Late last year, Fallout steward Bethesda announced that a next-gen update was coming to its 2018 MMO-lite multiplayer title Fallout 76, promising players on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 systems an elevated version of the game with better visual fidelity.
We haven't heard anything about this update for a while, but in the patch notes for the new Infestations update and the launch of Season 25, we finally got some news about the upcoming patch. Not only have we learned that the next-gen update is coming out this summer and will have public testing in June, but we've also gotten full details about the improvements it's making.
On Xbox Series X|S and PS5 consoles, Bethesda is improving draw distances and shadow quality, with support for 4K resolution on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 Pro and 1440p on PS5. On top of that, all Xbox Series X|S and PS5 versions will also support variable refresh rate (VRR) with compatible displays to prevent screen tearing. The studio is targeting 60 FPS performance for all next-gen (current gen, really) systems.
Certain last-gen consoles will benefit slightly from the update, too. Specifically, Xbox One X will get support for 4K — something that even the PS5 doesn't have — with PS4 Pro getting a bump up to 1440p from 1080p. Notably, Bethesda also left out mention of the Xbox Series S here beyond stating that its targeting 60 FPS performance on the system, which likely means that it's remaining at 1080p.
While PS5 still enjoys a higher framerate — 60 FPS instead of 30 — it is interesting that 2017's Xbox One X is getting support for 4K and Sony's baseline next-gen console isn't, and it shows just how frontloaded the former system's specs are with GPU power. Also, the lack of 1440p support for Xbox Series S is a bit disappointing; evidently Bethesda has chosen to prioritize framerate over fidelity for the more affordable console.
It's unclear when exactly the next-gen update is releasing this summer, or when public testing for it will begin this month. Bethesda says it will announce details as they come on its social channels, though, so keep an eye on those. Note that when they do come, the testing versions of next-gen Fallout 76 will be freely available to all owners of the game on the Xbox and PlayStation marketplaces.
As for the Infestations and Season 25 (dubbed "Appalachia Under Siege") update itself, the patch is live now across Xbox, PC, and PlayStation, and adds combat-focused Infestations activities where you have to "clear out Infestations of challenging enemies for 4-Star Rewards." These rewards include powerful gear, with Season 25's reward path also giving you various outfits, C.A.M.P. items, and other goodies (see those above).
All in all, Infestations and Season 25 seems like a pretty solid update for Fallout 76, though choosing to focus on marketing all the new C.A.M.P. decorations more than its actual gameplay content was certainly a choice. Regardless, it's always nice to see that Bethesda's experimental multiplayer Fallout title is still going strong. You can check out its full patch notes here.
What's your opinion of Fallout 76? Do you plan on checking out the Infestations update? Let me know below.
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