Fallout Fans Furious With Official New Bethesda Game Release

3 weeks ago 23

Fallout Padre Mateo screenshot of ghoul in cowboy hat

Published Apr 29, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT

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It's tough to say when the next Fallout game will arrive. The TV show is already cooking up season 3, and we haven't had a new mainline game since Fallout 4. Even if you count Fallout 76, it's still been eight years since we've seen a major Fallout release, even. Time moves slowly for huge developers, especially if you're keen on making lots of open-world RPGs.

That includes a brand-new Fallout release that just came out, coming out of nowhere and surprising everyone, but not in a good way. Over on X, fans are furious.

Vault Boy and the Dragonborn in front of Fallout 3 and Skyrim landscapes.

As revealed by Bethesda, Anniversary Editions are coming to Switch 2 for Fallout 4 and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Both of these could be considered "Game of the Year" editions of sorts, offering up all the DLC released for the game, and "150 pieces of curated Creation Club Content," which have been baked into the game, because the Creations menu doesn't exist on Switch 2.

But that last bit isn't why people are so mad. These editions are "physical code-in-box" releases, meaning they are not actually on the game cart. Given how many "game key cards" fans have had to deal with during the Switch 2 generation, it's especially painful to see this happening.

As one fan writes: "It’s not even a game key card. C'mon Bethesda. Seriously? It seems like it's time for the people responsible for publishing to retire. It’s so out of touch." Another chimes in: "Do publishers really not understand why people ask for a physical release? We are not in the business of cleaning dust off of clutter on our shelves. We want the product properly preserved on a card or disc without being at your mercy of maintaining servers."

Others aren't impressed in general, even going beyond the digital concession: "This is kind of neat for the sake of portability, but I don't think I want to play games like this on a Switch, even if it is a 2. I'm just going to end up hooking it up to my television anyway. It's only a slight step above what I've already got."

Fallout 3 cover art showing a set of Power Armor in a green monochrome tint.

While physical editions of games that don't actually have a physical copy have been happening for ages (including Bethesda, which has released special editions before with just a game code, a box, and goodies), it stings in 2026. This is especially true for Switch 2, with the aforementioned game key cards taking up shelf space at stores as fans clamor for proper physical releases.

For now, fans will have to decide if they're getting Fallout 4 yet again on Switch 2. Based on the reaction, it doesn't seem super popular.