Fallout 76 on Xbox One requires a hefty update for physical copies

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The disc for Fallout 76 is utterly useless and Bethesda could have just shipped a code in the box.

Happy Reclamation Day! Or it is for most since buyers of physical copies of Fallout 76 have a less happy surprise in store for them when they start to install Bethesda's latest.

Day one patches are commonplace (sadly) but this one is pretty massive.

As I found out when installing my own copy picked up from a local games retailer, there's a 50.76GB patch to download before you can play. When you look at the breakdown of the install below, it's basically installing the whole game through the download, and only a measly 247MB from the disc.

There is, of course, more data than that on the disc. If you install Fallout 76 while your console is offline you'll get a 43.47GB install from it and you'll be forgiven for thinking all is well and you'll have less to download.

Wrong.

Even doing this you still have to download the full 50.76GB patch. So, unfortunately, we all have to suck it up and get on with it straight away. It does make the disc kind of useless, though. Bethesda could have shipped a code in a box, like PUBG, if this was going to be the thing.

Anyway, end of rant, see you in West Virginia. Just be prepared to wait a while to play if you're on a slower internet connection.

Fallout 76 is available now for Xbox, PC, and PS4 from $60 and requires an Xbox Live Gold (opens in new tab) subscription to play.

See at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Richard Devine
Richard Devine

Richard Devine is an Editor at Windows Central. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently you'll find him covering all manner of PC hardware and gaming, and you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
12 Comments
  • This is why I just buy things digitally. Physical media just takes up space, wastes plastic, requires you to manually change disks, and the whole thing can still be invalidated by a patch.
  • I'm still preferential to buying physical. Not because I want to "own" it, though I do like having a collection of stuff, but more because I can always save money. Saving money to me is more important, but this kind of thing is ridiculous.
  • Thats weird I find digital copies significantly cheaper than physical copies on average. I'm on PC though so its rare to see physical copies of games regardless lol
  • Where do you shop? Maybe during store sales digitalis are cheaper. Ebay prices are awesome on discs.
  • I'd rather pay $60 for a new game than $100.
  • A code is single use though. At least by having the disc present you can sell or trade it later.
  • Exactly. A code is very different from a disc license-wise.
  • Came here to post this. Granted, I'm generally not a fan of discs myself because I don't really care about reselling, its definitely a big selling point for other people. Plus, there's more pressure to put sales on physical goods after awhile to clear inventory, something digital doesn't have to concern it with. So physical discs tend to come down in price a lot faster than digital codes.
  • Gee, if only the original plan for the Xbox One had not been sabotaged, we would have had the ability to trade in digital games, too.
  • @noirsoft
    Wait, was there a plan that allowed the ability to trade digital games? I'm not sure that was ever part of the plan. Or are you talking of family sharing?
  • That's assuming that the disk doesn't require a code to activate it like Destiny and others have done
  • Wow this is bad. And this just makes me not want to buy these type of games day 1.