‘Fallout 76’ Beta Start Time Announced

Fallout 76’s beta is now available to pre-load on the Xbox One with Bethesda also confirming the exact times that the beta will take place.

Tweeting from the official Fallout account on Friday, Bethesda alerted players that they could now download the beta ahead of its start date to be prepared for the public’s first hands-on look at the game. Within that same tweet, the start times for the beta were also shared with the beta going live on October 23rd from 7-11 p.m. ET.

October 23rd has been the known start date of the beta for a while now with the beta FAQ linked above sharing that information and more, but this is the first news of a specific start time that’s been shared so far. It’s a small window of time compared to other games’ beta tests, but another important part of the tweet is that this test on Tuesday is just the “first session.” The FAQ also says that the beta just begins on October 23rd, so more testing sessions will be available to players as the week goes on.

While the times might be favorable for many players in the United States who will have time to get home from work and play for four hours, others weren’t too pleased with the beta’s duration. Players pointed out that if you’re in the United Kingdom, the beta will start at midnight and run until 4 a.m., a frustrating timeframe for anyone with a traditional work schedule, especially during a weekday. Bethesda’s Pete Hines responded to the comments to say that there will be more favorable times for those in a time zone that this beta duration wouldn’t work for.

The beta’s start date mentioned in Fallout’s tweet above only applies to the Xbox One though with other platforms having to wait a bit longer to see the world of Fallout 76 firsthand. With the beta being exclusive to the Xbox One for a week, it’ll come to the PlayStation 4 and PC platforms on October 30th, but only for those who have already pre-ordered the game from certain retailers.

Fallout 76’s beta starts on October 23rd at 7 p.m. ET, and you can have all your other questions about the test answered via Bethesda‘s FAQ.