While the overall positive reception of the Fallout show has naturally led to an increase in the popularity of the Fallout franchise games, Fallout 76 has been steadily growing in recent years even before the Fallout show’s debut. By now, Fallout 76 is roughly midway through the five-year plan for ongoing development announced by Bethesda in 2022, so on top of all of the latest updates to the game, there’s still plenty more content coming in the next couple of years, at the very least.

The new Season 17 and Skyline Valley map expansion are now available in Fallout 76, with another recently announced update set to come in 2025, which will give players the option to play as a ghoul. This has been a highly requested feature among fans of the Fallout franchise for a long time, especially now after the performance of the beloved Ghoul character, played by Walton Goggins in the Fallout show, so this upcoming feature will be a game-changer for the franchise in many ways.

Fallout 76 Revealed a New Ghoul Playable Character Coming in 2025

Shortly after its debut, Bethesda shared character sheets for the Fallout show’s main characters for fans to roleplay these characters in the Fallout franchise games. Naturally, the chaotic gunslinger among these three characters, Cooper Howard a.k.a. the Ghoul, quickly became an appealing inspiration for builds in Fallout 76. However, there’s only so far players can go to roleplay as these characters in Fallout 76, at least for the time being.

Just recently, Fallout 76 made a surprise appearance with a reveal trailer at the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase. In the trailer, alongside celebrating a peak player milestone and the launch of the Skyline Valley map expansion, Fallout 76 also teased a new feature coming sometime in 2025, which will be the option to play as a ghoul.

Fallout 76’s New Ghoul Playable Character Will Be a Game-Changer

Fans can already look the part by wearing in-game outfits inspired by the Fallout show’s main characters, although the upcoming option to finally play as a ghoul in Fallout 76 will take the immersion to a whole new level. While this upcoming feature is still a ways away, an exclusive interview between Bethesda and PCGamesN has provided some examples of what fans can expect from this feature ahead of its release.

One of the ways that this new feature will provide a more immersive experience is by introducing unique NPC interactions for players who transform their Fallout 76 vault dweller into a ghoul. This probably doesn’t mean that players can expect to find comradery among feral ghouls out in the wasteland, but some of the local factions will surely react to the player differently than they would react to ‘smooth skin’ vault dwellers.

Beyond the subtle immersion of new NPC interactions, there are also said to be new perks and abilities exclusive to players who transform into a ghoul, providing a unique playstyle. Considering that ghouls are essentially immune to radiation, this will prevent players from running meta Bloodied builds in Fallout 76. However, this immunity and the ability to harness special buffs from radiation will likely fill in for some of the tradeoffs of becoming a ghoul, potentially making it a worthwhile alternative to Fallout 76’s current meta.

Naturally, with Fallout 76 allowing players to transform into a ghoul, this could potentially pave the way for other playable characters besides the typical Vault Dweller, if not in Fallout 76, then in future Fallout games. While there are ultimately several other factions in the Fallout universe beyond Vault Dwellers that would arguably be a good fit for a playable character, the ability to transform into a ghoul in Fallout 76 will still be a game-changer in many ways nonetheless.