The Best Fallout Games Ranked, Including The One With A Twist We’re Still Thinking About
It’s just been adapted into an eight-episode series by Prime Video, but if you want to dive head-first into the video game universe beforehand to get a better picture of the lore, you’ll want to know which are the best Fallout games. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
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The Fallout franchise is a series of video games set in a post-apocalyptic, alternate reality Earth. The two defining characteristics of the universe are that the micro transistor was never invented, meaning all electronics stayed bulky like in the 50s and 60s; and everything is nuclear-powered because of a lack of oil resulting in retro-style cars with reactors as engines. As a result of tensions between the US and China, a nuclear apocalypse wipes out much of humanity in the year 2077 and the games are set at varying times after that “fallout”.
In the show, we have our protagonist, Lucy (played by Ella Purnell). She’s an optimistic Vault-dweller with an all-American can-do spirit. Her peaceful and idealistic nature is tested when she is forced to the surface to rescue her father. Aaron Moten is Maximus, a young soldier who rises to the rank of squire in the militaristic faction called Brotherhood of Steel. He will do anything to further the Brotherhood’s goals of bringing law and order to the wasteland. Walton Goggins is the Ghoul, a morally ambiguous bounty hunter who holds within him a 200-year history of the post-nuclear world.
The games are RPGs (role-playing games), which means you’re stepping into the shoes of a character—sometimes that you customize yourself—and leveling up their skills and equipment to suit your play style.
The best Fallout games ranked
As a franchise that’s been around since 1997, here are the best Fallout games ranked from worst to best.
6. Fallout 76 (2018)
Fallout 76 is a unique entry in the Fallout series, offering a departure from the traditional single-player RPG experience and instead focusing on multiplayer survival in a post-apocalyptic world.
Set in the hills of West Virginia, the game presents players with an expansive open world to explore, filled with mutated creatures, hostile robots, and other players attempting to survive and rebuild in the aftermath of nuclear war. The game features a vast map four times the size of Fallout 4 and introduces survival elements like hunger, thirst, and disease.
Despite its ambitious scope and innovative features, Fallout 76 faced a rocky launch marred by technical issues, bugs, and performance problems. The game’s online infrastructure struggled to handle the influx of players, leading to frequent server crashes and connectivity issues. Additionally, some players criticized the lack of meaningful NPC interaction and the absence of traditional questlines, which made the game feel less engaging compared to previous entries in the series.
5. Fallout (1997)
The original Fallout was truly revolutionary. Developed and published by Interplay Productions, players assume the role of the Vault Dweller, a resident of Vault 13, one of the underground fallout shelters, who is tasked with venturing into the irradiated wasteland to find a replacement water purification chip for their Vault’s failing system in the year 2161.
The game’s narrative is driven by a branching storyline with multiple paths and endings, allowing players to shape the fate of the wasteland and its inhabitants through their choices and actions. Whether you choose to be a paragon of virtue, a ruthless opportunist, or something in between, the game adapts to reflect your character’s moral compass and decisions.
Fallout also introduced innovative gameplay mechanics such as the SPECIAL system (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck), which allows players to customize their character’s attributes and skills to suit their preferred playstyle. Additionally, the game features a turn-based combat system that emphasizes strategic thinking and resource management, adding depth to encounters with enemies and creatures lurking in the wasteland.
It feels a little dated by today’s standards, but it’s considered a classic for a reason.
4. Fallout 2 (1998)
Released in 1998, Fallout 2 is considered one of the best RPGs of all time. It didn’t add much on top of what was already great about the first iteration, it finely-tuned a lot of things.
You play as the “Chosen One”, a direct descendant of the previous Vault Dweller 80 years after the events of the original Fallout. The game’s narrative is driven by a complex web of interconnected quests and storylines, each with multiple paths and outcomes based on player choices.
Whether you choose to ally with powerful factions like the New California Republic or strike out on your own as a lone wanderer, your decisions shape the fate of the wasteland and its inhabitants. The game introduces a variety of new features and gameplay mechanics, including expanded character customization options, a revamped combat system, and a deeper emphasis on role-playing and player choice.
3. Fallout 4 (2015)
While Fallout 4 wasn’t the most critically acclaimed game (some drew issues with its narrative for lacking the depth and moral ambiguity of previous entries in the series and they’d be right,) it did give us one of the best twists in the series—which we obviously won’t spoil here, you’re going to have to find out for yourself.
This is the first game you get to experience the world before 2077 when the Great War wiped out much of humanity. The game begins with you customizing your male or female character and then answering the door to greet a Vault-Tec salesman to secure you and your family’s spot in a nearby vault should the nuclear apocalypse happen. Sure enough, the bombs start dropping and you have to sprint to protection.
After entering the vault, you’re instructed to follow doctors for a physical, but instead, you’re cryogenically frozen. You awake to hazily see armed men rip your infant child out of your spouse’s hands and thus, your mission to get your baby Shawn back begins.
2. Fallout 3 (2008)
Released in 2008, Fallout 3 was when Bethesda Game Studios took the title from a 2D top-down game to a 3D, first-person perspective and a massive open world. The game also introduced the VATS (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System) combat mechanic, allowing players to slow action, almost to a pause, and target specific body parts of enemies in a turn-based manner.
You play as a resident of Vault 101 in the remnants of Washington DC in the year 2277. Your dad is Liam Neeson. The game’s narrative is driven by the search for your father, whose disappearance sets the main quest in motion. Along the way, players encounter a diverse cast of characters, each with their own motivations and backstories, adding depth to the game’s world.
1. Fallout: New Vegas (2010)
Fallout New Vegas was released in 2010, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, and published by Bethesda Softworks. It’s technically a spin-off, but easily the best installment in the franchise (and we kinda wish Obsidian would do more).
You play as a character known as the Courier in the year 2281. The game begins with you being ambushed and left for dead in the Mojave Desert, robbed of a valuable package that you were on your way to delivering. The player then sets out on a quest for revenge and to uncover the mystery behind the attack.
Player decisions have significant consequences on the game world and its inhabitants. Every choice feels weighty, whether it’s deciding the fate of a settlement, choosing which faction to support, or resolving conflicts between rival groups. Whether you choose to be a righteous hero, a cunning opportunist, or something in between, the game adapts to reflect your decisions and their consequences.
Shout out to Matthew Perry (Vale) who voiced Benny, a key figure in the game’s opening sequence, as he is the one who orders the ambush on the player character.
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