Fallout 76 is free to play this week

It feels weird to write something like, 'Celebrate the Fallout bombs dropping this week!' Because it's a bit dark and gloomy, and 'celebrate' certainly feels like the wrong word. But hey, that's exactly what Bethesda are doing.

October 23rd is the day in Fallout lore where the world went bang and those lucky (or unlucky) enough to have a place in a vault disappeared underground. To commemorate the special day, you can play Fallout 76 for free between now and October 26th, and take part in some in-game events, too.

The Free Play Week has already started, and you can play through Steam or the Bethesda launcher. Then, starting tomorrow and also ending on the 26th, the game is holding a double S.C.O.R.E. and double XP event, as well as having a sale on Legendary weapons and armour

If you fancy a taste of the Fallout 76 high life, you can also get a free preview of the Fallout 1st program. When you log in, you can 'buy' the free item from the Atomic Shop, and it'll give you membership until the Free Play Week ends. Being a member gives you things like unlimited storage for you C.A.M.P., and a cool tent you can put anywhere to use as a fast travel point. Good to know that these useful bonuses are usually locked behind a paywall. How kind of Bethesda to offer it for free for, uh, six days.

Truthfully, I think Fallout 76 is a bit rubbish. I had a go of it because it's on Game Pass and it left a lot to be desired. Nate had similar thoughts in his Fallout 76 review when it launched in 2018, though he found more to enjoy when he returned this year after the the Wastelanders update.

There is some fun to be made for yourself in Fallout 76 if you know where to look. Take the cannibal community, for example. When I spoke to them I had slight concerns that their cannibalism extended further than Fallout, but they were a nice bunch who were very welcoming to newcomers.

If you're thinking of travelling on your lonesome (you know, rather than with a pack of cannibals), Sin reckons Fallout 76 is at its best when you play it slowly.

"Maybe I’ll have a cool little shootout in a factory. Maybe I’ll start delivering rum to other players and see what happens," she wrote. "There’s no rush. The levels will come when they come."

So, if you have been wondering about Fallout 76, now is probably a good time to give it a try. It's free to play between now and October 26th, and you can find out more details on Bethesda's blog post.

If you fancy spending money on it after this freebie, the game is available on Steam, the Windows Store and Xbox Game Pass for PC.