Public Test Server

The Public Test Server (PTS) is a feature in Fallout 76 that allows selected users to test upcoming content for the game. It was first introduced for the Wastelanders update as a Private Test Server, though subsequent updates have been fully public.

The Public Test Server is exclusive to PC players, who are encouraged to report issues encountered during testing so that they may be patched before the content's official release.

Version history
The most recent Public Test Server launched on May 11, 2022, to test features of the Expeditions: The Pitt update.

Canonicity
Because content from the PTS is subject to change, articles concerning PTS content that has not yet been added to the official game should be tagged as upcoming. Once the content is officially released, the tag can be removed.

Although the Public Test Server can be freely datamined and reported on, any content from a Private Test Server that involves the signing of an non-disclosure agreement (NDA) should not be added to the wiki for legal reasons. If content from a Private Test Server remains unchanged when it is officially added to the game, then there is no issue, though any changes made during the course of the Private Test Server should not be recorded, as it falls under NDA.

Behind the scenes
Jeff Gardiner and Mark Tucker referred to the Public Test Server as the "turning point" for Fallout 76, as it allowed developers to track player performance, crashes, and other issues that could not be as easily diagnosed without the use of larger player populations, acting in ways that the Quality Assurance testers could not find, ultimately allowing the team to address and fix critical bugs that would have not been found without it.