The intrusive DRM requirement has been removed from Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition on PC. Seven years after it was discontinued.
Yes, that’s right, seven years after Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition was discontinued, the DRM has finally been removed. Better late than never, I suppose.
Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition was released for Games for Windows Live in 2009 and was one of Microsoft’s early attempts at combing the Xbox and PC ecosystems. In order to play this version of Fallout 3, you would need a Microsoft account to access it. This requirement was implemented to prevent piracy and the game from being sold to third parties. It would also give you access to Xbox achievements and messaging.
However, people buy new PCs, lose accounts and create new accounts. So having a game with strict implementations caused all sorts of problems. In some cases, gamers were not able to access the game they had bought. The issues with Fallout 3’s DRM only worsened when Microsoft discontinued support for Games for Windows Live in early 2014.

Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition was later accessible on Steam. Unfortunately, some of the DRM issues were still present. At least until now. Thankfully, as shared in a Reddit post, due to a recent Steam patch, all traces of Games for Windows Live was removed. Meaning, that gamers could freely access the game that they bought over 10 years ago. Rejoice!
No more DRM!
Following the recent patch for Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, if you were experiencing problems with DRM on Steam, Bethesda recommends reinstalling the game. Hopefully, then you should be free of any previous restrictions.

That being said, in order to play Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition on PC, you must also make sure that you have a compatible Windows Operating System. As mentioned by TheGamer, if you’re running Windows 7 through Windows 11, it is recommended that you run a game in compatibility mode as an administrator.
At the very least, operating compatibility issues aside, at least the DRM is one less thing to worry about. Have you been playing Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition since DRM was removed? Let us know across our social media channels.
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Featured Image Credit: Bethesda