Says: I’m not the biggest fan of the exclusivity “participating retailers” perpetuates, particularly as there doesn’t seem to be a hint towards international third-party stores that are involved. Will you be diving into the Fallout 76 beta if you can get a code?

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