Is Fallout 76 worth playing in 2024?

Fallout 76 has seen some major changes since launch, but is it worth playing in 2024?

Bethesda, Xbox

Fallout 76’s launch became infamous. It tarnished the reputation of Bethesda – the company that made one of the most successful and popular RPGs of all time in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – and did a good job of having people avoid the once beloved Fallout franchise. An MMO-style multiplayer Fallout experience should’ve been a guaranteed hit that prints money for years to come, but 76 got murdered by a mole rat as soon as it stepped out of the vault. Getting slapped with a subscription service within the first year didn’t help.

But it’s been nearly six years since the late 2018 release date – yes, it really has been that long – and the game is still going. Like it or loathe it, Fallout 76 is still here, and has received 19 major updates – nineteen! – since launch. Every update since has brought more characters, content, and locations to Appalachia. It even has NPC humans you can talk to now. That’s innovation for you. 

After nearly six years of tweaks and improvements, what is Fallout 76 like to play today? Well, despite not being the biggest fan of Bethesda games, I took it upon myself to zip up a blue onesie and brave the irradiated wastes so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.

There have been 19 major updates for Fallout 76. / Bethesda, Xbox

The early complaints about an empty and lifeless world are thankfully solved now. Fallout 76 is hardly bursting with life at every corner, but it feels appropriate for the post-apocalypse. Early quests will have you seeking out survivors and ghouls who live alongside one another in relative peace. Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t baddies lurking around every corner, including radioactive ticks, mindless ghouls, and bandits on the road.

It’s interesting – and a little counterintuitive – that Fallout 76 feels like a traditional first-person Fallout experience now. The point of 76 was to create a new live service platform, one where real people could replace the roles played by traditional NPCs. At least, that certainly seemed to be the implication at launch. But servers only allow for 24 players, and those people just might log off. When I first started playing, I immediately saw some new players leaving Vault 76, but the next day I couldn’t find a single soul.

Six years on from launch, it feels more like a Fallout 4 expansion. / Bethesda, Xbox

Yes, it’s a far better experience for anyone logging in and expecting to play an expanded version of Fallout 4, but it also defeats the point of a multiplayer Fallout game. The fact that some essential building pieces were locked behind the Atom Store hurt too, especially after how freeform and simple building bases can be in a game like Palworld.

I’ve never been the biggest Bethesda fan, outside of a fevered Skyrim binge shortly after it originally launched, and Fallout 76 isn’t doing anything to change that, but against all odds, I enjoyed my time with it enough. My heart isn’t aching to jump back into the game and explore Appalachia, but after putting it down, part of me feels more satisfied with 76 than I ever did playing Starfield. Ultimately, traipsing across the hand-crafted Appalachian wastes felt much more engaging and enjoyable than a procedurally generated, empty planet. 

Steel Dawn was one of the first truly substantial 76 expansions. / Bethesda, Xbox

If you’re a Bethesda or Fallout fan who hasn’t given Fallout 76 a second glance since launch, now might be the time. The Fallout TV show has been a smash hit, and even if you tried and dropped 76 years ago, now’s the perfect time to jump in and see what you’ve missed. 

So, is it worth playing Fallout 76 in 2024? Yeah, sure. It’s on Xbox Game Pass and the base game can be bought relatively cheaply, so it’s worth the small investment to get started and see how Fallout 76 has mutated.