Fallout 76 Hands-On: 8 Reasons You Should Be Worried

8. Frame-Rate Is Noticeably Bad

Bethesda have been quick to stress that the build given to press isn't representative of what we'll be playing at launch, but this begs the question in regards to frame rates at such a late stage: Why is the game STILL juddering along at a snail's pace?

Rumours abound that because Bethesda are STILL using the Creation Engine (their custom-built tech first used in Skyrim seven years ago), it's taken years to get anything off the ground whatsoever. This contrasts Elder Scrolls Online, which being developed by ZeniMax Online, launched in HeroEngine, before upending everything post-launch to ensure gameplay was as smooth as possible.

Naturally that didn't stay the case as any MMO is susceptible to connection problems, but across all the recent hands-on clips, Fallout 76 appears to drop into single digit frame rates at times, especially when other players posse up or the action kicks off.

So close to launch, it's a markedly bad look.