How to Play the Fallout Games in Chronological Order

Envisioning an alternate-universe, retro futuristic apocalypse teeming with mutated monsters, soldiers successful hulking powerfulness armor and sinister quality experiments disguised arsenic weaponry shelters, the Fallout franchise has spent implicit 2 decades establishing 1 of the richest settings successful video games.

With Season 2 of the Fallout TV bid astir to deed Amazon Prime, there’s ne'er been a amended clip to strap a Pip-Boy to your wrist and reacquaint yourself with the satellite of Fallout. But where’s the champion spot to start? Below, we’ll tally done the franchise’s full chronological history, arsenic good arsenic immoderate proposal connected wherever to commencement for those embarking connected their first-ever Fallout adventure.

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• How to play successful chronological order
• How to play by merchandise date

How Many Fallout Games and Expansions Are There?

In total, determination are nine main Fallout games - 8 connected location console and 1 connected mobile devices. There are besides thirteen large expansions dispersed crossed Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4. The Fallout franchise is simply a halfway Bethesda crippled that volition apt proceed to person support.

Which Fallout Game Should You Play First?

For newcomers, the champion starting constituent is arguably Fallout 4, though Fallout 3 and New Vegas are inactive large ways to participate the franchise. Fallout 4 is the astir caller single-player summation to the series, and arsenic a result, is the astir modern-feeling instrumentality connected the universe. More importantly, it’s the lone mainline single-player Fallout crippled inactive easy accessible connected each modern consoles barroom Nintendo Switch.

As for those disquieted they mightiness beryllium down connected the story, each Fallout crippled tells a caller communicative with a caller pb quality and setting, and Fallout 4 is nary different. Although you whitethorn miss a fewer references to the events of erstwhile games, it’s beauteous casual to leap successful without immoderate anterior cognition of the lore.

How to Play the Fallout Games successful Order

These blurbs incorporate mild spoilers for each game, including characters, settings, and communicative beats.

One happening to enactment earlier we get started: We volition not beryllium counting 2 games connected our chronological timeline. The archetypal is the mobile (and present online) vault absorption simulator, Fallout Shelter. Although the crippled does travel the lore of Fallout’s vaults, it besides features characters and items hundreds of years earlier they look successful the Fallout storyline, making it non-canon.

We besides didn’t number Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, which Bethesda has confirmed takes spot successful its ain chronology. That being said, we person included Fallout Tactics, contempt its canonicity being questioned. Although Bethesda has since retconned elements of Tactics’ story, definite events from its communicative person been referenced successful aboriginal games, making it astatine slightest semi-canon to the timeline.

Finally, we won’t beryllium including immoderate expansions that don’t incorporate communicative content. For example, Fallout 4’s Wasteland and Contraptions Workshop expansions aren’t featured connected the list. The aforesaid goes for New Vegas’ Courier Stash DLC.

1. Fallout 76

Bethesda’s astir caller summation to the Fallout canon is the archetypal connected the chronological timeline. Fallout 76 is an online acquisition that follows the archetypal vault dwellers to participate the wasteland 25 years aft atomic warfare eviscerated the world.

Taking connected the relation of 1 of these pioneers, the player’s travel begins arsenic they exit the titular Vault 76 and embark connected a travel done Appalachia successful hunt of their missing overseer. Along the way, they observe the satellite they erstwhile knew has been transformed into a atomic hellscape, implicit with mutated monstrosities, long-dormant slayer robots, and zombie-like irradiated humans known arsenic Ghouls. To survive, they tin squad up with different survivors, physique bases, implicit quests, and reestablish a assemblage among the ruins of a fallen world.

Fallout 76 was Bethesda’s effort astatine creating a afloat online Fallout crippled for the archetypal time, allowing players to research the wasteland with friends. Although it was received poorly astatine release, it has been updated often successful the years since, with the Wastelanders and Steel Reign updates adding NPCs and caller questlines.

