Bethesda Announces Temporary Fallout 76 Server Shutdown for Critical Maintenance

Bethesda has revealed that Fallout 76 will undergo a temporary server shutdown in the coming days to address critical performance issues. This decision comes after widespread player complaints about severe bugs and crashes, with many calling the game "unplayable."

The problems intensified following the game's 21st major update on December 3, 2024, which introduced the Gleaming Depths season. However, some of these issues date back to the Skyline Valley update in June 2024, leaving players frustrated by persistent game-breaking glitches for over 200 days. Thankfully, a fix now seems imminent.

Bethesda Support announced on Twitter that Fallout 76 will go offline for maintenance on Tuesday, January 21, at 10 AM ET (9 AM CT). Although the exact duration wasn’t specified, all platforms—PC and consoles—will be affected. Based on previous maintenance, the downtime could last between three and six hours, but this hasn’t been officially confirmed. While Bethesda hasn’t detailed which issues will be resolved, many believe the update will address raid-related crashes that have caused players to lose rewards.

Maintenance Only—No New Seasonal Content

Bethesda’s announcement led to some confusion among fans, with some assuming this downtime was connected to Fallout 76’s upcoming 2025 expansion, Glow of the Ghoul. However, the January 21 shutdown is solely for maintenance and not related to any new seasonal content.

Players can monitor server status through the following channels:

• Visiting the official Fallout 76 Status Portal.
• Following the Bethesda Support Twitter account for live updates.
• Joining Fallout 76 Discord servers for real-time news.

Fallout 76 experienced a surge in player numbers following Amazon Prime’s live-action Fallout series. Some fans speculate that this unexpected growth pressured Bethesda to release content more rapidly, leaving less time for proper testing. Others argue that, after seven years since its 2018 launch, the game should no longer suffer from such persistent technical issues. Despite these challenges, Bethesda’s continued commitment to updates and patches—like the January 21 maintenance—suggests a promising future for Fallout 76.