Fallout 76, Bethesda's online multiplayer evolution of Fallout 4, is expanding its beta. The limited Fallout 76 beta up to this point has been exclusive to pre-orderers on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, but today that changed, with Bethesda opening up the beta to friends of current beta participants. Each current Fallout 76 beta player should have received three friend codes to share as they please, enabling them to create their own crew of Vault 76  refugees to explore the world together.

For those looking to take advantage of the new friend codes, it's simple as can be. Head over to Bethesda.net and log-in, then click your account name in the upper right corner and go to "Transaction History." If you've successfully registered your beta code prior to today, then alongside your own beta registration will be three new beta friend codes for the same platform. Just click "Details" next to the friend code of choice, copy the code provided, and send it to your friend.

After receiving their code, players can redeem is either through Bethesda.net or the Bethesda launcher for PC, the Microsoft Store on Xbox, or the PlayStation Store for PS4. Make sure you're redeeming the code on the correct platform, as the codes are platform-exclusive and will be locked to the platform of the original beta participant. After redeeming a code, it's just a matter of downloading Fallout 76 (around 45gb on console and 50gb on PC).

fallout 76 transaction history beta

Fallout 76's beta is unique in that it's available only intermittently, for a period of hours every few days. This weekend is a rare occasion, with the beta opening on both Saturday and Sunday across all platforms - perhaps the last time the beta will open before launch. It's a great opportunity to try the game out, so long as everyone has a friend with some handy friend codes available.

Here's the current Fallout 76 beta schedule, so everyone can plan their weekend accordingly:

  • November 3: 2:00 pm PT - 6:00 pm PT
  • November 4: 11:00 am PST - 6:00 pm PST

Take note that Daylight Savings Time occurs Sunday morning, adjusting clocks back an hour across the majority of the United States.

The beta grants access to the full Fallout 76 game for players to explore. This isn't just a demo or a limited slice of the game, so any impressions from the beta will effectively be impressions of the full game. More than that, all progress from the Fallout 76 beta is meant to be carried over into the full launch of Fallout 76, which counts for those invited via friend code, too.

Fallout 76 releases on November 14 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.