Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Guides

All Fallout games, ranked

By
Fallout 3 key art featuring the protagonist wearing the iconic power armor.
Bethesda

Who would’ve thought the post-apocalypse could be such a fun time? The Fallout franchise has taken the idea of a Mad Max–like future and not only made it into a wildly popular game franchise but also a hit TV series. The core franchise has been around since the late ’90s, and yet we’ve had only a handful of mainline entries in the series since it was revived by Bethesda with Fallout 3. With Starfield in the rearview mirror and the next Elder Scrolls title currently being the dev team’s focus, it could be close to another decade before we can set foot in the wasteland ourselves once again. What better time, then, to look back at the franchise and rank all the games from best to worst?

Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout: New Vegas
87 %
M
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre Shooter, Role-playing (RPG)
Developer Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment, 1C/Cenega, Bethesda Softworks
Release October 19, 2010
So much was stacked against Fallout: New Vegas from being great. Obsidian had a mere 18 months to make the entire game, and while that time constraint did show in terms of bugs and stability, it didn’t hold back the quality of writing or depth of role-playing whatsoever. This makes a lot of sense when you consider many of the original creators of Fallout had gone on to form Obsidian. Years later, a combination of patches and fan mods has finally revealed just how impressive and dynamic the game is. To this day, few games are as open-ended in how they let you complete (and fail) quests.
Fallout: New Vegas Trailer - E3 2010
Recommended Videos

Fallout

Fallout
86 %
M
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PC DOS, Mac
Genre Role-playing (RPG), Turn-based strategy (TBS)
Developer Black Isle Studios, The Omni Group
Publisher Interplay Entertainment, Edusoft, MacPlay
Release September 30, 1997
The second and third picks could swap places depending on who you ask because they’re so different in design, but we give the edge to the original Fallout. Aside from introducing the entire world and lore of the universe, it also set the tone of dark humor that has carried on through the entire series since. Gameplay-wise, the series began as an isometric turn-based RPG instead of the open-world RPG it would turn into. It is a bit more hardcore in terms of difficulty and managing items and your character, but very rewarding for the level of depth and variety of builds you are afforded.
Fallout Intro Movie
Related

Fallout 3

Fallout 3
84 %
M
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre Shooter, Role-playing (RPG)
Developer Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher Bethesda Softworks
Release October 28, 2008
The first game to catch mainstream appeal and bring the series to the modern era was Bethesda’s Fallout 3. It reimagined the classic isometric games in the Elder Scrolls–style open-world RPG, and the two ended up being a fantastic mix. It made the somewhat intimidating look and feel of the original games far more approachable by making it a first- or third-person game and streamlining the RPG systems while still offering a ton of player choice and different outcomes for quests depending on your actions. The inclusion of the VATS system also helped smooth over the game’s lacking shooting mechanics with a satisfying slow-down that called back to the original’s turn-based systems.
Fallout 3 - Trailer (Official)

Fallout 4

Fallout 4
80 %
M
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Shooter, Role-playing (RPG)
Developer Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher Bethesda Softworks
Release November 09, 2015
The biggest knock against Fallout 4 is that it is just Fallout 3 but bigger. If you liked Fallout 3, then that might be all you want, but after eight years between games, a lot of people felt this sequel didn’t live up to the legacy it was set up for. Unfortunately, it also took a step back in a lot of ways, such as the dialogue system that restricted you to a maximum of four choices that were far too vague to properly tell what your character was going to say in any given situation. This was tied to the choice to give your character a voice, meaning options had to be limited to accommodate each one being spoken. The settlement system was also a kind of love-it-or-hate-it addition. Fallout 4 is a mixed bag, but there’s more good than bad to find.
Fallout 4 Official - Announcement Trailer (Official)

Fallout 2

Fallout 2
90 %
M
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
Genre Puzzle, Role-playing (RPG), Turn-based strategy (TBS)
Developer Black Isle Studios, The Omni Group
Publisher Interplay Entertainment, MacPlay
Release October 29, 1998
Whether you like the changes Fallout 4 made, at least it tried new things. Fallout 2 is almost identical to Fallout but with a new story. This sequel came out only a year after the first, and it shows. There are a few tweaks to systems here and there, but the only thing that makes this game a bit more newcomer-friendly is the fact that your main quest isn’t on a time limit so you don’t feel pressured to rush the main quest and skip everything else. Writing is subjective, of course, but many people do prefer the story, setting, and characters of the first over the sequel. Since the gameplay is largely untouched, that’s going to make a big difference in where it ranks.
Fallout 2 Trailer 11/1998

