Bethesda Game Studios’ Fallout 76 is still going strong, and the announcement of pets has been long-awaited. Starting in December 2026, Fallout 76: World Pets isn’t just giving you a companion; it’s also changing up the game.
Fallout 76: World Pets update expands the adventure that players know and love by introducing the new C.A.M.P. Pet system that has been teased since the start of the year. On top of that, Boutnies are also expanding, and Skyline Valley is even getting a revamp.
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During an early digital preview of the upcoming roadmap and updates, we got a chance to see what the future of Fallout 76 holds, something that the community has been uncertain about given Xbox and Microsoft’s layoffs that have impacted the studio.
As the Winter update, Fallout 76: World Pets is looking to transform every player’s journey into an adventure they share with a loyal companion by their side. One of the reasons that Fallout 4 stands out for players was the addition of gaming’s very best girl, Dogmeat. Touching on that, this free update brings customizable pets to Appalachia.
Fallout 76: World Pets is expanding the pet system in the game, for the better.
The new pet system isn’t just about being able to bring a pet with you as a cosmetic item. Instead, with the C.A.M.P Pet system, players’ new companions are fully integrated into the world of Fallout 76. With the World Pets update, your pets can fight, level up, and grow with you as you traverse the wasteland.
In true Fallout fashion, players can travel Appalachia with their adorable Dog or Cat, but they can also build up to Deathclaws and Radhogs to become their new companions (which make up the four archetypes). In total, Bethesda Game Studios shared that players will have 33 pet groups to choose from (counting each of the four types and their skins and variants), with new skins and variants available.
Picking your pet’s species does matter, though. Each of the four species archetypes has its own buffs. Dogs find Stimpaks and extra Legendaries on Bounty Hunts; Cats find Improved Baits and extra Fish Bits; Radhogs find Toxic-Goo and High-Radiation Fluids; and Deathclaws find Black Titanium and extra Legendaries in an Infestation.
All of the pets offer reasons to choose them as you explore or do combat, and if anything, they help incentivize players to do more in the wasteland. That said, pets cannot join Raids or enter Shelters, offering just a bit of balance to this new addition to the game.
With full progression, pets in Fallout 76: World Pets is adding depth to companionship in Appalachia.
Pets can now aid you in combat and exploration, as the developers teased during our interview with them at Summer Game Fest. But while you’ll be able to outfit the pets with armor, it will just be cosmetic. With a full progression system, the PETS section of your Pip-Boy will allow you to select, swap, heal, and upgrade your pets all the way up to Level 200, which is the cap for pets.
The progression of your pets’ perks is also not based on combat, but is passive instead, meaning that players will be able to upgrade their pets through general gameplay, fishing, and bounties. However, pets aren’t leveled up individually. Instead, pets’ progressive XP is tied to species rather than the individual pet, giving players more freedom of choice.
Players will use the existing C.A.M.P. Pet Command Wheel to command their pets. To meet the new needs, the developers have modified the wheel, splitting it into these Commands: Stay, Follow, Attack, and Defend. Emotes are also still included on the wheel.
While commanding your pet with the wheel, they will fight alongside players with a melee attack themed around their species archetype, but the damage is identical across species, allowing players to pick the pet that works for them, not based on stats. But the most important piece of the new Fallout 76: World Pets update is that pets never die.
The World Pets update is looking to build more interest in exploration, as bounties expand to Skyline Valley.
Fallout 76: World Pets is also offering two other changes to the game with its free update. The first expands the Bounty Hunting feature introduced in Burning Springs. Bounty Hunting is now being added to Skyline Valley with new contracts, new rewards, and a new host. To unlock it, players will meet Marshall Canton, a Robobrain who has adopted the persona of a notorious Old West lawman and takes on all-new bounties throughout the region.
This also coincides with Skyline Valley’s major visual refresh coming in the World Pets update. This refresh will bring players upgraded forests, terrain, and weather effects. The update aims to enhance exploration and deepen immersion, giving players new reasons to head back to the region.
All in all, Fallout 76: World Pets is shaping up to be a game-changing update, and it’s all thanks to finally answering the community’s call for pets in the wasteland. With Raven Rock already on the horizon, bringing players familiar locations from Fallout 3, the wasteland is set to just keep getting better.