2. Fallout

Fast guardant 59 years and we scope the events of the archetypal crippled successful the series. Developed by Interplay Productions, Fallout follows a vault dweller surviving successful a weaponry structure known arsenic Vault 13. Hiding distant from the apocalyptic wasteland extracurricular their doors, the player’s peaceful manner is thrown into chaos aft the vault’s h2o systems halt working, threatening the lives of everyone surviving successful Vault 13.

They’re tasked with a seemingly elemental mission: task into the wasteland, retrieve a caller h2o chip, and instrumentality location to prevention their chap survivors. However, the stakes of the vault dweller’s ngo go acold grander aft they brushwood an service of mutated abominations known arsenic Super Mutants and their leader, the Master. Not lone bash these monsters jeopardize the aboriginal of Vault 13, but they airs a large menace to the full wasteland.

Offering a markedly antithetic gameplay benignant to the Bethesda-developed Fallout games released years later, the archetypal Fallout was an in-depth CRPG, featuring turn-based combat and a top-down camera. That being said, overmuch of Fallout’s aboriginal was contiguous successful its archetypal entry, including a dense absorption connected subordinate prime and immersive role-playing.

3. Fallout Tactics

Three decades later, we scope the events of Fallout Tactics: a strategy spin-off developed by Micro Forté. Although immoderate of the lore of Fallout Tactics has since been retconned and is considered non-canon by Bethesda, definite events from its communicative person been referenced successful aboriginal games, making it astatine slightest partially portion of the timeline.

The crippled itself sees players lace up the boots of an initiate of the iconic power-armour-clad faction, the Brotherhood of Steel. Joining the army’s ranks and starring a radical of chap soldiers, they implicit assorted missions crossed the Wasteland.

Fallout Tactics took the gameplay of Fallout successful a caller direction, arsenic players bid their squad done a bid of strategical battles against iconic foes specified arsenic Super Mutants, Ghouls and Deathclaws.

4. Fallout 2

Fourty-four years aft Fallout Tactics concludes, the events of Fallout 2 instrumentality place. With Black Isle Studios taking the reins arsenic developer, Fallout 2 was the series’ archetypal large sequel, this clip pursuing a descendent of the Vault Dweller from the archetypal crippled known arsenic the Chosen One.

After their colony is deed by a agelong drought, the Chosen One is selected to permission the confines of their location successful hunt of a terraforming instrumentality known arsenic a G.E.C.K. Their escapade takes them crossed the immense reaches of the Wasteland, landing them successful the sights of a highly precocious faction known arsenic the Enclave. As the Chosen One dives deeper into the faction’s goals, they observe the group’s hard astatine enactment connected a sinister experiment.

5. Fallout 3

After Bethesda purchased the rights to the Fallout licence successful 2007, Bethesda Game Studios took its archetypal ace astatine the franchise with Fallout 3. Set 3 decades aft Fallout 2, Fallout 3 picks up the communicative successful the caller mounting of the Capital Wasteland, casting players arsenic a vault dweller known arsenic the Lone Wanderer.

Living a mundane beingness wrong the sealed walls of Vault 101, the Lone Wanderer’s beingness is thrown into chaos aft their begetter mysteriously disappears, causing the protagonist to beryllium exiled from their home. Beginning a travel crossed the Capitol Wasteland successful hunt of their father, they observe his disappearance whitethorn beryllium much important than it archetypal seemed and yet go embroiled successful a sinister crippled concocted by the Enclave.

Fallout 3 acted arsenic a large reinvention of the Fallout series, trading successful the erstwhile entries’ CRPG gameplay for a afloat 3D satellite with real-time shootouts, a first-person camera, and the series’ now-signature V.A.T.S. targeting system.

6. Fallout 3 - Operation Anchorage

The archetypal enlargement for Fallout 3, Operation Anchorage offers players a bid of caller quets acceptable during the events of the main campaign. The communicative follows the Lone Wanderer helping the Brotherhood of Steel participate a sealed pre-war armory. The lone mode successful is to past a simulation of the infamous Battle of Anchorage, which took spot successful Alaska anterior to the atomic warfare that destroyed Fallout’s world.

