Public Test Server

The Public Test Server (PTS) is a feature in Fallout 76 that allows users to test upcoming content for the game. It was first introduced for the Wastelanders update as a Private Test Server, though subsequent updates have been fully public.
The Public Test Server is exclusive to PC players, who are encouraged to report issues encountered during testing so that they may be patched before the content's official release.
==History==
===Version history===
PTS version	Tested update 	Release date 	Ref.
v0.2.405.6 	The Legendary Run 	May 31, 2020 	
v0.2.413.6 	The Legendary Run 	June 9, 2020 	
v0.2.418.5 	The Legendary Run 	June 13, 2020 	
v1.3.2.5 	The Legendary Run 	June 18, 2020 	
v0.2.440.2 	One Wasteland For All 	July 13, 2020 	
v1.3.3.2 	One Wasteland For All 	July 19, 2020 	
v0.2.476.2 	One Wasteland For All 	August 17, 2020 	
v1.4.0.9 	One Wasteland For All 	August 27, 2020 	
v1.4.0.12 	One Wasteland For All 	August 28, 2020 	
v0.2.517.6 	Steel Dawn 	October 5, 2020 	
v0.2.526.6 	Steel Dawn 	October 19, 2020 	
v0.2.530.11	Steel Dawn 	October 20, 2020 	
v1.5.0.7 	Steel Dawn 	October 30, 2020 	
v1.5.0.11 	Steel Dawn 	November 4, 2020 	
v1.5.0.15 	Steel Dawn 	November 13, 2020 	
v1.5.1.16 	Inventory Update 	January 10, 2021 	
v1.5.1.20 	Inventory Update 	January 13, 2021 	
v0.2.626.7 	Locked & Loaded 	March 12, 2021 	New Features in the PTS (March 12, 2021)
v0.2.632.2 	Locked & Loaded 	March 17, 2021 	PTS Maintenance & Patch Notes (March 17, 2021)
v1.5.2.7 	Locked & Loaded 	March 24, 2021 	PTS Maintenance & Patch Notes (March 24, 2021)
v1.5.2.14 	Locked & Loaded 	March 31, 2021 	PTS Maintenance and Patch Notes March 31, 2021
v1.5.2.20 	Locked & Loaded 	April 7, 2021 	
v1.5.2.29 	Locked & Loaded 	April 14, 2021 	
v0.2.675.0 	Steel Reign 	May 14, 2021 	New Features in the PTS (May 14, 2021)
v0.2.681.0 	Steel Reign 	May 21, 2021 	
v0.2.686.0 	Steel Reign 	May 28, 2021 	
v0.2.693.0 	Steel Reign 	June 4, 2021 	
v1.5.4.5 	Steel Reign 	June 11, 2021 	
v0.2.730.0 	Fallout Worlds 	July 21, 2021 	
v0.2.740.0 	Fallout Worlds 	August 1, 2021 	
v0.2.746.0 	Fallout Worlds 	August 7, 2021 	
v1.6.0.12 	Fallout Worlds 	August 23, 2021 	
v0.2.782.0 	Night of the Moth 	October 2, 2021 	
v0.2.788.0 	Night of the Moth 	October 9, 2021 	
v0.2.793.0 	Night of the Moth 	October 16, 2021 	
v0.2.800.0 	Night of the Moth 	October 23, 2021 	
v0.2.804.0 	Night of the Moth 	October 30, 2021 	
v1.6.2.5 	Night of the Moth 	November 6, 2021 	
v0.2.838.0 	Invaders from Beyond 	January 15, 2022 	
v0.2.846.0 	Invaders from Beyond 	January 22, 2022 	
v0.2.851.0 	Invaders from Beyond 	February 2, 2022 	
v1.6.4.5 	Invaders from Beyond 	February 12, 2022 	
v0.2.892.0 	Test Your Metal 	March 18, 2022 	
v0.2.898.0 	Test Your Metal 	March 25, 2022 	
v0.2.904.0 	Test Your Metal 	April 1, 2022 	
