Amazon is offering subscribers a free Fallout game via Prime Gaming to celebrate the launch of the new "Fallout" show on Prime Video. This game-centric service is one of the most overlooked Amazon Prime membership perks, taking turns offering a spectacular free selection.

Right now, Amazon Prime members can claim a free copy of Fallout 76 on PC or Xbox (playable on Xbox One or Xbox Series X). This can't-miss offer runs through May 15, and to claim the free game, simply head to the Prime Gaming hub, select the "Games" tab, select Fallout 76, and follow the on-screen instructions to redeem your copy on your platform of choice.

If one free Fallout game isn't enough, how about two: you can also get "Fallout Tactics" for free: "Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel," the medieval multiplayer game "Chivalry 2 and "Black Desert", and "Bus Simulator 21: Next Stop" are also available for free.

Amazon Prime members have immediate access to Prime Gaming as part of their existing subscription. And this latest freebie is especially noteworthy in that it includes console gamers. [Even if you don't have time to play Fallout 76 (or any other free game) right now, it's still worth claiming. Because once you claim it, these games are yours. Get them now and play them anytime later.

Released in November 2018, Fallout 76 is an online version of the action RPG series that lets you explore a vast post-apocalyptic world with friends. Set in the ruins of West Virginia, Fallout 76 lets you create your own character, choose your starting abilities, and explore a nuclear-ravaged world in search of quests, loot, and mutated creatures to fight.

You know that "Fallout 76" had a very infamous launch. Controversial from day one as an online-focused adaptation of the historic single-player RPG franchise, it was even more heavily criticized upon release for numerous technical problems, an unsatisfactory progression system, and a weak main story that was little more than a boring fetch quest delivered via voice log. The game was criticized.

More than five years later, Fallout 76 is unrecognizable; along with No Man's Sky and Cyberpunk 2077, it ranks among the greatest redemption stories in gaming. Bethesda developers have worked hard to solve both the game's technical and larger problems. Several free DLC expansions have been released, including one called "Wasterlanders" that adds human NPC characters and a selective new main quest.

After half a century of technical improvements and free content drops, Fallout 76 is now the most content-rich game in the entire franchise. In fact, some "Fallout" fans claim that it has surpassed the last mainline single-player game in the series, Fallout 4.

However, while adventuring through Appalachia alone is fine, if you can gather a few companions, your journey will improve exponentially. Having a couple of friendly vault dwellers by your side will reduce the loneliness of wandering the country roads.

Now is the perfect time to dive into "Fallout 76" - especially if you plan to binge watch "Fallout" TV shows on "Prime Video" over the weekend. Yes, Fallout 76 was in lousy shape when it first launched, but it has been carefully crafted into something quite special over the past few years, and given that it's available for free on Amazon Prime, there's no reason not to step into the wastelands of West Virginia.