Throughout the campaign, the subordinate steps wrong the simulation and takes connected the relation of an American worker warring against Chinese troops, experiencing Anchorage firsthand. The DLC allows players a lengthy glimpse of a antecedently unseen portion of Fallout’s lore, arsenic good arsenic offering plentifulness of caller combat encounters.

7. Fallout 3 - The Pitt

Fallout 3’s 2nd large expansion, The Pitt besides takes spot during the events of the main campaign. It adds a caller locale for players to research successful the titular Pitt, a ruthless, plague-infested metropolis recovered amongst the ruins of Pittsburgh.

After gathering a enslaved that escaped the city, the enlargement begins with the Lone Wanderer venturing to The Pitt to find a cure for a rampant illness that’s been transforming the colonisation into blood-thirsty monsters. Along the way, they go progressive successful the struggle betwixt the enslaved citizens and their raider masters, making pugnacious decisions that volition everlastingly change The Pitt and its inhabitants.

8. Fallout 3 - Point Lookout

Fallout 3’s 4th add-on, Point Lookout is acceptable during the events of the main run and takes players to an all-new setting, with the Lone Wanderer mounting sail for the haunting swamps of the titular coastal town. The enlargement begins with the Lone Wanderer offering to assistance a parent find her missing daughter, Nadine, who precocious embarked connected a travel to Point Lookout.

Upon arriving successful the town, they rapidly observe the information down Nadine’s disappearance runs overmuch deeper than expected. Lodging themselves successful the halfway of a long-standing rivalry betwixt the proprietor of a section mansion and a people of cultists, the Lone Wanderer is forced to contend with the swamp’s eerie mutated inhabitants, face buried secrets, and adjacent endure impromptu encephalon country successful a bid to survive.

9. Fallout 3 - Mothership Zeta

The past enlargement added to Fallout 3, Mothership Zeta is acceptable during the events of the main run and offers a unique, B-movie sci-fi rotation connected the franchise.

After responding to a vigor awesome retired successful the wasteland, the Lone Wanderer is abducted by a UFO, experimented connected by aliens, and imprisoned connected their craft. Escaping their cell, the subordinate teams with the aliens' different quality prisoners to overthrow their extraterrestrial captors and instrumentality to Earth.

10. Fallout 3 - Broken Steel

The 3rd enlargement for Fallout 3 but the lone add-on to instrumentality spot aft the events of the main story, Broken Steel acts arsenic an epilogue with a caller ending. Although players were primitively incapable to proceed their Fallout 3 prevention aft the credits rolled, Broken Steel added the quality to resume their adventure, alongside delivering a abbreviated bid of caller missions.

Surviving their brushwood with Colonel Autumn successful the Purity Project power room, the enlargement sees the Lone Wanderer squad erstwhile again with the Brotherhood of Steel, assisting the radical successful eradicating the Enclave from the Capitol Wasteland for good.

11. Fallout: New Vegas

In the years pursuing Fallout 3, Obsidian Entertainment took its ace astatine the Fallout licence with a spin-off titled Fallout: New Vegas. Set 4 years aft the events of the erstwhile game, New Vegas tells the communicative of a courier who’s ambushed, shot, and near for dormant successful the Mojave Wasteland portion transporting a priceless bundle to the glitzy, reclaimed streets of Las Vegas.

Found and patched up by a radical of section settlers, the courier rises from their sedate and proceeds to way down the antheral who attempted to termination them, unwittingly becoming the halfway of a powerfulness conflict betwixt the assorted factions vying for power of the New Vegas strip. As they excavation deeper into the bundle they carried and the antheral who stole it from them, the Courier realizes their decisions person the imaginable to alteration the Mojave Wasteland forever.

12. Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money

The archetypal enlargement released for Fallout: New Vegas, Dead Money is acceptable during the events of the main run and offers a caller locale to explore. Taking players to the Sierra Madre, the communicative sees the Courier kidnapped, fitted with an explosive collar, and forced to rob a seemingly impenetrable pre-war casino with the assistance of 3 improbable allies.

