Every Fallout Game Ranked From Best to Worst

The Fallout series has undergone massive changes over the years, changing developers four times. What started as an isometric RPG on PC has become a huge action RPG franchise for Bethesda, even spreading into the MMO space with Fallout 76. We’ve gone through the entire mainline franchise to rank the Fallout catalog. Importantly, we’re not including spin-off games like Fallout Tactics and Fallout Shelter, though it’s safe to say those games would mostly make up the lower ranks of the list. Here are our favorite Fallout games.

6) Fallout 76

Before we get too far into this ranking, it’s important to note that none of these are “bad.” Well, Fallout 76 isn’t bad now. It was in a terrible state at launch, missing many key features that make Fallout Fallout. Most notably, a complete lack of NPCs.

Thankfully, Bethesda has stuck with Fallout 76, and that commitment has paid dividends. When the Amazon Fallout TV series became a massive hit, FO76 was one of the beneficiaries of players wanting more Fallout to dive into. The hype around the show led to Fallout 76 hitting an all-time player count high, six years after it launched. That said, it still feels a little Fallout-light for long-time fans.

5) Fallout 4

Call us old heads, if you want, but the changes to Fallout 4‘s dialogue system were a big mistake. Add in all the usual Bethesda glitches, and you have a game that sometimes felt like a step back from the studio’s first effort with the series.

However, F4 also does quite a bit very well. The Commonwealth is filled with memorable ruins to explore and people to meet. The base-building gimmick was a great way to spend a weekend building your perfect compound. Now, if only they’d made Codsworth romanceable.

4) Fallout

Some might complain that the original Fallout is tough to play, given how far modern game design has come. We feel bad for them because they’re missing out on one of the greats. Even more than modern Fallout, the choices you make in character creation deeply impact your experience.

That’s probably best seen in Intelligence. If your stat is low enough, you’ll have completely different dialogue options. It is a classic RPG game. Your stats matter. Developer Interplay lets you play your way much more than Bethesda.

RELATED: Fallout Players Are Buying Elder Scrolls Oblivion Remastered in Hopes of More Remasters

The original Fallout’s story set the tone for future installments. While filled with humor, the main throughline asks you to make tough choices. The post-apocalyptic setting was also relatively refreshing at the time, with most other games sticking with the fantasy world.

3) Fallout 3

It’s become cliche at this point, but the scene where you exit the Vault in Fallout 3 is one of the best moments in gaming history. The deeply ambitious change to the original Fallout style mostly paid off, though some fans have rightfully bristled at the ending.

For everything Bethesda’s first game doesn’t do well (so many bugs), they nail the atmosphere of Fallout in the art direction for the ruins of Washington, D.C. The world looks and feels oppressive, nailing that post-apocalyptic vibe.

And while it has its haters, we loved the V.A.T.S. system as a way to bring back the tactical nature of the original games. Sure, real-time combat lacked precision, but that served to make fights against Super Mutant Behemoths feel that much more harrowing.

2) Fallout 2

Fallout 2 was made by Black Isle Studios, a division of Interplay headed by Feargus Urquhart. The studio would go on to release several critically acclaimed RPGs, including Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale. However, Fallout 2 was its first game, and for some, it’s best.

The sequel to Interplay’s hit RPG is mostly focused on doing everything bigger and better. Its most important addition is the new reputation mechanic that lets you form relationships with various factions and settlements. That feature has gone on to be a key addition to most future Fallout games, with New Vegas and Fallout 4 making it instrumental.

Some players didn’t love the wackier tone many of the missions had in Fallout 2, but we’re huge fans of the “Wild Wasteland,” as it came to be known in New Vegas. Even if you don’t love that aspect, Fallout 2 is one of the best RPGs ever made.

1) Fallout: New Vegas

When Bethesda turned over the Fallout keys to Obsidian Entertainment for a spin-off, it’s hard to say if they realized the monster they were unleashing. Simply put, Obsidian took Bethesda’s first effort and improved on it in nearly every way. Bethesda is still trying to better Obsidian nearly 15 years later.

New Vegas‘ version of Sin City is filled with engaging missions, well-written characters, and some of the best humor in the series’ long history. It was able to perfectly straddle the line between Interplay and Black Isle’s traditional RPG mechanics and Bethesda’s action-heavy update.

Bethesda may have gone bigger with Fallout 4, but it lacks the heart that makes New Vegas such a fan favorite. And the best news is that fans have given back to the community with countless mods. That’s true about every modern Fallout, but New Vegas‘ modding scene has proven to be one of the most dedicated.

Obsidian’s version of Fallout is, so far, the pinnacle of the series. It’s everything an update to the classic games should be, and it’s too bad we’ll likely never see them get another crack at the legendary series.