Bethesda is taking Fallout 76 to the next generation – literally. After years of steady updates and a passionate player base keeping Appalachia alive, the studio has finally confirmed that native versions of Fallout 76 are officially in development for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. 
These upgraded editions are slated to launch in early 2026, promising fans a truly modern wasteland experience tailored to today’s hardware power.
The news was unveiled during the annual Fallout Day broadcast, where Bethesda dropped several long-awaited details about the future of the series. Alongside the next-gen reveal, players on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One can also look forward to new “optimizations,” suggesting smoother performance and improved stability even for last-gen consoles. While Bethesda stopped short of specifying what visual or gameplay enhancements the native builds will include, expectations are high for faster load times, enhanced graphics, and possibly full 4K support.
However, the studio didn’t just focus on future versions – it also gave fans a deeper look at the upcoming Burning Springs update, dropping on December 2, 2025. This massive expansion introduces an entirely new desert zone set in the scorched lands of Ohio. The update promises fresh enemies, including the raider-like supermutant known as the Rust King, and dangerous new desert Deathclaws that roam the arid wasteland. Players will also be able to participate in two new public events, designed to encourage larger co-op play and dynamic world encounters.
The highlight, though, is undoubtedly the bounty hunting system, starring none other than The Ghoul – portrayed once again by Walton Goggins from the hit Fallout TV series. Bethesda confirmed that Goggins returned to record brand-new voice lines for this storyline, which links the game’s lore directly to the television adaptation. This tie-in couldn’t be more perfectly timed, as Season 2 of the Fallout show is set to premiere on Prime Video in December 2025, just as the Burning Springs update drops.
In terms of lore, the crossover makes perfect sense. The Ghoul’s bounty hunting operations in Ohio appear to take place before the events of the TV series, which unfolds in the year 2296. To put it in perspective, Fallout 4 happens in 2287, New Vegas in 2281, and Fallout 76 begins way back in 2102 – just 25 years after the nuclear apocalypse known as the Great War. Fans have already learned through the first season of the show that The Ghoul has survived for more than two centuries, wandering the irradiated wastelands. Now, with Burning Springs, players will finally get to experience a piece of that missing history firsthand.
For a live-service title that began its life amid controversy, Fallout 76 has steadily evolved into one of Bethesda’s most ambitious ongoing projects. With a next-gen makeover and deeper ties to the expanding Fallout universe, 2026 could mark the game’s true second act – one that merges television storytelling and interactive worldbuilding like never before.