Fallout 4's overhauled Survival Mode now open for beta on Steam

Bethesda Game Studios has launched Fallout 4's new Survival Mode in beta. Steam users can test out the updated difficulty mode for the Windows PC version starting today, with consoles getting the update sometime next month.

To access the beta, owners of Fallout 4 can click on the game in their libraries and find the update under the settings option. Bethesda explains the download process — and what the update includes — on its community forum.

Among the features added to the new Survival difficulty level include a variety of challenges, which Bethesda details on its website. These include more limited save options — players can now only save by sleeping — disabled fast travel, "increased lethality" (players both deal and take more damage) and fatigue. There's also a new perk, Adrenaline, which increases with each kill and adds bonus damage to attacks.

Other changes coming to Survival Mode include new illnesses, decreased effects of restorative items and new limitations on the amount you can carry. All of the new features are detailed in full by the publisher on its website, and many of them were revealed last month by data-mining Reddit users.

After teasing the overhaul in February, Bethesda confirmed last week that a beta period would begin sometime before the end of March. This is the latest addition brought to Fallout 4, which received its first expansion pack earlier this month. Check out that new content, Automatron, in our overview below.