Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 366 sampled Steam reviews (239 positive / 127 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing10% mention it
- Bugs & crashes9% mention it
- Grind & repetition7% mention it
- Multiplayer & servers6% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Bugs & crashes29% mention it
- Story & writing14% mention it
- Monetization14% mention it
- Multiplayer & servers12% mention it
- Performance11% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
45%
42 reviews
5-15h
44%
59 reviews
15-40h
83%
63 reviews
40-100h
71%
63 reviews
100h+
70%
139 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 54 | 58 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 25 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 72% | 68 | 1147 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 34 | 216 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 68% | 66 | 1072 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jul 21, 2026) · 300 reviews sampled · 1072 total reviews in window · weighted 167.5 up / 59.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (165)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 50
“Fallout 76 requires serious rework. Strange decisions of game designers make it difficult to comfortably explore an interesting world of the game. Interaction with other players is minimal and absolutely unjustified for an online project. Sometimes it feels that there is no online at all. New mechanics do not look as impressive as we were promised during the early presentations, and the lack of optimization, ton of bugs and a terrible economy spoil the experience. Bethesda needs to rethink its production process, do serious work on all the errors, add normal PvP and full-fledged quests with NPCs.”
read full review ↗ - 30
“Although we were waiting half of the year after its release. All in all, a lot of bugs and lags, an empty sad and ugly-drawn world that likes to crash every moment, nothing new has been added besides the possibility of pulling its camp on its back. These are the main reasons why the new Fallout 76 will only take such a low score by us. It is also warning to everyone who would still consider buying it - don't do it.”
read full review ↗ - 20
“Probably the most pointless videogame of this generation. Not a survival sim, not a role-playing game, not a Fallout game. Just a steaming pile of ideas that doesn't even work properly. Maybe it will be reworked later like No Man's Sky, but since it's already heavily discounted everywhere, it doesn't seem like Bethesda cares about it that much.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“I didn’t play the original version that came out years ago. That might have actually saved my experience with Fallout 76. It’s not a game that will blow you away. It’s a slightly above-average time-killer that’s entertaining, doesn’t bore you, and, most importantly, works as it should. You can breeze through the main story pretty quickly; the side quests, though repetitive, let you kill a ton of time; exploring the entire map also takes a while; and the survival aspect is fully realized here. I’m satisfied, but I know that aside from the initial purchase price, I wouldn’t spend a single extra crown on this game, and I recommend the same to all of you.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Hidden beneath the bugs and the controversy lies a game with great potential. As it stands, Fallout 76 is an okay multiplayer survival game that needs some serious work.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Hopefully, Bethesda reboots Fallout 76 like it did with The Elder Scrolls Online. Right now though, the game is hard to recommend to anyone but the most faithful of Fallout fans.”
read full review ↗ - 35
“Fallout 76 represents a big disappointment and the lowest point of the series so far. Riddled with bugs, repetitive and dull gameplay, nonexistent story and outdated graphics, it fails as a both multiplayer and singleplayer experience for fans and newcomers alike.”
read full review ↗ - 55
“Fallout 76 is a broken, unfinished and "un-SPECIAL" game that consists of many cut-down elements. Despite that, it can be enjoyable for players who love to explore the post-apocalyptic world and invent their own, private role-playing story. F76 looks so constrained that it should have been released as a paid DLC to Fallout 4. Shame.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“While Fallout 76 has had a bit of a rough launch and certainly has some glaring issues, I have enjoyed my time with the game. There is the framework here for something really solid. Many of the game’s issues can be addressed and patched, with Bethesda already starting to do so. The core game underneath here is really fun so hopefully Bethesda keep working on it and continue to evolve what Fallout 76 is so that it can eventually become the online Fallout experience everyone wanted.”
read full review ↗ - 30
- 40
“Fallout 76 is one of the most lifeless games the company has ever produced.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“So utterly disappointing and flawed in every possible way… The first few hours, most of it can be ignored, and occasionally the flaws can be forgotten, but only briefly before they come storming back to the forefront. An awful, boring, empty, pointless experience. There is, however, a glimmer of hope. It's worth mentioning that there has already been a Bethesda title that was equally as unimpressive: The Elder Scrolls Online - but looking at it now, it has transformed into one of the best MMOs out there. There's always the hope the Fallout 76 develops the same way and becomes something special, but for now, that seems impossible. It's a world away from that.”
read full review ↗
GameMAG
INDIANTVCZ
3DNews
Gaming Professors
Jump Dash Roll
Gadgets 360
PLAY Zine
GRYOnline.pl
ani-game.com
The Angry Joe Show
VGChartz
Cubed3…and 153 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Fallout 76 Update Notes - July 21, 2026Jul 21, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Maintenance Announcement - July 21, 2026Jul 20, 2026
- Upcoming Update AnnouncementJun 4, 2026
- Fallout 76: Infestations Release NotesJun 2, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Fallout 76 Update Notes – April 21, 2026Apr 21, 2026
- Fallout 76 Update Notes – March 17, 2026Mar 17, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Fallout 76: The Backwoods Release NotesMar 3, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Fallout 76 Delves into The Backwoods for its Next Free Update on March 3Feb 23, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Fallout 76 Update Notes – February 9, 2026Feb 9, 2026
- Upcoming Update AnnouncementJan 23, 2026
- Fallout 76 Update Notes – January 20, 2026Jan 20, 2026
- Burning Springs Update - December 11, 2025Dec 11, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Fallout 76: Burning Springs Release NotesDec 2, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Fallout 76 Update Notes – October 21, 2025Oct 22, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Preview the Next Major Update to Fallout 76Oct 2, 2025
- Patch Notes - September 23, 2025Sep 23, 2025
- Fallout 76: C.A.M.P Revamp Release NotesSep 2, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Atomic Shop Monthly Update: July 2025Jul 23, 2025
- Fallout 76 Update Notes – July 22, 2025Jul 22, 2025
- Fallout 76: Gone Fission Release NotesJun 3, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Fallout 76 Update Notes – April 22, 2024Apr 22, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Fallout 76 Hotfix Notes - April 7, 2025Apr 7, 2025
- Fallout 76: Ghoul Within Release NotesMar 18, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Fallout 76 Update Notes – January 21, 2025Jan 21, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- An Update on the Holiday Scorched EventDec 18, 2024
- Fallout 76 Update Notes – October 22, 2024Oct 22, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Milepost Zero Hotfix – September, 17 2024Sep 17, 2024
- Fallout 76: Milepost Zero Release NotesSep 3, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Inside the Vault – Update on Legendary CoresAug 20, 2024
- Fallout 76 Update Notes – July 23, 2024Jul 23, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Inside the Vault - Milepost Zero Public Test Server - Updated 7/26Jul 5, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Fallout 76: Skyline Valley Release NotesJun 12, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- FALLOUT 76 HOTFIX NOTES – MAY 9, 2024May 9, 2024
- FALLOUT 76 UPDATE NOTES – APRIL 30, 2024Apr 30, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Atlantic City: America’s Playground Release NotesMar 26, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- FALLOUT 76 UPDATE NOTES – JANUARY 30, 2024Jan 30, 2024