'Fallout Shelter' release date news: Game launches on PC this week

Fallout ShelterBethesda Softworks

"Fallout Shelter," which launched last year amidst the hype for "Fallout 4" when Bethesda Softworks announced the latter during E3 2015, became one of the most popular mobile games of the past year. Bethesda Softworks has since announced via Twitter that the game is now launching on the PC within this week.

As stated by a report from Gamespot, it is undetermined if the official launch is on Wednesday, July 13 or this Thursday, July 14, given that the announcement only stated the game will be released in five days from the date of posting. It is undetermined if these five days include the day the announcement was made.

It is undetermined if the PC version will be a paid game that already has a lot of bonus content and in-game purchases given for free or if it will be free to download and utilize the same microtransaction system that the mobile version uses. It is also possible that a hybrid version of this payment scheme may be introduced.

The report also states that the announcement of the PC version coincides with the upcoming release of update 1.6 for the mobile version. This new update with introduce a refined combat system, the ability to send out dwellers for quests, new enemies, new characters that can be added to the vault and new locations. 

"Fallout Shelter" is set in the same post-apocalyptic setting of the main games but plays a lot more like "This War Mine" or "XCOM" in the sense that it focuses on base building and managing resources, residents of a single bunker and more. 

A report from EuroGamer states that the game's popularity on mobile devices is a sure guarantee that the PC version is going to enjoy the same level of popularity and success. However, this will still depend on what kind of payment scheme the game as microtransactions in a paid game are not always welcome.