What is Fallout and in what order should you play all the games in the series? A guide to the famous universe.

Contents:

• What is Fallout
• Chronology of events in the world of Fallout
• Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game
• Fallout 2
• Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
• Fallout 3
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Fallout 4
• Fallout 76
• Series based on Fallout
• What order should I play Fallout in?

What is Fallout

Fallout is a popular series of role-playing games set in a post-nuclear war world, specifically post-apocalyptic America. The first installment, Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role-Playing Game, released in 1997, introduced players to the grim image of Southern California, transformed into a radioactive wasteland. The protagonist of this game is a vault survivor, one of the descendants of people who hid in underground bunkers for decades after the nuclear disaster. The character receives an important mission—to find a new chip to repair the shelter's water supply system—and ventures outside for the first time, into a dangerous and unknown world.
Despite the events of the first game taking place in 2161, the game is designed in an atompunk style with a strong retrofuturistic influence, drawing on key elements of the 1950s American setting. Before the apocalypse, the United States took an alternative development path that differs from its real-life counterpart in many details, retaining not only the aesthetics of that era but also some technologies and cultural characteristics. It is this unique setting, born from the combination of many of the aforementioned elements, that has become the foundation for all games in the series, as well as the Amazon series.
Perhaps the most important element of the pre-war world of Fallout is the prolonged confrontation between the United States and China, reminiscent of the Cold War, which ultimately escalated into a nuclear catastrophe. The games suggest that China launched the first strike, but the full picture remains unclear—it's possible that the nuclear war actually began under different circumstances.

In all Fallout games, players explore the world from the perspective of their character, who in most cases appears as another Vault Dweller. For this reason, information about the state of other regions, especially outside of North America, is extremely limited. However, Fallout 3's Operation: Anchorage expansion reveals more about the fate of Alaska and tells the story of the US-China standoff before the nuclear war. And the aforementioned fan mod Fallout: London allows you to see what happened to the British capital as a result of the disaster.
Despite the fact that the central theme of the series—the consequences of nuclear war—seems dark, the games themselves are full of satire and jokes that seem surprisingly appropriate. Fallout is closer to Mad Max than to a survival drama like The Last of Us. Most locations, whether California from the first two Fallout games, Washington from Fallout 3, Boston from Fallout 4, or New Vegas from Fallout: New Vegas, also evoke associations with old Westerns. Besides the dilapidated cities, notes and newspaper clippings also serve as reminders of the pre-war world: players often find fragments of political and corporate propaganda explaining the structure of the world before the catastrophe.
Fallout's world and the post-nuclear world are also built on the idea that even after a nuclear apocalypse, human nature remains largely unchanged. There are bandits threatening settlements and the remnants of government or military organizations seeking to control technology and territory. Players can often choose a side in numerous conflicts between factions, and this choice determines the development of the plot.

Fallout Timeline

Ante-war period (1945–2077):

• 1945: World War II ends, and it is at this point that the history of the Fallout world begins to diverge from the real one.
• 2020s: A global energy crisis begins due to the depletion of fossil resources.
• 2052: Local conflicts over resources begin around the world.
• 2066: The United States annexes Canada in a confrontation over the remaining natural resources.
• 2066-2077: The United States and China begin a war for control of oil fields in Alaska.
• 2077: A global nuclear conflict occurs, destroying most of civilization in two hours.

Post-war period (2077–2296):

• 2100s: Vault dwellers begin to emerge onto the surface, establishing settlements (events of Fallout 76).
• 2161: A Vault 13 resident goes in search of a water chip (events of the first Fallout).
• 2186: The New California Republic emerges on the west coast of the United States—one of the main factions in the Fallout world, whose members attempted to build the first post-war state.
• 2241: The Chosen One, a descendant of a Vault 13 survivor and a resident of Arroyo Village, sets out to find a GECK device capable of transforming the Wasteland into vegetated lands (events of Fallout 2).
• 2277: A Vault 101 survivor sets out to find his father and decides the fate of post-war Washington (events of Fallout 3).
• 2281: A courier finds himself caught in the middle of a violent power struggle in New Vegas — and ends up playing a key role in the fate of the city (events of Fallout: New Vegas).
• 2287: On the East Coast of the United States, a native of Vault 111 enters into a confrontation with the Institute, a secret organization that controls advanced technology (events of Fallout 4).
• 2296: A girl named Lucy, formerly living in Vault 33, goes to the surface to find her kidnapped father, and as a result becomes a participant in the war for a new energy source in California (events of the Fallout series).

Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game

Release year: 1997
Interplay studio based the project on the very ancient role-playing game Wasteland from 1988, which also featured a wasteland and mutants. At one point, the then-untitled Fallout was even positioned as a direct sequel to the old hit. Then development took its own path, the game changed names several times (for example, there was a version called Armageddon), but ultimately, Brian Fargo, executive producer, chose the final version – Fallout.
According to the plot, the protagonist must save his native Vault, where the water chip has broken. He needs to find a new one before the entire population dies of thirst. And here's where an interesting nuance emerges. The search is given 150 in-game days, and if the player fails to complete the search within the specified time limit, the campaign ends: everyone in the Vault dies. So, you can successfully complete quests, level up your stats, and equip yourself with the best gear, but once the allotted time expires, you'll hit the "Game Over" message. It's a controversial decision, but there's no place for weaklings in the Wasteland.
So, what made the game so appealing to players? For starters, it was the extreme level of freedom—you could initially go wherever you wanted, without even much in the way of hints. You could explore the ruins of civilization, complete quests, and enjoy the freedom of choice. It also boasted a rich post-apocalyptic atmosphere, where the romance of dehydrated ruins is revealed in all its glory. Players also appreciated the flexible leveling system. Initially, Fallout planned to integrate the GURPS system from tabletop games, but the developers couldn't reach an agreement with the copyright holder and replaced it with their own—S.P.E.C.I.A.L. And the result was wonderful.

Fallout 2

Release year: 1998
The direct sequel to the first game followed a proven formula: they left the core mechanics intact while adding significantly more content.
The protagonist is sent in search of a miraculous generator—and a truly epic adventure begins. The map is huge and teeming with characters, events, and quests. For ease of movement, players are given an upgradeable vehicle. Dialogues have become more branching, and the characters are even more colorful—just remember the super mutant Marcus. The number of Easter eggs and all sorts of references has reached truly cosmic heights: there's Skynet, a crashed shuttle from Star Trek, and the Tin Woodman with his oil can.
But the most important thing in all of this is that the variability of the gameplay has reached a new level. Even the training temple can be completed in several ways.
There are also significant innovations: a karma system has appeared, which can be worsened or improved by changing the attitude of the world around you towards the hero. Moreover, in the second part, the developers have successfully addressed the shortcomings of the first. For example, now you can finally move aside an NPC blocking a doorway.

Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel

Year release: 2001
The Fallout series also found room for turn-based tactics, as the original game's combat system, based on key elements of the genre, was warmly received by users. Brotherhood of Steel was built on these principles, and this installment also became successful, achieving, albeit briefly, almost as much popularity as the previous two Fallouts.
However, there are many differences from them. Instead of free roaming, we are offered a set of missions. Instead of a scattering of quests, we have a specific goal, the completion of which will unlock the next level. The leveling system here is just as high-quality: S.P.E.C.I.A.L. allows you to fine-tune your hero to suit your playstyle, and the other characters are still colorful. The story is also pretty good: there's a sentient computer, a schism in the Brotherhood, and crazy paladins.
However, we played Brotherhood of Steel specifically for the combat system, which offers a truly wide range of options. You can, for example, take a convenient position for shooting on the upper floors or climb into a tank to crush opponents with its treads.

Fallout 3

Year of release: 2008
After a long break, ten years after the release of the second part, Fallout returned, performed by a different studio, Bethesda. In this game in the series, if not everything, then a lot has changed. Time dictated its requirements, so simplifications appeared: the third part of Fallout can be mastered quickly and painlessly.
The gameplay has little in common with the previous games. The main innovation was the V.A.T.S. combat system. It allows you to freeze time and take a targeted shot by spending action points—it's much more effective, and the hero fires at enemies in spectacular slow motion.
Besides the cool action, Fallout 3 has a very impressive wasteland exploration experience. The engine isn't perfect, and the animation is frankly lacking, but the location designers have given it their all. You can wander through the ruins of civilization almost endlessly, and the player always stumbles upon something interesting. In the best Interplay tradition, the Fallout 3 developers have placed a ton of Easter eggs in the wasteland. You can, for example, stumble upon the ruined Bethesda office. And there's also the memorable quest with the nuclear bomb. In short, Fallout 3 successfully revived and modernized familiar mechanics, making a small revolution within the series.