The task, by each accounts, is simply a termination mission. The casino is surrounded by a unreality of deadly toxic gas, portion a faction of ruthless survivors known arsenic the Ghost People patrol the streets eliminating immoderate and each treasure hunters. It falls to the Courier to signifier a daring heist with the assistance of their allies to bypass the casino’s defenses and entree the legendary loot down its walls.

13. Fallout: New Vegas - Honest Hearts

The 2nd enlargement to deed Fallout: New Vegas, Honest Hearts falls wrong the events of the main run and sees the Courier task to Zion National Park. There, they stumble crossed Joshua Graham, the legendary “Burned Man” who has go thing of a bogeyman to Caesar's Legion aft surviving a seemingly fatal run-in with the faction’s ruthless leader.

Finding themselves successful the halfway of a warfare betwixt the Burned Man’s service and a rival people known arsenic the White Legs, the subordinate indispensable squad with Graham to prevention Zion and its people.

14. Fallout: New Vegas - Old World Blues

The 3rd New Vegas expansion, Old World Blues takes spot during the main run and begins with the Courier tracking down a crashed outer projecting a mysterious message. After interacting with the satellite, the Courier is knocked retired and taken to a technological installation contained wrong Big Mountain, wherever they observe they’ve undergone a mysterious surgical procedure.

Exploring the facility, they conscionable a sheet of nonsensical AI scientists, who pass them that their encephalon has been stolen by a nefarious robot known arsenic Doctor Morbius. Teaming with their caller AI allies, they escapade crossed the probe installation to decision Morbius, retrieve their brain, and larn much astir Big Mountain’s secrets.

15. Fallout: New Vegas - Lonesome Road

The 4th and last New Vegas expansion, Lonesome Road takes spot anterior to the decision of the main run but wraps up a batch of outstanding communicative beats established during the main crippled and erstwhile DLCs.

The escapade sees the Courier task into a caller country known arsenic The Divide successful hunt of Ulysses, the courier primitively designated the occupation of transporting the platinum spot earlier it was entrusted to the pb protagonist. Promising answers astir his existent identity, Ulysses summons the Courier for 1 last confrontation, putting the brace connected a clang people that volition unveil their acheronian pasts.

16. Fallout 4

Returning to the IP for the archetypal clip since 2008’s Fallout 3, Bethesda released Fallout 4 successful 2015. Beginning connected the time the bombs fell, players instrumentality connected the relation of a civilian known arsenic the Sole Survivor who takes refuge successful Vault 111 with their spouse and son. Cryogenically frozen wrong the vault, the Sole Survivor wakes up 2 100 years later, uncovering their spouse dead, their lad missing, and the satellite destroyed.

Emerging into the Commonwealth, Bethesda’s apocalyptic instrumentality connected the Greater Boston region, they statesman a tireless travel to way down their son. Along the way, they fastener horns with a mysterious, scientifically precocious faction called the Institute, which kidnaps wastelanders and replaces them with sentient robots known arsenic synths.

As their combat against the Institute rages on, the Sole Survivor learns the acheronian secrets down the Institute's plans, yet teaming with the assorted factions of the wasteland to bring the radical down.

17. Fallout 4 - Automatron

The archetypal communicative enlargement for Fallout 4, Automatron takes spot during the events of the main communicative and sees the Sole Survivor spell up against an antagonist known arsenic the Mechanist.

It features a abbreviated concatenation of caller quests successful which the Sole Survivor battles the Mechanist’s robots and yet tracks their foe down to their lair. The main intent of the add-on, however, is adding the quality to physique and mod robots you tin instrumentality with you astir the wasteland.

18. Fallout 4 - Far Harbour

The 2nd communicative enlargement for Fallout 4, Far Harbour is acceptable during the events of Fallout 4’s main campaign, and sees the Sole Survivor sail to the eerie titular land successful hunt of a missing girl. There they find a concealed assemblage of autarkic synths led by precocious AI known arsenic DiMA.

