Is Fallout 76 Cross-Platform? Crossplay & Progression Explained

Summary Fallout 76 lacks cross-platform play, restricting players to their chosen platform.

Players can't transfer progress between platforms, even with Xbox Game Pass.

No official news on possible future cross-platform or cross-progression in Fallout 76.

With the sudden rush of player traffic that Bethesda is experiencing in Fallout 76, both newcomers and previous players alike are looking to dive into the multiplayer experience, with many asking the question: Is Fallout 76 cross-platform? Players on console and PC are more prepared than ever to explore Appalachia together, potentially using cross-platform play. The game is currently available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Cloud Gaming and PC.

Following the vast success of the recent Amazon series, the game saw over one million players in a single day, according to the official Fallout X account. Many players also have access to Xbox Game Pass, which has contributed to 76's spot in the most popular games list for Xbox, despite the game facing a turbulent release back in 2018. It isn't far behind Fallout 4 in terms of popularity, but the community appears to favor Fallout 76 thanks to the multiplayer capabilities it has to offer.

Related Is Fallout 76 Worth Playing In 2024? Fallout 76 got a lot of flak on release, but it’s undeniably improved since then. Is it finally worth playing? Here are the arguments for and against.

Fallout 76 Does Not Support Cross-Platform Play

Fans Of The Franchise Can Only Play With Others On The Same Platform

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Cross-platform has become an increasingly demanded feature, with many titles such as Sea of Thieves and Dead by Daylight receiving post-release updates to allow players on different devices to have the same experience together. In recent years, cross-platform play has been on the rise with it being a common feature among Game Pass titles. Unfortunately, Fallout 76 does not currently support cross-play between different platforms.

Players on PC have multiple ways to play Fallout 76. It's possible to purchase the game today from the Steam and Microsoft store pages, in addition to Bethesda.net. Players who hold a valid Xbox Game Pass subscription can also experience Fallout 76 as part of their subscription. The servers are tied to the platform, rather than the client used to play the game. This means that players on PC can play together regardless of their preferred marketplace, providing PC players that don't own a Game Pass subscription with the opportunity to purchase and add 76 to their game library of choice.

Can Fallout 76 Saves Be Moved Across Platforms?

Progression Won't Carry Over In Fallout 76

While owning a Game Pass subscription means that it's possible to move from Xbox to PC, or vice versa, progression does not carry over. Bethesda support has previously stated in an article, "PC and Console versions of Fallout 76 do not share progress." If anyone is looking to switch platforms to play using Xbox Game Pass, even under the same subscription, players will have to start the game again. This was relatively common in the 2010s when Fallout 76 was released. However, it has become a selling point to ship a game with cross-progression and cross-platform functionalities.

More titles in recent years have been receiving post-release updates that enable cross-platform play and cross-progression between popular games. Destiny 2 was released in 2017 and received a major update in the second half of 2021 that enabled cross-platform. Single-player games, such as The Witcher 3 also received post-launch cross-progression updates, featuring cloud-based save file storage and enabling a player to progress on a preferred platform. These features are common in updates labeled as next-gen updates.

While it's possible that cross-platform play could exist in the future, Bethesda hasn't made an announcement concerning the future of cross-platform play in Fallout 76. No plans have also been announced to implement cross-progression. It's possible that work is being done behind the scenes to implement or announce these core features at a later date. With no announcement from the developers at the time of writing, no one can say for certain.

Source: Bethesda