v0.2.910.0 	Test Your Metal 	April 8, 2022 	
v0.2.916.0 	Test Your Metal 	April 15, 2022 	
v0.1.1070.0	Expeditions: The Pitt 	May 11, 2022 	
v0.1.1085.0	Expeditions: The Pitt 	June 2, 2022 	
v0.1.1105.0	Expeditions: The Pitt 	June 25, 2022 	
v0.1.1108.0	Expeditions: The Pitt 	July 2, 2022 	
v0.2.981.0 	Expeditions: The Pitt 	July 22, 2022 	
v1.7.0.10 	Expeditions: The Pitt 	August 23, 2022 	
v0.2.1043.0	Nuka-World on Tour 	October 13, 2022 	Fallout 76: Inside the Vault - Nuka-World is Coming to the PTS
v0.2.1054.0	Nuka-World on Tour 	October 27, 2022 	
v1.7.2.2 	Nuka-World on Tour 	November 10, 2022 	
v1.7.2.6 	Nuka-World on Tour 	November 17, 2022 	
v1.7.2.8 	Nuka-World on Tour 	November 18, 2022 	
v0.1.1271.0	Mutation Invasion 	December 21, 2022 	Fallout 76: Mutation Invasion PTS Highlights and Update Log
v0.2.1125.0	Mutation Invasion 	January 25, 2023 	
v1.7.3.9 	Mutation Invasion 	February 9, 2023 	N/A
v1.7.3.12 	Mutation Invasion 	February 14, 2023 	N/A
v0.2.1169.0	Mutation Invasion 	March 23, 2023 	N/A
v0.2.1189.0	Once in a Blue Moon 	April 21, 2023 	Fallout 76: Inside the Vault - Experience Once in a Blue Moon Early and Celebrate The Mothman Equinox! (April Version)
v0.2.1192.0	Once in a Blue Moon 	April 26, 2023 	
v0.2.1195.0	Once in a Blue Moon 	May 1, 2023 	Fallout 76: Inside the Vault - Experience Once in a Blue Moon Early and Celebrate The Mothman Equinox! (May Version)
v0.2.1203.0	Once in a Blue Moon 	May 8, 2023 	N/A
v1.7.4.15 	Once in a Blue Moon 	May 26, 2023 	N/A
v0.2.1247.0	Once in a Blue Moon 	June 30, 2023 	Fallout 76: Inside the Vault - Upcoming PTS and Invaders from Beyond Returns!Fallout 76: July 2023 PTS Update and Highlights Notes
v0.2.1260.0	Once in a Blue Moon 	July 14, 2023 	Fallout 76: July 2023 PTS Update and Highlights Notes
v0.2.1264.0	Once in a Blue Moon 	July 20, 2023 	
v0.2.1312.0	Expeditions: Atlantic CityBoardwalk Paradise 	September 28, 2023	Fallout 76 Inside the Vault - Playtest Atlantic City Early!
v0.2.1314.0	Expeditions: Atlantic CityBoardwalk Paradise 	October 2, 2023 	
v0.2.1315.0	Expeditions: Atlantic CityBoardwalk Paradise 	October 3, 2023 	Fallout 76: Atlantic City PTS Update and Highlights Notes (October 2023, archived)
v0.2.1319.0	Expeditions: Atlantic CityBoardwalk Paradise 	October 5, 2023 	N/A
v0.2.1325.0	Expeditions: Atlantic CityBoardwalk Paradise 	October 12, 2023 	N/A
v0.2.1326.0	Expeditions: Atlantic CityBoardwalk Paradise 	October 13, 2023 	N/A
v0.2.1343.0	Expeditions: Atlantic CityBoardwalk Paradise 	November 3, 2023 	Fallout 76: Atlantic City PTS Update and Highlights Notes (November 2023, archived)
v1.7.8.7 	Expeditions: Atlantic CityBoardwalk Paradise 	November 29, 2023 	N/A
v0.2.1403.1	Expeditions: Atlantic CityAmerica's Playground	January 26, 2024 	Fallout 76: Inside the Vault - Upcoming Maintenace, Atlantic City PTS and Burning Love!
