• Guide

Fallout video games and TV show complete timeline

From the first Fallout games to the show on Prime Video, here's where everything falls in the Fallout timeline.

Donovan Erskine

April 11, 2024 2:00 PM

Bethesda Softworks

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The Fallout franchise has been around since the 90s and has seen multiple evolutions and a television adaptation. While most Fallout media focuses on its own unique characters and locations, it all takes place in one large universe. If you’re trying to figure out where everything takes place, here’s a full timeline of the games and the show that make up the Fallout universe.

Fallout universe complete timeline

Here’s where every piece of major Fallout media falls on the official timeline. Most stories take place in a different order than when they were originally released. The following information was shared by Bethesda Design Director Emil Pagliarulo.

2077 - Bombs drop

The event that kicked off the story of Fallout. The dropping of nuclear bombs happened in 2077 and resulted in the deaths of billions of people, and sent many survivors into underground vaults. It’s an event covered heavily in the Fallout television show.

2102 - Fallout 76

The most recent mainline game in the series, Fallout 76, is the first piece of media after the world became a wasteland. The multiplayer game sees members of Vault 76 attempt to re-colonize the Appalachian region of the United States.

2161 - Fallout 1

The first Fallout game is up next in the timeline. Before Bethesda acquired the rights to the franchise, Interplay delivered a post-apocalyptic story about a Vault-Dweller who journeys into the Wasteland in order to retrieve resources for the members of their vault, Vault 13, which is located in Southern California.

2197 - Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel

The first Fallout spin-off, Fallout Tactics, centers its story on members of the Brotherhood of Steel, a military faction in the Fallout universe. This game is set in the Midwestern region of the United States.

2241 - Fallout 2

Fallout 2 is a direct sequel to the first game, despite taking eight decades after its events. The game is once again set in California, and the protagonist is the grandchild of the protagonist from the previous game.

2277 - Fallout 3

Fallout 3 is set exactly two hundred years after the bombs dropped. Often regarded as one of the best entries in the series, Fallout 3 marked a major shift for Fallout, as it was the first game in the franchise developed by Bethesda Game Studios, and made the switch from an isometric, turn-based format to first-person action gameplay. The game is set in Washington D.C., with parts of Virginia and Maryland also explorable.

2281 - Fallout: New Vegas

Another beloved entry in the Fallout series, Fallout: New Vegas was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and, as the name implies, takes place in a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas (as well as other regions in Nevada and Arizona). While it retained the first-person action style introduced in Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas brought back several elements from the original Fallout games, including the reputation system from Fallout 2.

2287 - Fallout 4

Fallout 4 took the series back to the east coast with its Boston and New England setting. Referred to as The Commonwealth, this region is home to Vault 111, where the protagonist awakes from cryo sleep as the vault’s sole survivor.

2296 - Fallout TV show

The Fallout show on Prime Video is set 219 years after the bombs dropped, making it the most chronologically up-to-date piece of Fallout media. It goes back to the series’ roots with its Southern California setting. The show explores the lives of Vault-dwellers, the Brotherhood of Steel, and the circumstances that led to nuclear warfare.

That’s a full rundown of where all the Fallout games and the TV show fall on the universe timeline. If you’re looking to get into Fallout, its anthology approach to storytelling makes most mainline games a decent entry point.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_