Fallout Shelter

Fallout Shelter
64 %
T
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Strategy
Developer Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher Bethesda Softworks
Release June 14, 2015
Thankfully Fallout Shelter is a completely skippable, much smaller game. It was originally relegated to mobile devices but has since come to consoles as well; however, we don’t recommend playing it anywhere if you’re expecting anything resembling a traditional Fallout experience. You play as an Overseer of a vault in a management sim-style game where you take care of all your vault dwellers, building new rooms, and trying to make them happy and productive. It uses the admittedly appealing cartoony art style from the fictional Vault Tec advertising to great effect, but there’s very little substance here. It’s a fine distraction if you just want something Fallout–themed, but shares almost nothing with what people love any of the main games for.
Fallout Shelter - Announcement Trailer

Fallout 76

Fallout 76
58 %
M
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Genre Shooter, Role-playing (RPG)
Developer Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher Bethesda Softworks
Release November 14, 2018

Well, maybe changing things too much isn’t such a good thing as Fallout 76 showed. On paper, Fallout 76 sounded like every fan’s dream game. It was going to be a full Fallout experience, but multiplayer. What could go wrong? At launch, it might be easier to list what didn’t go wrong with Fallout 76. The game was ugly, ran poorly, was riddled with bugs, had no NPCs, boring and repetitive quests, and so on. Granted, the game has been improved a ton in the years since with many patches and expansions, but that core idea just never came together to make a good Fallout game. Something about that magic was lost in the transition to a multiplayer, persistent game.

Fallout 76 – The Power of the Atom! Intro to Nukes Gameplay Video

Editors' Recommendations

Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…
All console commands and cheats for Fallout: New Vegas
The courier holding a gun with a welcome sign in the background in Fallout: New Vegas key art.

From the moment you begin your adventure in Fallout: New Vegas, you've already cheated death. Your first playthrough of the game should be done as the developers intended, though maybe with a couple of mods to make the experience a little smoother, but nothing that breaks the game. That said, it's been over a decade since the game came out, so odds are you've already played through the intended way at least once. This is when you can have some fun tinkering with the game and play using console commands and cheats if you're on the PC version of the game. There are a ton of commands you can input to manipulate your character, the world, objects, and more. Here's a full rundown of all the cheats there are and how to activate them.
How to enter console commands
Opening up the command console to type in your cheats is just a single keystroke away. While in the game (not paused), hit the ~ key located below your escape key. This will remove your HUD and bring up the prompt to type in any of the below cheats.
All Fallout: New Vegas console commands and cheats

Because there are so many console commands, we're going to break them down into general categories to make it easier for you to find what you're looking for based on what you want to do.
Faction and reputation cheats
addreputation <form id> <variable> <amount> -- Increases your reputation with a faction.

Read more
These are the 10 best gaming PCs I’d recommend to anyone
Graphics card in the CLX Hathor PC.

We review dozens of gaming PCs each year. In 2024, there are a ton of great options, but we've narrowed them down to a list of the 10 best gaming desktops that deserve your hard-earned money.

In 2024, we still recommend the Alienware Aurora R16 because of its fantastic design, solid performance, and decent value. However, there are several other options depending on your needs and budget. If you want a deeper look into how we evaluate gaming PCs, make sure to read about how we review desktops.

Read more
The best Power Armor in Fallout 4 and where to find each set
Fallout 4 key art featuring the power armor suit hung up in an armory.

From the very first Fallout game, the Power Armor has been every wastelander's dream to pilot. This hulking suit of armor can make your normally squishy Vault Dweller nigh unkillable in Fallout 4. But there's more than just one type of Power Armor, and each one has different stats and requirements to wear. Not only that, but some you might find one piece at a time and need to build yourself, while others can be found as a complete set. If you want to make even a Deathclaw think twice about attacking you, only the best Power Armor will do. Here are the best suits in Fallout 4 and where to find them.
Raider Power Armor

This is the only Power Armor in Fallout 4 that even a base-level player can wear right off the bat. While that's great, it does mean it's the weakest option out there. The best stats you can get with it are 500 damage resistance, 250 energy resistance, and 1,050 radiation resistance for a total rating of 1,800. It's great for the early game if you can snag one, but is quickly outclassed by everything else on this list. A guaranteed spawn for this armor is in the cave right beside Skylanes Flight 1665 on your map.
T-45 Power Armor

Read more