October 23, 2077, in the lore of "Fallout," was the day China launched a nuclear attack against the United States, ending a decade-long Sino-American war. Of course, as a result, the U.S. launched a retaliatory strike against China, and within hours the world was turned into a fried onion. To commemorate this important day, Bethesda is offering the multiplayer post-nuclear playground Fallout 76 for free until October 26.

This free-to-play period includes full access to the base game, as well as updates to Westlanders and Nuclear Winter. Bethesda will also be running three in-game events from October 22-26: double S.C.O.R.E., double XP, and 25% off Legendary weapons and armor from the "rusty pick" Purveyor Murmrgh.

A limited preview of Fallout 1st, a subscription-based premium membership launching in 2019, will also be offered during the free period. To check this out, go to the in-game store and grab a free Fallout 1st Limited Preview item. This item grants access to the Scrap Box (which must be claimed separately from the Fallout 1st section of the Atomic Shop) and the Survival Tent, as well as several other in-game freebies normally offered to subscribers. Both will be available until the end of the free week on October 26. After the free week ends, the items in the scrap box will remain in place, but no other items can be added.

As always, progress earned during the free week and purchases made in the game's Atomic Shop will carry over to the full game, which is available on Steam for $16/£14/€16. Atom, Fallout 76's premium currency, is also on sale for the first time with a 20-35 percent discount off the base price. More details can be found on bethesda.net.