Apart from the usual updates, it’s been a while since Fallout 76 got its last big expansion, meaning it was finally time for Bethesda to treat its fans nicely for once. Bearing that in mind, comes the announcement of the game’s next big DLC, Burning Springs, which is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious expansions Fallout 76 has seen so far.
With fresh challenges and a bounty-hunting system comes a crossover with the Fallout TV show through the character, The Ghoul. The DLC will be out before the end of this year, and it will contain the most organically woven integration of Walton Goggins into the game.
When is Fallout 76: Burning Springs DLC Officially Coming Out?
Bethesda, in their official Dev Chat update video, released on their official YouTube channel, has confirmed that Fallout 76: Burning Springs DLC is slated for release in early December 2025 as a free major update for all platforms.
Additionally, the public test servers for the DLC have already gone live on October 2, 2025, allowing players to preview Ohio in an all-new look from a Fallout lens, along with an insight into the bounty hunting mechanics and Walton Goggin’s role in the expansion.
While Bethesda has yet to announce a specific release in December, the timing conveniently aligns with the premiere of the Fallout TV series Season 2. Because the update is free, there is no separate DLC purchase, and hence, once live, it will be accessible to all Fallout 76 players across all platforms.
How to Play the Upcoming Fallout 76: Burning Springs DLC
Using the Public Test Servers (PTS)
If you want a head start on the upcoming Fallout 76 expansion, you can look forward to joining the PTS. Since October 2, 2025, Bethesda has enabled the Burning Springs update for enrolled players, letting them explore the new map and familiarize themselves with the new systems.
It is important to note that features on PTS can change, and they might differ slightly from the final December release.
Accessing Burning Springs in the Main Game
In case you are waiting for the final release, or are not enrolled in the Public Test Servers, you will have to wait till December before the Burning Springs DLC is finally released to the public. Once the update goes live, the first and foremost step should be to ensure that Fallout 76 is updated and fully patched on your platform.
To officially start with the expansion, the player will need to trigger the new Ohio Distress Signal quest. Also note that this quest will only be made available once for players who are level 30 or more.
How Is Walton Goggins Connected to the Upcoming Fallout 76 DLC?
In the upcoming Fallout 76 DLC, Walton Goggins is reprising his role as Cooper Howard, AKA The Ghoul, from the Fallout TV show. However, this time, he gets integrated into Burning Springs as an in-game NPC quest giver.
In the aforementioned Dev Chat, Bethesda explained that Goggins was already a fan of the franchise, and bringing The Ghoul into the game was a natural fit for the planned bounty system design.
It was also cleared that The Ghoul has survived through centuries via radiation mutation, a concept that has been coined as Ghoulification, and was done to ensure the earlier timeline of Fallout 76 sits perfectly with the timeline of the TV Show.
Within the game, The Ghoul acts as a bounty master, and the players interact with him at Highway Town’s Last Resort, where he issues Grunt Hunts and Head Hunts, which refer to low-stakes and high-stakes bounties, respectively. The rewards for these bounties include his signature weapon and gear tailored for ghoul characters.
In case you are not level 30 yet, it’s about time that you start preparing for the upcoming Fallout 76: Burning Springs DLC. Will you be playing the new expansion on Day 1? Make sure to let us know about it in the comments below!
