The revival of the Fallout franchise is still booming thanks to the release of the TV Show on Amazon Prime Video, and a lot of fans are delving deeper into the franchise. This makes it a perfect time to answer the most lore-important question: when does every Fallout game take place in the timeline?
Complete Fallout Timeline: When Does Every Game Take Place?
The table below will categorize the mainline entries of the franchise in addition to the main spin-off titles that contribute to the lore of the story.
The timeline for every Fallout game in chronological order is as follows:
| Year | Fallout Game |
|---|---|
| 2102 | Fallout 76 |
| 2161 | Fallout |
| 2197 | Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel |
| 2208 | Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel |
| 2241 | Fallout 2 |
| 2277 | Fallout 3 |
| 2281 | Fallout: New Vegas |
| 2286 | Fallout Shelter Online |
| 2287 | Fallout 4 |
| 2296 | Fallout TV Series |
Year 2077: The Great War Begins
This is the beginning of the end. The bombs dropped and the world wasn’t the same. This act of dropping nuclear bombs sent the whole world into chaos and caused the deaths of millions of people. Some lucky few were sheltered inside vaults which kicked off the story of Fallout. If you have watched the TV Show on Amazon Prime, you can get a comprehensive view of this side of the story.
Year 2102: Fallout 76
Even though it is the latest entry in the mainline franchise, it is set in the earliest stages of the nuclear fallout in terms of chronology. Fallout 76 takes place 25 years after the bombs dropped and sees the settlers trying to get back to their lives after the devastation. The ‘ugly duckling’ of the franchise, this game is in a much better stage than it was when it was released.
Even though Fallout 76 was criticized heavily for being a multiplayer game, the fans have adjusted to it and now consider it a decent title encompassing the franchise lore.
Year 2161: Fallout
The first Fallout is chronologically the third title in the franchise. The story follows a vault dweller who ventures into the wasteland on a mission to replace the water chip for the members of Vault 13. The game is set in Southern California.
Even though the dweller wasn’t able to return to their home vault at the end, it kickstarted the development of the wastelands both lore and franchise-wise.
Year 2197: Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel is the first spin-off in the franchise and is conveniently named after the famous, Brotherhood of Steel, one of the most powerful factions in the Fallout universe. This tactical game follows the story of an initiate in the Brotherhood of Steel when the faction was in its early years.
Fans of XCOM games will have loads of fun with this one since there is quite a decent amount of strategic thought that goes into playing it. It is also not considered canon by Bethesda.
Year 2208: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
This is quite an important entry for the franchise since it brought the consoles into the picture. Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel was released for the PS2 and Xbox as an action RPG. However, it is not canon to the franchise like the Brotherhood of Steel entry before it as well.
There is no reason for anyone to consume the lore of this game as it falls short of the entries in the franchise.
Year 2241: Fallout 2
The year is 2241 which also marks the beginning of Fallout 2. Released for PC in 1998, it takes place almost 100 years after the first Fallout. The story follows the descendant of the vault dweller we saw in the original Fallout. A lot of features were carried from the first game which then became the core mechanics of the franchise.
The player tries to develop the village of Arroyo, which was founded by the protagonist of the first Fallout, and help it become a full-fledged city in the New Californian Republic.
Year 2277: Fallout 3
Set 200 years after the bombs dropped, Fallout 3 drops players right into Washington D.C. Most of the fans of the franchise came from Fallout 3 as it switched from the isometric view to the first-person game we know today.
The protagonist of the game is a vault dweller who was born and raised in Vault 101 which is an experiment. The Vault was designed to never be opened. The story follows the escaped protagonist and marks the first time the V.A.T.S. was ever seen in a Fallout game. Many improvements have been made to the franchise since then but Fallout 3 remains the bedrock on which the franchise is built.
Year 2281: Fallout: New Vegas
Taking place four years after the events of Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas gave us a fully developed New California Republic that spans the entirety of the West Coast. The protagonist is a courier residing in the society built in the wastelands instead of being a vault dweller which was a switch-up for the franchise.
While retaining most of the features from Fallout 3, it also brought back the reputation system from Fallout 2.
Year 2286: Fallout Shelter Online
This game is not canon to the main Fallout timeline but it is quite fun for mobile players. The protagonist of this game is a successor to a vault overseer. Characters from all across the Fallout games make an appearance in this game in addition to various factions and monsters.
This game is perfect for folks who want a nostalgia trip without necessarily damaging the image of the Fallout franchise they had in their minds.
Year 2287: Fallout 4
Taking place 210 years after the bombs dropped, Fallout 4 changed the game for fans. The immersive open world combined with the character customization made it a beloved entry in the franchise with a Metacritic score of 87. We follow the story of the Sole Survivor from Vault 111 who attempts to navigate the post-apocalyptic world.
We also get to see a pre-apocalyptic America in the prologue of the game before the bombs drop. With base-building mechanics, diverse open worlds, and an immersive character creation system, Fallout 4 is one of the best in the franchise.
Year 2296: Fallout TV Series
The Fallout adaptation on the OTT screens is the most recent addition to the lore of the franchise. Set approximately ten years after Fallout 4, the story follows the lives of vault dwellers and even delves into the Brotherhood of Steel and the past. It also features many iconic characters from the games so if you have been up to date with the franchise, you will have a good time with this show.
The franchise’s RPG roots filled with great characters and incredible building mechanics of settlements have skyrocketed its success. There is a Fallout 5 game in the works which we suspect is going to be the continuation of the franchise into the future. The game is much awaited by the fans, especially after the success of the TV series which has fans left fans parched for more Fallout content. For anything and everything related to Fallout, check out our Fallout page.
