Fallout Games With The Best Stories

Key Takeaways

• Fallout’s world-building explores social, ethical, and moral themes, adding depth and complexity to the series.
• Fallout 76’s online focus initially lacked depth but improved with the addition of human NPCs in the Wastelanders expansion.
• Fallout 2 stands out as the pinnacle of storytelling in the franchise, offering a complex, extensive narrative with impactful choices.

Being one of the most popular video game franchises, Fallout attracts attention due to its post-apocalyptic setting and unique narrative. The game combines elements of science fiction, drama, and societal parody to explore human nature in extreme situations, making the franchise’s world-building a hallmark among RPGs.

The franchise stands out for exploring social, ethical, and moral themes, offering immersive experiences that challenge players to reflect on their decisions. Each title adds more depth to the series’ incredible universe. Therefore, the Fallout games with the best stories are those that succeed in developing not only the plot but also the complex characters within the universe.

6 Fallout 76

A Story Limited By Being An Online Game

Departing from the franchise’s tradition of offline games, Fallout 76 takes players to the year 2102, just twenty-five years after the Great Nuclear War that shaped the game’s world. As a prequel to the entire series, the game introduced a focus on multiplayer, and therefore, the entire narrative changed.

For example, initially, there were no plans for Fallout 76 to have human NPCs. Players who ventured into the game during its early years experienced a story told through audio logs and environmental elements, resulting in a less deep narrative. Although it made sense for what Fallout 76 aimed to present, the game did not match the series’ depth.

Subsequently, the Wastelanders expansion was released, bringing human NPCs to the game and adding various new content, such as missions and factions. This was fundamental in enriching the narrative, introducing several elements that made the online experience closer to the franchise’s classic feel without neglecting the multiplayer focus and player interaction.

5 Fallout 4

A Game With Excellent Exploration And Freedom

Here, players control the Sole Survivor of Vault 111, one of the various locations where Vault-Tec conducted its macabre experiments, placing the inhabitants in cryogenic sleep chambers. After more than 210 years since the start of the Great Nuclear War, the character needs to find the whereabouts of their kidnapped son while dealing with factions vying for power in the Commonwealth.

Although the story of Fallout 4 has some high points, such as emotional moments, extremely interesting characters, and various well-crafted missions, at times the narrative fails to reach the same depth as previous titles. The story is more linear in various aspects, diminishing the impact of several choices that need to be made.

On the other hand, even if Fallout 4‘s narrative is not as complex as the other games, the title presents one of the franchise’s best open worlds, accompanied by excellent gameplay. In addition to building settlements, players also can customize various equipment, making each adventure through the Commonwealth a unique experience.

4 Fallout 1

A Milestone In Isometric RPG History

Released in 1997, the first Fallout was responsible for establishing all the foundations that define the franchise, introducing a unique and well-developed post-apocalyptic universe. Although the game’s main narrative is relatively simple, centered on the protagonist’s quest for a water chip to save their Vault, the title’s world-building is truly incredible.

Featuring a retro-futuristic atmosphere inspired mainly by the 1940s and 1950s but also earlier years, Fallout 1 combines elements of science fiction with a dystopian vision of the future where humanity invested in nuclear energy. This setting, coupled with a variety of characters and factions, as well as iconic creatures and locations, contributed to the world-building that captivated players.

Furthermore, Fallout 1 introduced well-crafted game mechanics for its time, such as the freedom of choice in story interactions and the possibility to significantly influence the surrounding world. This element, combined with one of the best stories in Fallout, was fundamental to the franchise’s success and relevance to this day.

3 Fallout 3

The First Game Of A New Era In The Franchise

As the first game in the franchise produced by Bethesda Game Studios, Fallout 3 marked a significant transformation in the series by transitioning from the isometric perspective to a 3D environment in the first or third person. This change allowed for deeper immersion in the series’ post-apocalyptic universe, offering an even greater visual experience.

Bethesda also did an excellent job with the narrative, focusing the story on the Lone Wanderer, a resident of Vault 101 who needs to explore the Wasteland in search of their missing father. Throughout the journey, Bethesda was able to competently translate elements that fans were accustomed to in the franchise’s isometric games, presenting new details of a society trying to rebuild after the Great War.

In addition, following other traditions of Bethesda games, Fallout 3 features an even broader open world, filled with side quests and memorable characters to be found throughout the map. Thus, one of the franchise’s main points became the freedom of exploration players have, consolidating this game as one of the series’ milestones and attracting a new generation of fans.

2 Fallout: New Vegas

A Return To The Origins In The Franchise’s 3D Era

Produced by Obsidian Entertainment instead of Bethesda, Fallout: New Vegas sought a return to the essence of the series’ first two titles, introducing this narrative into the 3D environment presented in Fallout 3. Through one of the franchise’s best stories, featuring a complex and branching narrative, the game allowed choices made during missions to directly influence the entire storyline’s unfolding.

Set in the Mojave Wasteland, the game presents the city of New Vegas which, surprisingly preserved, contrasts with the desert devastated by the Great War, offering a glimpse of the past’s glamour. This setting is the stage for an immersive story, with various factions vying for control of the region.

Players assume the role of the Courier who, after surviving an assassination attempt, seeks revenge and answers about the events of the story. Throughout this journey, the protagonist interacts with various major and minor factions, each with different agendas and plans for the city of New Vegas and the entire region, leaving it up to players to decide the fate of each one.

1 Fallout 2

The Pinnacle Of The Series’ Storytelling

Possessing one of the best stories in Fallout, the second game in the franchise is a natural evolution of the first game. Building upon the foundations established by its predecessor, Fallout 2 expanded this post-apocalyptic universe, introducing a more extensive and complex story filled with choices that directly impacted the narrative, as well as memorable characters, especially villains.

In this game, the protagonist is the Chosen One, a descendant of the Vault Dweller from the first Fallout, who embarks on a journey to find the GECK, a device capable of saving their village from destruction. The narrative delves into themes such as survival, morality, and the impact of pre-war technologies.

Furthermore, Fallout 2 significantly expands the game’s world, introducing new factions, cultures, and conflicts. In this context, the protagonist also needs to face the Enclave, remnants of the former United States government seeking to impose an authoritarian vision on the series’ world, representing an imminent danger to all.