Fallout Shelter is the #1 game on the App Store in 48 countries

By Gabe Gurwin June 25, 2015

Fallout Shelter - Announcement Trailer

New gameplay and a release date for Fallout 4 might have been enough to throw the internet into a frenzy last week, but Bethesda’s E3 conference also brought with it a surprise second Fallout game for iOS — Fallout Shelter — and the publisher announced today that it has rapidly become the most-downloaded game on the App Store in 48 different countries, and the #1 app of any kind in 25.

“It just shows that gamers appreciate more depth and being treated fairly,” said Fallout and Elder Scrolls director Todd Howard. “It also shows that people love Fallout as much as we do.”

Howard made a point of differentiating Fallout Shelter from other mobile games when it was announced, mentioning that that there “are no paywall timers” and that the game does not require an internet connection to play. There are still microtransactions in the form of lunchboxes that contain extra resources, equipment, and even special characters, but these are also available to earn in-game. Still, the game has already overtaken Candy Crush as the third top grossing game on the App Store — not too bad for a game marketed at a group that traditionally despises microtransactions.

Bethesda also says that play sessions “have surpassed 70 million times a day by fans globally.” Although that sounds like a ludicrous number, Fallout Shelter‘s simulation gameplay can routinely only require a minute or two of your attention before you can allow your Dwellers to function on their own.

Fallout Shelter isn’t the only Fallout app coming this year, however. The “Pip-Boy” companion app will allow you to manage your inventory and perks in Fallout 4 while you’re on the go, and the limited Pip-Boy Edition of the game includes a replica device with a slot to place your smartphone. If you’re looking for something a little more “real,” there are several videos on YouTube of custom-made Pip-Boy units, as well.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

The best Fallout 3 mods

An alpha deathclaw enforcer attacking in Fallout 3.

Right alongside Skyrim, Fallout 3 is one of the most modded games of all time. Bethesda took this series and transformed it into an open-world adventure that had never really been seen up to that point. As much as there was to do in that base experience, there was a limit to what could be done. However, dedicated fans didn't let that end their fun and began modding the game with new features, quality of life improvements, and new content to extend the life of Fallout 3 to the point where you can still play it today and have an amazing time. Now that modders have had well over a decade to work with the game, there are potentially thousands of mods you can try out, but these are the best ones we've found.
FWE - FO3 Wanderers Edition

Let's kick things off with a bang and talk about the FWE - FO3 Wanderers Edition mod. Calling this a single mod is kind of a misnomer since it actually integrates over 50 other mods into one massive package. The purpose is to rework the balance and depth of the game to be more fair and give players more opportunities to role-play. This mod does make the game intentionally harder than the base version. Combat is faster and more determined by player skilll. Also, which perks and skills you have make a bigger difference. Injuries need to be treated more carefully, over 40 new weapons and pieces of armor have been added, AI has been enhanced, and dozens of other changes were implemented to make the game more immersive. It's the simplest way to give another playthrough some spice.
Fellout

Gaming

After Amazon’s Fallout, these games deserve TV adaptations next

Ella Purnell in the Fallout TV show.

Something about postapocalyptic video games makes them perfect for adaptations. Fallout, The Last of Us, and Twisted Metal all have that kind of setting and have been some of the most well-liked video game adaptations ever. Maybe it's because the apocalypse provides such a rich sandbox to play in, or maybe it's because that kind of setting forces characters to make difficult choices, but it's the kind of setting that makes for both good gaming and TV.

Now that video game adaptations like these have been massive successes, Hollywood will probably start looking to see what other postapocalyptic video games are ripe for adaptation. Some are already in the works -- Death Stranding, The Division, Days Gone, and Horizon Zero Dawn all have adaptations in development -- but here are five more I'd like to see.
Metro

Gaming

The best Fallout 76 mods

Fallout 76 covered in snow.

It's fair to say that Fallout 76 wasn't exactly what fans were hoping for when it launched. Instead of being a single-player RPG like Fallout 4, 3, and New Vegas, 76 was a pseudo MMO where you joined multiplayer servers to play in a persistent world. A multiplayer Falloutsounds great on paper, but the execution wasn't what people were looking for. Many years and updates later, the game is in a far better state, but not quite up to the standard of some hardcore fans. However, Bethesda games are among the most famous for the quality of mods made for them, and at this point, there are thousands of mods available for Fallout 76. We've scoured every inch of Appalachia to collect only the best Fallout 76 mods.
Ultimist's High Detailed Map Plus

The default map in Fallout 76 looks ripped right out of a tourist's guide. That's cool for theming and everything, but not so useful when trying to find anything besides major locations. The map is surprisingly bare in detail considering how much walking around and exploring you do. Ultimist's High Detailed Map Plus rips up that old map and replaces it with a much more detailed and appealing map to navigate. It marks all the normal locations you need, plus every vendor and 440 resource deposits (which you can toggle on or off to reduce clutter). It might not sound like a big deal, but any Fallout fan knows how much time you spend on the map menu.
Better Inventory