With the Fallout TV series airing on Prime Video this week, veterans and newcomers alike are showing a renewed interest in the expansive Fallout video game universe. There are plenty of unique RPG experiences that await players in the post-apocalyptic wastelands, from the franchise’s humble beginnings with 1997’s Fallout to the acclaimed Fallout: New Vegas and the multiplayer shenanigans of Fallout 76. Here are all the Fallout games ranked from worst to best.
For this list, we’ll be including every mainline Fallout game as well as a few noteworthy spin-offs. We won’t be including Fallout Pinball, though we can vouch that it’s pretty fun. If you’re keen on checking out the Fallout TV series, we’ve got a guide on when and how to watch it as well as what to expect.
All Fallout Games Ranked From Worst to Best
8. Fallout 76
Bethesda Game Studios took a swing with online multiplayer for 2018’s Fallout 76 – and it wasn’t exactly positive news for fans accustomed to the franchise’s single-player focus. Today, Fallout 76 might sing a different tune after countless updates and expansions aimed to improve the title, though at its core, it deviates a bit too far from what players expect out of a Fallout game: a strong single-player role-playing experience. At least the lore and world is cool.
7. Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
The often-forgotten Fallout spin-off Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel is a fan favourite among players who vividly remember this pretty engaging tactical strategy experience. For the vast majority though, it’s pretty overlooked. Due to its RTS genre shift and limited availability on PC at the time, Fallout Tactics exists within a vacuum. However, we can only sing its praises despite feeling quite aged today.
6. Fallout 4
Bethesda Game Studios trimmed the RPG elements of Fallout 4 in favour of a more streamlined action-heavy first-person shooter. For the most part, it just works. The world of post-apocalyptic Boston is immaculately constructed with Bethesda delivering its excellent trademark world-building and environmental storytelling. The moment-to-moment gameplay is really fun and fluid too, though we wish it had a bit more depth to its role-playing complexities than just a standard skill tree.
5. Fallout Shelter
The only mobile game that Bethesda managed to get right (sorry, The Elder Scrolls: Blades). Fallout Shelter puts you in the shoes of an overseer of your own custom vault and survivors. It’s not groundbreaking by any means but as a base-building management mobile title, it delivers in droves. Addictive, quirky and charming in its own right, Fallout Shelter is a phenomenal game to enjoy on your phone and PC while you take a break from the intensity of the mainline games.
4. Fallout 2
Black Isle took the development reigns from Interplay for the creation of Fallout 2, the applauded sequel to 1997’s original. Some elements can feel a bit tedious but all things considered, it’s simply some of the best old-school Fallout you can find before the franchise’s massive creative shift in later years. Its deep, rewarding gameplay systems and terrific role-playing opportunities make it one of the most essential post-apocalyptic RPG’s of all time – if you can look past its dated presentation, of course.
3. Fallout (1997)
The one that started it all. 1997’s Fallout might not have aged as gracefully as later entries, but there’s no denying the game’s enormous impact on the gaming world. Interplay frontloaded Fallout with so much role-playing greatness that it’s easy to overlook some of its very minor flaws. In fact, veteran fans might argue today that it’s still the perfect Fallout game. If you don’t mind the trip back to the 90s golden era of RPG titles with a few dated mechanics, we highly suggest revisiting this incredible game.
2. Fallout 3
Seeing the enormous mainstream potential of the franchise, Bethesda grabbed the Fallout IP and overhauled the gameplay from an over-the-top perspective to a first (or third) person perspective with 2008’s Fallout 3. Set in the ruins of Washington DC, Fallout 3 brought several big gameplay and mechanical changes that reshaped the entire series – whether it’s for the better or not is up to you. Personally, we think it was a home run effort. It stands among the best games in Bethesda’s history and a quintessential Fallout experience.
1. Fallout: New Vegas
Obsidian Entertainment took Bethesda to school with Fallout: New Vegas. Ranked highly among fans as the most beloved entry in the Fallout franchise to date, New Vegas is a shining example of Obsidian’s industry-leading role-playing game design, offering more depth than almost every Fallout title from Bethesda Game Studios combined. Even today, it’s an absolute blast to play and get fully immersed in. It’s a shame that we never got a sequel because New Vegas, despite being a spin-off, remains the pinnacle of the franchise.