v0.2.1413.0	Expeditions: Atlantic CityAmerica's Playground	February 9, 2024 	Fallout 76: PTS Update Notes - February 9, 2024
v0.2.1421.0	Expeditions: Atlantic CityAmerica's Playground	February 16, 2024 	Update - February 16, 2024
v0.2.1427.0	Expeditions: Atlantic CityAmerica's Playground	February 23, 2024 	Update - February 23, 2024
v0.2.1465.0	Skyline Valley 	April 18, 2024 	Fallout 76: Inside the Vault - Skyline Valley PTS Part 1
v0.2.1472.0	Skyline Valley 	April 26, 2024 	Fallout 76: PTS Update Notes - April 26, 2024
v0.2.1478.0	Skyline Valley 	May 2, 2024 	N/A
v0.2.1479.0	Skyline Valley 	May 3, 2024 	N/A
v0.2.1484.0	Skyline Valley 	May 9, 2024 	Fallout 76: PTS Update Notes - May 9, 2024
v0.2.1485.0	Skyline Valley 	May 10, 2024 	N/A
v0.2.1490.0	Skyline Valley 	May 16, 2024 	Fallout 76: Skyline Valley PTS Update Notes - May 16, 2024
v1.7.12.13 	Skyline Valley 	May 24, 2024 	N/A
==Canonicity==
Because content from the PTS is subject to change, articles concerning PTS content that has not yet been added to the official game should be tagged as upcoming. Once the content is officially released, the tag can be removed.
Although the Public Test Server can be freely datamined and reported on, any content from a Private Test Server that involves the signing of an non-disclosure agreement (NDA) should not be added to the wiki for legal reasons. If content from a Private Test Server remains unchanged when it is officially added to the game, then there is no issue, though any changes made during the Private Test Server's run should not be recorded, as it falls under NDA.
==Notes==
* Bethesda has internally discussed bringing the PTS to consoles, though the difficulty of maintaining several PTS builds of the game for consoles, on top of the official version of the game, has made it unviable.
* In an attempt to encourage participation in playtesting, Bethesda offers an incentive in the way of a PTS pennant reward that one can display at their C.A.M.P. in the live game. The user must fulfill a certain number of activities to receive the reward, such as participating for a certain number of days, completing multiplayer Daily Ops sessions, or filling a certain percentage of their shelter budget.Inside the Vault August 2020 Framed and unframed versions of a PTS pennant for both Vault Boy and Vault Girl are offered for completing the requirements. The Vault Boy pennant was offered during the testing of One Wasteland For All, while Vault Girl was offered during testing of Steel Dawn. A pennant of Grahm was offered during the testing of Locked & Loaded.
==Behind the scenes==
Jeff Gardiner and Mark Tucker referred to the Public Test Server as the "turning point" for Fallout 76, as it allowed developers to track player performance, crashes, and other issues that could not be as easily diagnosed without the use of larger player populations, acting in ways that the Quality Assurance testers could not find, ultimately allowing the team to address and fix critical bugs that would have not been found without it.'Fallout 76: Steel Reign'—Bethesda Says Please Give Game a Chance After Hard Lessons: "On a related note, Gardiner points to the introduction of a Public Test Server (PTS) as the real turning point for Fallout 76. For context, this is essentially an environment that allows gamers to preview updates and new content prior to it being added to the game's live server. It is a bit like early access, in the sense that it allows the development team to collate feedback and tweak updates before they are rolled out to the general public.Speaking about the impact of the PTS, Gardiner said: "If I had to point to a single thing that was a sea change for us, outside of the Wastelanders expansion, it was actually the PTS server. We [used it] to track performance, crashes and other issues that are easier for us to find if we are stress testing with larger populations [doing] things that our own QA testers can't do in 8-hour sessions."Tucker agreed with this point, adding: "Once you have more people playing the game, you're going to see more things cropping up. And that has enabled us to address some pretty critical bugs that we may not have caught [otherwise].""
===Quotes===
==Gallery==
FO76 PTS Steam icon.png|Steam icon
FO76 PTS Pennant 01.png|Vault Boy PTS pennant
FO76 PTS Pennant 02.png|Framed Vault Boy PTS pennant
==References==
Category:Fallout 76 gameplay
ru:Fallout 76 Public Test Server