Gab Hernandez 
Fallout 76 has reached record highs in player counts and total downloads following the release of the Fallout TV series.
The Fallout show proves a rising tide lifts all boats. The series boasted critical and commercial acclaim and held the number-one spot on Amazon Prime for nearly a week. The success motivated Amazon Prime to announce a second season for the Fallout TV series.
The show’s success has led to the Fallout franchise receiving an unprecedented surge of new players across all games. Fallout 4 currently sits in the top 10 most-played games on Steam, averaging around 100,000 players daily. The popular mod hosting site Nexus Mods experienced intense traffic over the weekend, and Nexus Mods specifically cited the Fallout TV series as the cause. Perhaps most surprising for Fallout fans was the unexpected revival of a once-reviled multiplayer title.
Fallout 76 reaches peak of over 72,000 concurrent players on Steam
Fallout 76 reached a concurrent peak of over 72,000 players on Steam following the new show’s debut, and also reached a million downloads in a single day. Bethesda’s first attempt at a multiplayer Fallout experience didn’t exactly go as planned at launch. The live-service title quickly drew criticism for its aggressive micro-transactions, myriad technical issues, and relatively lifeless world.
Bethesda also banned several players who used mods to exploit the game. Such exploits included item duplication, accessing developer-only rooms, and stealing items from other players’ inventories. The studio eventually patched out many of these issues over time, creating a better product after it was already live much like what CD Projekt Red did with Cyberpunk 2077.
Given the number of new players, some fans may wonder if Fallout 76 is worth jumping into.
Is Fallout 76 worth playing in 2024?
In 2024, Fallout 76 has improved significantly since its 2018 launch. Fortunately for new players, Fallout 76 has become much more stable and accessible. The technical issues that plagued the game’s launch no longer exist. The high player counts and a “Mostly Positive” reception on Steam reflect these improvements.
Ultimately, Fallout 76 is fundamentally the same game it was in 2018, minus most of its launch issues. Those who didn’t like Fallout 76 due to its quest design and general similarity to Fallout 4 may not find much to enjoy in the game in 2024. But there’s no better time to jump into Fallout 76 for new players, especially those who want a post-apocalyptic multiplayer experience.
