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If you’re like us, then you’ve been rushing to sign up for that Fallout 76 Beta (and yes it looks amazing.) Well, keep trying. At times, the site Bethesda.net isn’t always reachable thanks to so many people trying to sign up for the beta all at once. But a new tweet and online article by Bethesda indicate that you can also sign for the beta by pre-ordering the game. Just go to Amazon here to pre-order Fallout 76 and get access to the beta.  The news has been confirmed by an official article released on Bethesda’s website. Read on for more details about what’s going on and why pre-ordering is your best option for getting access to the beta. (Note: We now know for certain that ordering through Amazon’s site, either the regular version or the special edition, will get you a chance at beta access.)

Many people have been just receiving a blank white screen when they try to visit the Bethesda Net site that was mentioned during the E3 conference.

Well, Bethesda did warn us that the beta was designed to help iron out bugs.

Fallout 76 BETA ANNOUCED! Help them iron out their notorious bugs lol. pic.twitter.com/ac9Q4XPq03

— Joe Vargas (@AngryJoeShow) June 11, 2018

https://twitter.com/Applesaucebeast/status/1006009289880866816

https://twitter.com/CondorIron1/status/1006009141666746373

I'm not going to bed until I get to sign up for a chance at #Fallout76 beta. Also, I work at 7am.

— MissBizz (@MissBizzPlays) June 11, 2018

https://twitter.com/RiehnBean/status/1006009786771656713

If you got a white or blank screen on Bethesda’s site, never fear. I actually left my page alone for a while and it eventually loaded. So in my case, the page was just really slow to load. (Make sure you have cookies enabled.) Other people refreshed the page until it came up. At one point I also tried choosing to change my password for my account, and the request timed out, so the website is definitely overloaded. (And yes, according to the source code, the correct site is https://bethesda.net/ NOT www.bethesda.net.) In fact, the home page itself didn’t even provide an easily viewable way to get the beta. It took some digging on my part to figure out how the whole thing worked.

Meanwhile, I saw this mysterious tweet that reads “pre-order for BETA access” and soon I realized that this was how you could get the beta.

Pre-ordering definitely wasn’t mentioned during the E3 conference as a way to access the beta, but now we know that this is the way to get beta access. Just go to Amazon here to pre-order Fallout 76. That site won’t be down. And it looks like this might be the easiest and least expensive way to get the beta access, according to Bethesda’s official Twitter:

We want YOU to be involved in our Break-it Early Test Application for #Fallout76. #BE3 pic.twitter.com/ZEh5Tafp2t

— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) June 11, 2018

The other means, such as going to Bethesda Net, don’t seem to be working consistently. Bethesda’s tweet was our best clue until Bethesda later released an official story about the game here. The end of the article reads: “Be one of the first to emerge! Pre-order and get access to the Fallout 76 B.E.T.A.” Since Bethesda’s site isn’t working consistently, just go to Amazon here to pre-order Fallout 76. If you decide later that you’d rather order through Bethesda, you can always cancel the preorder on Amazon later. (But I’d suggest not, since the beta is likely being rewarded on a first-come first-served basis.)

I must emphasize that we although we didn’t earlier know if ordering through Amazon would get beta access opportunities, now we know that it will. Amazon has added a note on all its Fallout 76 order pages noting that you can get beta access by pre-ordering.

Some people have tweeted that you need to order the special edition of Fallout 76 to get access to the beta, but this does not appear to be the case. Bethesda’s website certainly doesn’t indicate this. Here’s a screenshot from the relevant part of their website about the B.E.T.A. (Break-It Early Test Application). However, if you’d like to order the Power Armor Edition, you’ll have to do that on Bethesda’s site.

By the way, check out how the problems with the site spiked right after the conference. (Photo courtesy of DownDetector.com):

You can also visit Bethesda’s website status page for updates. After the conference, it showed that they were experiencing a partial outage:

⚠ We're currently investigating issues with BethesdaNet. Thank you for your patience. StatusPage: https://t.co/caEfnzzFE3

— Bethesda Support (@BethesdaSupport) June 11, 2018

Remember: just go to Amazon here to pre-order Fallout 76 and have a chance at beta access, or pre-order the special edition on Bethesda’s site or on Amazon. According to Bethesda’s website, you can sign up for beta access by pre-ordering the game. And according to Amazon, ordering through their site is one way to get a chance at that beta access. I’d imagine it’s not guaranteed, but likely on a first-come, first-served basis. However, I’m waiting for confirmation from Bethesda on that to know for sure.

Stephanie

Stephanie Dwilson started Post Apocalyptic Media with her husband Derek. She's a licensed attorney and has a master's in science and technology journalism. You can reach her at [email protected].

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