Is it worth playing Fallout 76 in 2024?

Fallout 76 in 2024 doesn’t resemble the same title that debuted to much controversy in 2018, so let’s see if Bethesda’s MMO is now worth your time and money.

Bethesda took enormous flak for the launch of Fallout 76 when it first debuted on Nov. 18, 2018. An abundance of issues plagued the RPG’s release, and players were disappointed with its lack of content and microtransactions.

Fast forward to 2024 and Fallout 76 has grown and evolved. Taking on all the criticism and realizing the error of its ways, Bethesda has done a great job of turning things around. And with the Fallout TV show being so popular, many are wondering if Fallout 76 has done enough to warrant their time.

Should you play Fallout 76 in 2024?

Fallout 76 is most definitely worth your time and money in 2024 as the MMO is a completely different entity from when it first launched, improving on almost every facet of its composition with great care and detail.

There are a few main reasons why Fallout 76 has improved so much, though, and I’m here to break down these key selling points to encourage you to enter the wasteland and put yourself in harm’s way.

You can play solo

If you enjoy tangoing alone and waltzing into danger headfirst without backup, you can do so in Fallout 76—which you couldn’t at launch. It does require you to take out a Fallout 1st subscription, but if you do so, you get access to private servers where you can enjoy a lobby to yourself.

Single-player action was clearly cast aside at the beginning of Fallout 76 as it didn’t even have any NPCs. This is no longer the case, though, as NPCs are now plentiful, and the world is more alive than ever before.

It’s still getting free content updates

Fallout 76 gets free content updates every few months—similar to live-service season updates—featuring thematic changes to the world, new cosmetics, new NPCs and companions, new events, new locations, and even new story missions to flesh out the lore.

Every aspect of the RPG is receiving new, free content—and who doesn’t want that? These updates are reminders of where this iteration of Fallout started, and why you should stick around to see what Bethesda is cooking up next.

Fallout 76 just works

Sorry Todd Howard, but the Bethesda director’s fateful words of “it just works” ahead of Fallout 76’s release created a hotbed of memes—and the words have lived in infamy ever since. The dearth of content at launch aside, Fallout’s MMO was rife with inconsistencies, broken servers, jarring textures, and more bugs than a hive of Bloatflys.

While not perfect, Fallout 76 runs much smoother and is a far more technically polished product in 2024. Yes, occurrences like the unknown server error and error code 3 0 5629 pop up from time to time. Thankfully for prospective players, though, the overall problems are vastly reduced compared to the original release, and Howard’s prophetic words feel truer than ever before.

Raid bosses

A handful of raid bosses are the perfect way to spend a few minutes getting locked into the action. The Ultracite Titan and Wendigo Colossus are just two of these imperious foes and give you the perfect incentive to level up, get better gear, maybe befriend a player or two along the way, and earn rewards for killing the boss.

It’s free on Game Pass

At time of writing, yes, Fallout 76 is free on Game Pass. One valid subscription is all that stands between you and free passage to an irradiated dystopia. This may not last forever, though, so be quick. If you do choose to sign up, then Fallout 76’s crossplay capabilities mean you can play with friends across different formats.