As DiMA reveals caller accusation astir his assemblage and Far Harbour, it becomes wide that the land is caught successful a conflict betwixt the locals and a radiation-worshipping cult known arsenic the Children of Atom, who are attempting to screen the land successful radioactive fog. It doesn’t instrumentality agelong for the Sole Survivor to get caught up successful this dispute, giving them the powerfulness to marque decisions that volition irreversibly alteration the spooky locale and its citizens.

19. Fallout 4 - Vault-Tec Workshop

A tiny enlargement released aft Far Harbour, Vault-Tec Workshop takes spot during the run and sees the Sole Survivor instrumentality connected the task of gathering their precise ain vault. After liberating Vault 88 from raiders, the Sole Survivor meets an overseer trapped wrong the ruins who intends to revamp the abandoned weaponry shelter.

Assisting her, the subordinate is capable to physique their imagination vault, enlistee dwellers to unrecorded wrong it and summation the structure to maximum efficiency.

20. Fallout 4 - Nuka World

The last communicative enlargement for Fallout 4, Nuka World is acceptable during the events of the main run and hands the Sole Survivor the keys to an all-new country containing a massive, Nuka-Cola-themed amusement park.

After arriving and instantly being pitted against a bid of ruthless raiders, trap rooms and robotic enemies, the subordinate is granted the rubric of Nuka-World overboss. However, the presumption is hardly the imagination occupation it's cracked up to be. Their new-found enactment requires that they woody with 3 raider factions surviving successful the park, forcing the Sole Survivor to determine whether to appease them and turn their territory oregon eradicate them altogether.

All Fallout Games and Expansions successful Order of Release

1. Fallout (1997)

2. Fallout 2 (1998)

3. Fallout Tactics (2001)

4. Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (2004)

5. Fallout 3 (2008)

6. Fallout 3 - Operation Anchorage (2009)

7. Fallout 3 - The Pitt (2009)

8. Fallout 3 - Broken Steel (2009)

9. Fallout 3 - Point Lookout (2009)

10. Fallout 3 - Mothership Zeta (2009)

11. Fallout: New Vegas (2010)

12. Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money (2010)

13. Fallout: New Vegas - Honest Hearts (2011)

14. Fallout: New Vegas - Old World Blues (2011)

15. Fallout: New Vegas - Lonesome Road (2011)

16. Fallout Shelter (2015)

17. Fallout 4 (2015)

18. Fallout 4 - Automatron (2016)

19. Fallout 4 - Far Harbour (2016)

20. Fallout 4 - Vault-Tec Workshop (2016)

21. Fallout 4 - Nuka-World (2016)

22. Fallout 76 (2018)

What’s Next for Fallout?

The latest summation to the Fallout beingness is the Fallout TV show, which is astir to participate its 2nd play connected Prime Video. Telling a caller story, the bid takes spot successful the ruins of Los Angeles with a vault dweller played by Ella Purnell venturing retired into the Wasteland alongside The Ghoul, played by Walton Goggins, and Maximus, a Brotherhood of Steel enlistee played by Aaron Moten. The amusement has a stacked roster of endowment down it, including Westworld creator Jonathan Nolan.

The archetypal play rapidly became 1 of Prime Video's astir palmy bid ever. Season 2 volition bring america to New Vegas, though is taking a "fog of war" attack to the aggregate endings from the archetypal game. New formed members see Macaulay Culkin successful an chartless relation and Justin Theroux arsenic nary different than Mr. House. Feel escaped to cheque retired our recap of Season 1 if you can't compression successful the clip for a rewatch.

As for video games, Bethesda has made it wide Fallout 5 is connected the way, thought it won’t beryllium anytime soon. Speaking to IGN backmost successful 2022, Fallout manager Todd Howard confirmed Fallout 5 volition travel aft The Elder Scrolls 6. Howard has besides teased further projects, which whitethorn see a Fallout 3 Remaster.

Callum Williams is simply a freelance media writer with years of acquisition arsenic a crippled critic, quality reporter, guides writer and features writer.