Fallout 76 has a clear content plan stretching from this winter into the summer of 2027, laid out by Creative Director Jon Rush and Production Director Bill LaCoste. Three major updates anchor the schedule: World Pets, Hideouts, and the Raven Rock expansion, each spaced across the season windows below.
Quick answer: World Pets launches as a free update in December 2026, Hideouts follows in spring 2027 (with a Public Test Server run in October 2026), and the Raven Rock expansion arrives in summer 2027 as the game’s 76th content update.
| Update | Window | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| World Pets | December 2026 | C.A.M.P. pets become field companions |
| Hideouts | Spring 2027 | Four-player bounty encampments |
| Raven Rock | Summer 2027 | Map expansion toward the Capital Wasteland |
World Pets release date and how companions work
The free World Pets update is set to arrive in December 2026, letting your C.A.M.P. pets venture across Appalachia alongside you. You can bring along owned dogs, cats, Radhogs, and Deathclaws from previous seasons or the Atomic Shop, and all players will get a German Shepherd at launch.
You select and swap companions from a new PETS section in the Pip-Boy, placed beneath the STAT menu. The existing Pet Command Wheel is being reorganized so that commands and emotes are separated, with the command set covering Stay, Follow, Attack, and Defend.
Progression is tied to a species rather than an individual animal, so experience is not lost when you switch pets. Leveling unlocks rewards, perks, and stat boosts, and each species carries its own passive benefit.
| Pet | Passive benefit | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Dogs | Find Stimpaks and extra Legendary items | Bounty Hunts |
| Cats | Find Improved Baits and Fish Bits | Fishing |
| Radhogs | Scavenge Toxic Goo and High-Radiation Fluids | Nuke Zones |
| Deathclaws | Uncover Black Titanium and extra Legendary items | Infestations |
Pets cannot permanently die. When defeated they enter a downed state and need a Stimpak to recover, and other players can revive them too. They share the same health pool regardless of species, scaling with your level, and they are immune to radiation and disease. They never attack other players and cannot be harmed by them.
Deathclaws are set to receive extra skins and earnable armor sets in later updates, though pet armor is purely cosmetic. Real power comes from the leveling system, not gear.
Pets are not allowed in Raids or Shelters.
Skyline Valley bounty hunting and visual overhaul
The bounty-hunting feature that debuted in Burning Springs will also reach Skyline Valley with World Pets. Marshall Canton, a Robobrain who has adopted the role of an Old West lawman, oversees the area’s contracts and rewards.
Skyline Valley itself is being reworked with improved forests, cliffs, terrain, and weather effects. These smaller bounties and contracts also lay the groundwork for the tougher Hideouts coming in spring.
Hideouts and the Drifter (Spring 2027)
Across Burning Springs and Skyline Valley, Hideouts add repeatable battles in newly available interior spaces. Groups of up to four can go in, clear out the gang inside, and defeat its boss. These encounters fill the space between the early endgame and full raids, offering equipment to get teams ready for Appalachia’s most difficult challenges.
A Hideout Lead is required for entry. Find one while exploring the map, finishing Public Events or Head Hunts, and through other activities. At a tinker’s workbench, fuse Leads to make a tougher run. Each playthrough features a different layout, with hazards spanning the level, timed trials, and mutations capable of boosting gang leaders. Enemies may include Mothman Cultists, hostile robots, and other familiar factions.
The top Marked difficulty rewards the best loot and guarantees the arrival of The Drifter, a ruthless rival bounty hunter described as a raid-level encounter that can appear at any Hideout. Using a Marked Hideout Lead summons him deliberately, and players who defeat him earn particularly valuable rewards. The update is scheduled for spring 2027, but it reaches the Public Test Server in October 2026.
Raven Rock expansion (Summer 2027)
As the biggest of the three updates, Raven Rock will be Fallout 76’s 76th content update when it launches in summer 2027. The map reaches southeast beyond the Appalachian Mountains toward the Capital Wasteland, offering players an initial glimpse of the area later seen in Fallout 3. Its largely open-world terrain is divided into open zones that connect without loading screens.
Chronologically, this is a far earlier version of that world. The story takes place close to two centuries before Fallout 3, only about 27 years after the bombs fell, so the landscape is scarred by black snow, ash, and scabbed cliffs. At its center is the Enclave, with a Cold War heating up between two derelict Enclave operators.
Raven Rock’s story is set roughly two centuries before Fallout 3, not long after the bombs fell. Players will see the Capital Wasteland as it was during that period.
Downtown D.C. is described as too dangerous to enter at this point in the timeline, but you will be able to get close and see familiar Fallout 3 locations. New mechanics specific to the region are planned to emphasize its toxicity and danger, though details have not been shared.
Other Fallout 76 updates planned for 2027
Beyond the three headline releases, several existing systems are getting attention through 2027.
- Infestations rebalancing and new objectives
- Seasonal events
- Rendering and visual improvements
- Weather updates
- New player experience changes
- Fishing enhancements, including new seasonal fish
Appalachia’s waters will keep adding seasonal fish, and a rare glittering gold Axolotl is set to appear across different regions each month. World Pets also reaches Fallout Shelter later this year with a new Deathclaw companion. Together, the slate signals that Bethesda intends to keep Fallout 76 as a long-term pillar of the series.
