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Fallout games in release order
Release order follows the six mainline games as they appeared. Bethesda’s timeline lists these release years and principal settings:
| Release order | Game | Release year | Principal setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fallout | 1997 | 2161; Southern California |
| 2 | Fallout 2 | 1998 | 2241; begins in Arroyo |
| 3 | Fallout 3 | 2008 | 2277; the Lone Wanderer leaves Vault 101 |
| 4 | Fallout: New Vegas | 2010 | 2281; the Mojave |
| 5 | Fallout 4 | 2015 | 2287; Boston and the Commonwealth, after a 2077 opening |
| 6 | Fallout 76 | 2018 | 25 years after the 2077 Great War |
The release years and setting dates in this table are from Bethesda Softworks’ #Fallout25 Presents: The Fallout Timeline, published October 17, 2022. This is the six-game mainline sequence in that timeline, not a claim that these are the only Fallout games.
Who should choose release order?
Choose release order if you want to experience the series as players encountered it, beginning with the 1997 original. It also avoids treating the fictional timeline as homework: Bethesda’s position is that any game can be a starting point.
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- Freedom and Liberty Do whatever you want in a massive open world with hundreds of locations, characters, and quests. Join multiple factions vying for power or go it alone, the choices are all yours
- Be whoever you want with the special character system. From a power Armored soldier to the charismatic smooth talker, you can choose from hundreds of perks and develop your own playstyle
- New next generation graphics and lighting engine brings to life the world of fallout. From the blasted forests of the common wealth to the ruins of Boston, every location is packed with dynamic detail
- Intense first or third person combat can also be slowed down with the new dynamic Vault Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S) that lets you choose your attacks and enjoy cinematic carnage
Fallout games in chronological order
For the mainline games, order them by the year of each game’s principal story setting:
- Fallout 76 — 25 years after the Great War of 2077.
- Fallout — 2161.
- Fallout 2 — 2241.
- Fallout 3 — 2277.
- Fallout: New Vegas — 2281.
- Fallout 4 — 2287.
This ordering uses each game’s principal setting, rather than counting every scene or prologue as its main story. Fallout 4 opens in 2077 before a time jump; its main story is set in 2287, so it belongs last in this list.
Rank #2
- Freedom and Liberty Do whatever you want in a massive open world with hundreds of locations, characters, and quests. Join multiple factions vying for power or go it alone, the choices are all yours
- Be whoever you want with the special character system. From a power Armored soldier to the charismatic smooth talker, you can choose from hundreds of perks and develop your own playstyle
- New next generation graphics and lighting engine brings to life the world of fallout. From the blasted forests of the common wealth to the ruins of Boston, every location is packed with dynamic detail
- Intense first or third person combat can also be slowed down with the new dynamic Vault Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S) that lets you choose your attacks and enjoy cinematic carnage
Who should choose chronological order?
Choose this route if you want to move forward through the fictional history from the earliest principal setting. It starts with Fallout 76, an online multiplayer game, rather than with the first game released. The 2077 opening of Fallout 4 does not change its place at the end of the sequence.
Which order should you use?
| If you want to… | Use this order | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Start with the original and follow the series’ release history | Release order | Begins with Fallout (1997) and ends with Fallout 76 (2018). |
| Follow the mainline stories by principal setting date | Chronological order | Begins with Fallout 76 and ends with Fallout 4. |
| Try the series without committing to a sequence | Start with any mainline game | Bethesda says any Fallout game can be a first game. |
Bethesda’s Parker Wilhelm, Content Manager, put it this way: “The universe of Fallout is rich and rewarding for those who love to dig deep into the lore, but any Fallout game can be your first.”
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Rank #3
- Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition PS3
- console-video-games
What about Fallout spin-offs?
Bethesda’s timeline also lists Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel (2001), Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (2004), Fallout Shelter (2015), and Fallout Pinball (2016). The publisher describes their gameplay or role in the franchise, but does not place all of them in a complete in-universe chronological sequence. In particular, that page does not establish where to insert Fallout Tactics in a definitive timeline.
So, if you mean every Fallout release, the lists above are not exhaustive; they give the supported order for the six mainline games. The cited publisher timeline does not provide a complete chronological order for every spin-off.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Not even nuclear fallout could slow the hustle of Sin City. Explore the vast expanses of the desert wastelands
- Feuding Factions, Colorful Characters and a Host of Hostiles
- Enjoy new additions to Fallout: Special melee combat moves have been added to bring new meaning to the phrase "up close and personal"
- With double the amount of weapons found in Fallout 3
- In a huge, open world with unlimited options you can see the sights, choose sides, or go it alone
Rank #4
![Fallout 4 | Anniversary Edition | Nintendo Switch 2 [Code in Box]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41nB7eUArSL._SL160_.jpg)
- ANNIVERSARY EDITION — Celebrate ten years of Fallout 4 with the complete post‑nuclear RPG experience, winner of over 200 Best Of awards including DICE and BAFTA Game of the Year.
- COMPLETE BASE GAME INCLUDED — Experience the full Fallout 4 main campaign as the Sole Survivor of Vault 111, shaping the fate of the Commonwealth through meaningful choices, factions, and exploration.
- ALL 6 OFFICIAL EXPANSIONS — Includes Automatron, Wasteland Workshop, Far Harbor, Contraptions Workshop, Vault‑Tec Workshop, and Nuka‑World for massive story, settlement, and gameplay additions.
- 150+ CREATION CLUB ITEMS — Expand your adventure with curated Creation Club content featuring unique weapons, power armor sets, building packs, paint jobs, player homes, and Dogmeat cosmetic variants.
- OPEN‑WORLD FREEDOM — Explore hundreds of locations, craft weapons and armor, build and manage settlements, and customize your playstyle using the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system and perk progression.
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