Fallout 76 has reached 25 million players, according to Bethesda’s announcement on 23 October. The milestone arrives as the studio prepares World Pets, an update scheduled for 1 December that will let players take their animal companions beyond the boundaries of their C.A.M.P.

Bethesda’s figure describes the number of players who have ventured into Appalachia. It is not a count of people currently playing simultaneously.

Your companions are heading into the wasteland

The World Pets preview features dogs, cats, radhogs and domesticated Deathclaws. Players will be able to name their companion, customise its appearance, issue commands and develop its abilities as they adventure together.

Bethesda’s September roadmap had already outlined the broader idea: existing C.A.M.P. pets become travelling companions, with progression and additional orders allowing them to follow, protect or fight alongside their owner. The new overview supplies the specific December release date.

The publisher’s Fallout Day roundup, published on 23 October, also confirms that a refreshed Skyline Valley is part of the update.

Another reason to revisit Skyline Valley

Earlier public-test-server notes show what Bethesda has been working on for the region. The changes include revised terrain, additional vegetation and adjustments to lighting and weather.

The test build also expands bounty hunting into Skyline Valley. Its Trading Post becomes a hub for assignments from Marshal Canton, a reprogrammed Robobrain tracking dangerous visitors. A separate collectible quest involves mysterious containers that appear to hold living brains.

Those details remain preview material rather than final launch patch notes. Bethesda explicitly warns that content tested on the PTS is not guaranteed to ship with the update.

For South African players, the date to keep in mind is 1 December. Bethesda’s references to a “winter” release follow the Northern Hemisphere calendar; the checked announcements do not specify a South African launch time.

Featured image: official World Pets overview artwork. Images: Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks, via the publisher’s official Steam announcements.