The sad reality that we Fallout fans are facing right now is that the next game in the series is more than likely five or more years away from seeing the light of day. Bethesda’s current focus on The Elder Scrolls VI (which may still be a long way off) has put Fallout 5 on the back burner, but that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate on what it will be like when it does arrive.

The Prime Video adaptation of the franchise has certainly breathed new life into the IP and brought a ton of additional fans into the community, all of whom have their own ideas about what they want to see in the sequel.

Interestingly, one topic of conversation on communities like Reddit that keeps recurring is the idea of multiplayer, and if Bethesda did decide to do it, the series would likely never be the same again.

Will Fallout 5 Have Multiplayer?

The idea of multiplayer being included in Fallout 5 in some form feels like a weird one from the outset, particularly given how much Bethesda has put into Fallout 76 over the last few years, in terms of both resources and time.

Co-op is potentially a more likely avenue (and modders have made that a reality with other Bethesda games in the past), but my instinct here is to say that any kind of multiplayer in Fallout 5 is highly unlikely.

Fallout Fans Aren’t Convinced It’d Be The Best Move

Another reason Bethesda might be reticent to include multiplayer in Fallout 5 is the other areas of the game where they may have to make allowances. At the same time, it doesn’t seem super popular with existing fans as a concept, and it’s likely not worth taking the risk.

Several posts on Reddit have asked the community for their thoughts, and more often than not, there are far bigger priorities for the community as a whole.

“No… Bethesda would never hear the end of it if they pulled that crap lol. While 76 might have a solid player base today, probably 80% or more of Fallout fans couldn’t care less about that game and would riot if they made Fallout 5 multiplayer,” one comment read.

“God no. Don’t [mess up] FO5 with multiplayer. This would mean so much of the modern FO gets watered down or cut to make way for it to be co-op,” another added. Another chimed in with a positive spin: “If it worked similarly to Dying Light’s co-op, I think it’d be a lot of fun. however i think doing quests and such just works better in a single player experience”

Whatever does happen with Fallout 5, it’s difficult to see why they would take such a big risk in adding co-op when the appetite clearly isn’t there for the game’s existing community.