Fallout 76 Nuclear Winter: How to Get Launch Codes, Nuclear Briefcases & Launch Nukes

Nuclear Winter is Fallout 76‘s upcoming Battle Royale mode, slated to officially launch sometime this Summer. For now, players can hop in and check out the last-team standing action until June 17. If you’re trying to figure out how you can launch nukes and decimate any players that happen to be in the blast radius, you’re in the right place. Here’s what you need to know.

Getting Launch Codes

If you want to drop a nuke on the map in Fallout 76 Nuclear Winter, you’re going to have to first get your hands on some launch codes. Specifically, you’ll need four, and from our experience playing, these can be obtained in the various different chests scattered across the map, as well as dropped on AI enemies such as ghouls.

Of course, you can also nab them off the bodies of eliminated players by heading over to where their corpse was and looting through the duffel bag that drops in their place. Use the d-pad to scroll through it and nab any launch codes you can find, as well as anything else that takes your fancy.

The number of launch codes you have is indicated by the little cylinders with a nuclear sign on them just to the right of your compass at the bottom of the screen. You can check that in the screenshot above.

How to Get a Nuclear Briefcase in Fallout 76 Nuclear Winter

Once you’ve got yourself launch codes, you’ll then need a nuclear briefcase in order to actually use them and drop a nuke. These are a little trickier to find, but the principle here remains the same. Go about the map scavenging the various crates around the map and the corpses of both AI and human-controlled enemies. With a bit of look, you’ll stumble upon one.

From our experience playing the battle royale mode so far in Fallout 76, these do seem to be a little scarcer to find than the launch codes, so just keep your eyes peeled and search everything that can possibly contain items.

Launching Nukes in Fallout 76 Battle Royale

Once you’ve got all four launch codes and a nuclear briefcase, you’re all ready to get droppin’ that nuke. To do so, you’ll want to use your Nuclear Briefcase. Select this through your Favorites Wheel by pressing up on the d-pad, or just select it within your Pip-Boy’s menu if that’s easier.

You’ll then be shown Nuclear Winter’s map. Simply use the left analog stick or your mouse to move your cursor and select where you want it to drop. Press X on PS4, A on Xbox One, or left click and you’ll then be shown the blast radius. Confirm that’s where you want the nuke to drop, and wait for the countdown to finish.

That’s all you need to know on how to get launch codes and a nuclear briefcase in Fallout 76 Nuclear Winter so that you can launch nukes. For more tips, tricks, and guides on this new battle royale mode, be sure to search for Twinfinite.

We’ve also got a handy guide on how to play this battle royale mode, if you’re struggling to figure out how to access it, and an extensive Fallout 76 wiki for all your Adventure Mode needs.