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It looks like Fallout 76 is available for pre-order in the Microsoft Store

Fallout 76 may not, in fact, be exclusive to Bethesda's client, though there's still no sign of it on Steam

Fallout 76 beta

Bethesda raised eyebrows recently when the company announced Fallout 76’s PC release would not be available on Steam. Instead, the next Fallout will be sold through Bethesda’s own digital storefront, Bethesda.net. But that’s not the only place you’ll be able to get Fallout 76 – the game is now available for pre-order through the Microsoft Store.

The PC edition of Fallout 76 on the Microsoft Store offers both the standard edition for $59.99 USD and the ‘Tricentennial Edition’ for $79.99. The listing is bare-bones compared to the Xbox One edition’s, which includes background art, screenshots and an official trailer (here’s the story via SegmentNext).

The listing is cause for some confusion, as Bethesda told PC Gamer earlier this month that Fallout 76 would only be available through Bethesda.net. This could mean that Microsoft is simply selling Fallout 76 codes that will activate and run in Bethesda’s launcher on PC. But it is nonetheless surprising to find the game in the Microsoft Store after Bethesda’s apparent move to control digital distribution itself.

Bethesda’s vice president of global marketing Pete Hines said at Quakecon last week that the company wants to make sure PC players are all using Bethesda’s in-house infrastructure for Fallout 76, to avoid having to deal with third parties (such as Valve) when it comes to addressing network or other issues that will likely emerge when the game is released into the wild.

It’s not clear whether pre-ordering Fallout 76 through the Microsoft Store will grant access to the pre-order ‘B.E.T.A’ that will run prior to launch.

Fallout 76’s release date is set for November 14, however you wind up getting your hands on a copy.