All of Bethesda’s previous Fallout games have been available to buy on Steam, but that looks like it’s changing for the upcoming Fallout 76's PC version, at least when it comes to the game’s beta and launch.
After folks started noticing some odd signs related to Fallout 76's marketing—like the game’s purchase page having a generic “PC Game” logo instead of the traditional Steam badge—PC Gamer contacted the company, who replied:
The PC version of Fallout 76, for both the B.E.T.A. and the launch, will be available only via Bethesda.net, not on Steam.
There’s wiggle room there, in that the game might come to Steam later on, but still. For at least the initial beta and release period (the beta kicks off in October), there’ll be one more launcher you’ll need to keep track of.