Hideouts is entering testing on the Fallout 76 PTS, with a rule that matters immediately for groups: only the team leader’s mission can be joined by teammates. Bethesda announced the Steam test in its October 15, 2026 post, alongside changes to World Pets.
Owners of Fallout 76 on Steam can participate by installing “Fallout 76 Public Test Server” from their library. Hideouts is currently planned for spring 2027, while World Pets and Return to Skyline Valley are expected in winter 2026. Bethesda wants to bring Hideouts and World Pets to the console PTS as soon as possible, following review and approval of the updates by Xbox and PlayStation. A simultaneous launch with the PC test has not been announced.
Your Lead determines the difficulty
Hideouts has four difficulty tiers: Basic, Challenging, Lethal and Marked. The type of Lead you use determines which tier you attempt. Basic targets level 20 teams, Challenging targets teams between levels 75 and 100, and Lethal targets teams of level 175 or higher. Marked is designed for endgame players with strong builds and good coordination. These are design targets, rather than mandatory entry requirements.
Leads can also be crafted into higher tiers. Three Basic Leads and some Caps make a Challenging Lead; three Challenging Leads and some Caps make a Lethal Lead. This first testing phase focuses on Lead acquisition and mission difficulty, with Leads due to be added to the PTS Locker during the second week.
The missions take place at The Forever Farm in Burning Springs and Vault 63’s Immortality Sector in Skyline Valley. Both locations can also be explored outside a Hideout mission, so players can visit them without starting the activity.
Choose the team leader’s mission before entering
For a group attempt, the team leader needs to launch the mission everyone will join. Another member can activate their own Hideout, but can only complete that mission solo. Teams therefore need to agree on the leader and the Lead they will use before starting together.
Consuming a new Hideout Lead abandons the active mission. It replaces the attempt rather than changing its difficulty in progress. A new mission also cannot be launched from inside a Hideout location, so players must leave before starting another.
Leaving carries a separate risk during this test. Bethesda lists two known issues: a disconnection prevents players from continuing their Hideout, and leaving during the quest prevents them from rejoining it. An exit mid-mission can therefore end an attempt without a way to resume.
The Drifter does not appear in Hideouts during this test, and rewards are provisional. The unique rewards planned for the activity are not included. Players can assess how missions are accessed and how the difficulty tiers work, but this phase cannot yet show whether the final loot makes those challenges worthwhile.
World Pets lets players separate species from buffs
The same PTS update makes unlocked World Pets passive buffs usable with any companion species. That gives players more freedom to choose their animal without giving up an effect they have already earned from another species.
To choose those effects, open the Pets page in the Pip-Boy and select Pet Buffs. Players can equip two unlocked buffs and change them at any time. The change broadens how earned buffs can be used; they still need to be unlocked first.
Bethesda also says companions no longer trigger traps in this PTS update. These changes concern the test environment and should not be treated as already available on public servers.
For teams trying Hideouts, the practical starting point is to agree on whose mission to join and which difficulty to attempt. The test offers an early look at that group challenge, while its provisional rewards leave the final incentive for repeat runs unresolved.
See also our Fallout 76 game page.