Fallout: New Vegas

Release year: 2010
New Vegas was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, a talented studio that includes some of the same people who worked on the first two Fallout games.
The story centers on the unenviable fate of a simple courier who becomes the victim of a gang attack. Now he has to find his attackers and find out the reason for it. It turns out to be a kind of detective story, which is not typical for the series.
New Vegas was released after Fallout 3, which moved the series from an isometric view to a 3D world viewed from the first person. So, the key mechanics and even the interface of this game were inherited from the revolutionary third part. Despite this, New Vegas feels fresh and impressive. Fans have never seen locations like the glittering neon city of New Vegas before. The main setting has also changed: now the Mojave Desert stretches out before the player.
However, there were some targeted additions to the game mechanics, and they benefited New Vegas. A reputation system was introduced, affecting relations with ten factions. Crafting of items is now available. Weapons can now be improved, for example, by attaching sniper scopes to revolvers. And some forgotten monsters from older games in the series, like invisible super mutants, have returned.
New Vegas feels like a major RPG blockbuster. Variability at every turn, handcrafted quests, vibrant characters and memorable locations, dark humor, and a ton of references—everything is in its place. Hollywood stars, including Matthew Perry and Danny Trejo, were invited to voice the game. And the soundtrack includes the best compositions of the mid-20th century.

Fallout 4

Year of release: 2015
The fourth numbered game in the series offered a couple of experiments that, albeit with reservations, were considered successful. There is much more shooting, and now you don’t even need to pause the action tactically to aim. A full-fledged settlement designer has also appeared – with buildings, towers, machine gun turrets and traps.
The plot tells the story of a man who has lain in cryogenic freezing for 200 years. After awakening, the protagonist sets out to find his son, but this turns out to be an extremely difficult task. This time, the action takes place in Boston and its environs. The karma system has disappeared – it has been replaced by the reaction of comrades to the hero’s actions. The number of guns and parts for them has increased, and collectible barrels have also been added.
Despite numerous innovations, Fallout 4 retains all the best qualities of the series. Variability is noticeable here, and the level of freedom of action is high here – in the best traditions of the series, established back in 1997. Even the key character can be shot, if you so desire. The game is rich in content: a ton of quests and random finds, references and Easter eggs, as well as unforgettable characters like the robots who have sworn to protect the constitution and live on the frigate of the same name. You can also take on an absolutely adorable dog named Dogmeat as a partner.

Fallout 76

Release year: 2018
The only online part of the post-apocalyptic series. Fallout 76 takes place in West Virginia, and the characters players create at the beginning of the story campaign are among the first people to emerge onto the surface after a nuclear war. They must unite to try to restore pre-war life, build new settlements, and unravel the mystery of a dangerous infection that has appeared in the area.
However, despite the multiplayer elements, Fallout 76 can also be played alone. The story campaign here functions similarly to other parts of the series, offering a variety of central and side quests. These, however, are supplemented by various seasonal and limited-time events in which other players also participate.
Fallout 76 has had a difficult road. The game had a troubled development, and upon release, it received numerous negative reviews from both critics and players due to bugs, questionable design decisions, an empty world devoid of a single NPC, and other issues. Over time, however, the situation became just the opposite: the developers took on every possible improvement to Fallout 76, created several major add-ons, released numerous updates, and as a result, achieved that fan reviews changed from negative to positive.

A TV series based on Fallout

The first season of the Fallout series was released on April 11, 2024. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, creators of Westworld, were at the helm during production, and Bethesda, which holds the rights to the universe, closely monitored the process to ensure that the adaptation was consistent with the games. Todd Howard himself also appeared on the set several times: the development director of Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 worked on the series as a producer.
The events take place in the year 2296. The action takes place in the ruins of Los Angeles and the surrounding Californian counties. The plot centers on three characters, whose paths repeatedly converge and diverge within the framework of one large story, the result of which is the struggle for infinite energy and, consequently, power over the wasteland.
The series received mostly positive reviews and was renewed for a second season shortly after the premiere.

What order to play Fallout

Perhaps the best option is to start with Fallout 3. It is a good entry point into the series thanks to fairly detailed graphics and a world and quest design that is understandable to a modern player. It also successfully introduces the basic mechanics of the 3D parts and the atmosphere of the post-apocalyptic world.
After that, you can move on to Fallout: New Vegas, which is in many ways very similar to the third part, but at the same time offers a deeper storyline, more variety in quests, and a well-developed role-playing system. New Vegas is considered one of the best parts of the series.
Then you can turn to Fallout 4, which emphasizes settlement building and more dynamic battles, closer to what you can see in classic first-person shooters. And if after this you want to continue your adventures in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, pay attention first to Fallout 76, which has online elements, and then to the first two parts of the series - cult classics, which, although they may seem overly hardcore, are still able to give a lot of positive emotions.