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The official Fallout games covered by Bethesda’s location guides are set in the United States. Their stories range from California and the Midwest to Washington, DC, the Mojave, Boston, and Appalachia. Fallout 76 also sends players on Expeditions to New Jersey and Pennsylvania. London appears in the community-made Fallout: London mod, not an official Fallout game.
Where does each official Fallout game take place?
The settings below distinguish each game’s main region from named destinations reached through an add-on or Expedition. They cover principal settings and destinations in Bethesda’s guides, not every map, simulation, or country mentioned in dialogue.
| Game | Principal setting or named destination | Geographic area |
|---|---|---|
| Fallout | Southern California | West Coast |
| Fallout 2 | Northern California and parts of Oregon | West Coast |
| Fallout Tactics | Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois | American Midwest |
| Fallout 3 | Washington, DC and the Capital Wasteland | East Coast |
| Fallout: New Vegas | The Mojave Wasteland and New Vegas | Southwestern United States |
| Fallout 4 | Boston and the Commonwealth | East Coast |
| Fallout 76 | Appalachia, identified with West Virginia | Appalachia |
| Fallout 76 Expeditions | Atlantic City, New Jersey; The Pitt, Pennsylvania | East Coast |
California and the Pacific Northwest
The original Fallout is set in the wastes of Southern California. Bethesda’s game guide describes its environment as decimated California, while the timeline places the story in 2161. Bethesda’s game guide and Fallout timeline provide those descriptions.
Fallout 2 moves north through California and into parts of Oregon. Bethesda names San Francisco’s Chinatown, New Reno, and Vault City among the places visited.
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The Midwest in Fallout Tactics
Fallout Tactics is described as an American Midwest story. Bethesda’s game guide names Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois; this is the clearest multi-state setting in the list.
Washington, DC and the Capital Wasteland
Fallout 3 takes place in and around Washington, DC, in the Capital Wasteland. That phrasing comes from Bethesda Support’s answer about the game’s setting. The location is the ruined capital and its surrounding wasteland, rather than a whole state-wide map.
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The Mojave and New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas is set in the Mojave Wasteland, with New Vegas as its surviving city. Bethesda’s descriptions identify the region but do not make the game a tour of every place associated with the broader Mojave.
Boston and the Commonwealth
Fallout 4 centers on Boston and the Commonwealth. Bethesda also names the Far Harbor and Nuka-World add-ons, but its consulted game guide does not specify their state-level geography. They should not be assigned a state based on this guide alone.
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Appalachia, plus two Expedition destinations
Fallout 76 is set in Appalachia, identified by Bethesda with West Virginia. Its map is distinct from the game’s Expeditions, which take players to Atlantic City, New Jersey, and The Pitt, Pennsylvania. Bethesda’s overview, published May 29, 2024, describes the setting and those destinations: What Is Fallout 76?
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does any Fallout game take place outside the United States?
Among the official games covered in Bethesda’s location summaries, no principal setting is outside the United States. The series has several distinct regional maps; the list above is not a complete catalogue of every place mentioned in dialogue or every downloadable map.
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Fallout: London is set in London, England, but it is a community-made mod for Fallout 4, not an official standalone Fallout game. Team FOLON’s press kit describes it as “not set in America” and distinguishes it from previous official titles. Its listed release date is July 25, 2024.
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How to read the location list
- Country: The official settings in this overview are all in the United States.
- Region: A setting such as the Mojave Wasteland or Appalachia names a broad game area, not necessarily a modern state boundary.
- State or city: Bethesda specifically identifies states for Fallout Tactics and the Fallout 76 Expedition destinations, and cities such as Boston, New Vegas, and Washington, DC.
- Main map versus destination: New Jersey and Pennsylvania are reached in Fallout 76 Expeditions; they are not the game’s main Appalachia setting.
- Official game versus mod: London belongs to a fan-made Fallout 4 mod, so it changes the franchise’s geographic reach without changing the location of an official Fallout game.
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