SPOILER ALERT: This article may contain spoilers for the Fallout TV series.
With the Fallout game franchise continuing to see a massive resurgence after the release of the Amazon Prime series, experienced and new players alike are looking for new and “historically” accurate ways to follow the chronology of the game, and hopefully the series as well. This guide follows that chronology and shows you the order in which to play the games for the full historical experience.
While there are a total of seven games in the series, not including countless expansions, this guide will concentrate on Fallout 3, 4, New Vegas, and 76. Fallout, Fallout 2, and Tactics are all top-down, turn based RPG’s that may follow the story, but don’t fall into the same genre as the other games.
Fallout 76 – A Prequel
Fallout 76 ends up being the first game in the chronology, taking place just 25 years after the bombs fall. The dwellers of Vault 76 leave the safety of their vault and venture out into the post-apocalyptic wilds of Appalachia. Here you will encounter the requisite Fallout beasties such as ghouls, raiders, and killer robots.
This is the only game to be fully online, where players interact with each other and the environment over a vast, open-world map. Fallout 76 also incorporates base building and crafting, which are absolutely key to success.
Fallout 3 – The Beginning
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This is where it all begins in the Amazon Prime series. You’re a multi-generational vault dweller, born and raised in Vault 101, 180 years after the Great War. After a surprise raider attack on the vault, your father mysteriously disappears and you set out into the wilderness to find him, armed with nothing but wits and courage.
This was Bethesda’s first foray into the series, and they transformed this somewhat rudimentary strategy game into the three-dimensional, real-time RPG that millions upon millions have grown to love. Bethesda’s stellar gameplay, superb graphics, and award-winning storylines finally brought the Fallout saga to the masses.
Fallout: New Vegas – The Saga Continues
Based on the final scene of the Amazon Prime show, it definitely looks like New Vegas is where things are headed next. Set four years after the events of Fallout 3, this title follows a courier who is tasked with delivering a priceless package to someone in the revitalized wasteland city of New Vegas. After being ambushed en route and nearly killed, the courier sets off to New Vegas to discover who tried to kill him and why.
Fallout: New Vegas was basically a spin-off of Fallout 3, using the same game engine, but creating a whole new world and new, intricate questlines. Obsidian Entertainment took over for this release, with high priority placed on complex storylines and engaging gameplay. Obsidian did well with this game and the subsequent expansions, and it’s still considered by many to be one of the best games in the franchise.
Fallout 4: The Final Chapter?
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Fallout 4 takes place 200 years after the Great War and you play a character called the sole survivor, who has been cryogenically preserved since the day the bombs fell. He wakes up to find his wife dead and then witnesses his son being abducted, helpless to stop it. He sets out from Vault 111 to find his son and the people who kidnapped him.
The sole survivor emerges from the Vault to find a vast wasteland called the Commonwealth. He must find, recruit, and build facilities for other survivors who in turn will defend the camp, tend crops, gather resources, and more. Managing your camps and keeping your survivors happy are critical for success in Fallout 4.
Bethesda took the franchise back from Obsidian for this one, making vast improvements all around. The sometimes controversial V.A.T.S. targeting system was improved, along with major graphics upgrades and improvements in overall gameplay. Bethesda will be continuing the franchise with Fallout 5, but that will be years away after Elder Scrolls 6 is completed. Undoubtedly, there are millions of fans like myself who can’t wait to see where the story will go next.
