Play Fallout 76 for free this weekend

(Image credit: Bethesda)

There have been a lot of big changes to Fallout 76 lately, from the major expansion of Wastelanders to its arrival on Steam. And Bethesda is encouraging you to check out all of what's new for free this weekend.

From Thursday, May 14 (starting at 12 pm EDT) to Monday, May 18 (ending at 12 pm EDT), you can download and play Fallout 76 without spending a penny. Meet the new human NPC factions, build yourself a nice base (or a crappy one), and maybe scarf down a few dozen pepperoni rolls while you're at it.

There's even some good news for people who already own Fallout 76, as the free weekend will also provide double XP for the duration. If you were planning a grind session for the near future, it'll only take you half as long this weekend.

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.