Fallout is a legendary series of post-apocalyptic RPGs that began with Interplay Entertainment and later evolved under multiple studios, with the newest mainline entries developed by Bethesda Game Studios.
Over time, Fallout transformed from an isometric, turn-based RPG into a massive open-world experience, adding modern mechanics while keeping its signature mix of dark humor, moral choices, and wasteland survival. If you want to explore the franchise (or revisit it in the best possible order), here are some of the best Fallout games you can play right now.
Best Fallout Games to Play Right Now
Fallout games are famous for their immersive worlds, choice-driven quests, and the feeling that every ruined town, vault, and radiation-soaked road has a story behind it. Some entries focus on deep roleplay and branching outcomes, while others lean into exploration, base-building, or online co-op survival. No matter what kind of RPG player you are, there’s a Fallout that fits your mood.
Fallout (1997)
Starting with the classic, the original Fallout remains one of the most important RPGs ever made. Set in post-apocalyptic California, you play as the Vault Dweller, tasked with finding a replacement water purification chip to save your underground home. The journey pulls you into harsh wastelands, tense conversations, and tactical, turn-based combat where planning matters as much as firepower.
Fallout Classic Collection
Release Date: November 01, 1997
Genres: Role-playing (RPG)
Even today, Fallout’s design still stands out thanks to its atmosphere and the way it introduced RPG ideas that influenced countless games afterward.
Best for: old-school roleplay, turn-based combat, and classic Fallout tone
Fallout 2 (1998)
If you love the original’s style, Fallout 2 is the natural next step. It expands the formula with a bigger world, more quests, more factions, and even more room to shape your character through choices. You play as the Chosen One, searching for a solution to save your village, while the wasteland around you feels larger, stranger, and more reactive.
Fallout 2
Release Date: December 01, 1998
Genres: Puzzle, Role-playing (RPG), Turn-based strategy (TBS)
Fallout 2 is often praised for how much freedom it gives you in solving problems—through speech, stealth, clever builds, or brute force.
Best for: classic Fallout with more content, more choices, and deeper roleplay
Fallout 3 (2008)
Fallout 3 was a major turning point for the franchise: the first fully 3D open-world Fallout, developed by Bethesda. Set in a ruined Washington, D.C., you play as the Lone Wanderer, searching for your missing father while uncovering the Capital Wasteland’s dangers and secrets.
Fallout 3
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Genres: Shooter, Role-playing (RPG)
One of its biggest additions is V.A.T.S.—an “active pause” combat system that lets you slow down action, target specific body parts, and spend action points strategically. Fallout 3 also leans heavily into moral choices, allowing your decisions to shape outcomes and how people react to you.
Best for: first-person exploration, memorable side quests, and classic open-world Fallout discovery
Fallout: New Vegas (2010)
Fallout: New Vegas is a fan-favorite spin-off that builds on Fallout 3’s foundation while pushing choice and consequence even further. The story revolves around a power struggle between major factions like the New California Republic, Caesar’s Legion, and the forces controlling New Vegas itself. You play as the Courier, pulled into political warfare after a job goes violently wrong.
Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition
Release Date: October 21, 2010
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Shooter
This entry is especially loved for its moral dilemmas and how strongly your alliances shape the narrative path and the ending you get.
Best for: branching storylines, faction politics, and roleplay-heavy decision-making
Fallout 4 (2015)
Released in 2015, Fallout 4 delivered a major upgrade in visuals and combat feel, while adding a standout new feature: a deep settlement-building system. Set in the Commonwealth, you play the Sole Survivor, exploring a huge open world full of quests, companions, and threats—while also building up communities and shaping the wasteland in a more literal way.
Fallout 4
Release Date: September 26, 2017
Genres: Shooter, Role-playing (RPG)
The game was widely praised for its exploration, improvements to gunplay, and how settlement building adds long-term goals beyond questing.
Best for: open-world exploration, smoother combat, and base-building progression
Fallout 76 (2018)
Fallout 76 is the first Fallout designed as an online-focused experience, aiming for a more MMO-like structure. Here, you explore a massive world packed with quests and activities, and you can run into other players to team up—or fight over resources and loot. Crafting plays a major role, letting you create gear and supplies to survive the wasteland.
Fallout 76
Release Date: November 14, 2018
Genres: Shooter, Role-playing (RPG)
It’s also worth noting the game features updated visuals and systems like dynamic weather, giving its world a different kind of atmosphere compared to single-player entries.
Best for: shared-world Fallout, co-op survival, and crafting-heavy progression
Final Thoughts
The Fallout series has come a long way—from an isometric, turn-based RPG to sprawling open-world adventures with modern systems and massive maps. Across eras and studios, the franchise remains defined by deep narratives, impactful choices, and the unforgettable vibe of the wasteland. Whether you’re here for old-school roleplay, faction-driven storytelling, settlement building, or online survival, Fallout still offers some of the most iconic post-apocalyptic experiences in gaming.