Fallout 76’s Battle Royale Mode Is Being Shut Down

News on the battle royale side of Fallout 76 has been quiet for a while now with the focus put instead on Brotherhood of Steel content like the Steel Reign update. On Thursday, Bethesda finally addressed the Nuclear Winter mode again, but not in a way that players fond of the mode probably hoped for. The latest Inside the Vault detailing what’s new and what’s to come in Fallout 76 confirmed that the game’s battle royale mode was shutting down with its final moments coming to a close in September.

As players who’ve stayed active in Fallout 76 or the battle royale mode might’ve imagined already, the number of players returning to Nuclear Winter made it difficult to fill up lobbies. Bethesda said it’s noticed players prefer to explore other parts of the game like its Adventure Mode, and as such, it’s time to call it quits on Nuclear Winter.

“It has also become tougher to put full Nuclear Winter lobbies together without also making sacrifices on match wait times,” Bethesda said. “Additionally, we’ve found it challenging to provide meaningful updates for Nuclear Winter, while also developing and supporting exciting new content for Adventure Mode in recent and upcoming updates. With all of this in mind, we are currently planning to sunset Nuclear Winter Mode in an update coming this September.”

There are at least one or two things for Nuclear Winter players to look forward to, however. Players will be given Perk Coins to commemorate their Nuclear Winter progress with six Perk Coins allotted to players for every Overseer Rank they achieved up to a maximum of 600 Perk Coins. These can be used to upgrade Legendary Perks, and players will also get a special C.A.M.P. pennant for their Nuclear Winter matches.

As for the future of PvP in Fallout 76, Bethesda said the removal of Nuclear Winter won’t mark the end of explorations into this gameplay feature. More avenues for PvP are being explored with more on that to be shared later.

“We know that some of you are incredibly passionate about Nuclear Winter, and that you may find this news disappointing,” Bethesda said. “Ending support for the mode was a difficult decision, and not one that we made lightly. We’re still working to provide methods of PVP combat for those who enjoy squaring off against other former Vault Dwellers, and a little later this year, we will release details on how we plan to offer players even more ways to play Fallout 76.”

Fallout 76’s Nuclear Winter mode will come to a close in September.