Bethesda is '100 percent committed' to Fallout 76 mod support

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Todd Howard said that it's going to happen, but not until sometime after launch.

One of the big questions about Fallout 76 is whether or not it will support mods. Previous Fallout games have enjoyed extensive mod support, but as an online game with an inextricable multiplayer focus, the Fallout 76 situation wasn't so clear. Speaking with Geoff Keighley today, however, Todd Howard assured fans that Bethesda is completely committed to making it happen. 

"We love mods, and so we are 100 percent committed to doing that in 76 as well," Howard said. "We will not be able to do that at launch though. Our goal for launch—this is really new for us—is have a well-running, robust service, and then some period later, we're currently still designing what that service looks like, you'll be able to have your own private world and be able to mod it and do all of that.

"With our games, that's where the long-term life of them really is. That is trickier when you get into an online world, but we're definitely committed to that. It just won't be at launch." 

Mod support is unquestionably vital to any Fallout game at this point—Fallout 4 is coming up on its fourth anniversary and we're still talking about its mods—and so it's not at all surprising that Bethesda would want to make it happen in Fallout 76, even given the challenges of doing so in an online environment. Perhaps it will work something like the recently-announced Vermintide 2 mod support, with unlimited access to mods in that "private world," and select, non-game-breaking mods approved for official use. 

Fallout 76 is scheduled for release is set for release on November 14. Catch up with everything we know about it right here. 

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.