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What Is the Commonwealth in Fallout 4?

The Commonwealth is Fallout 4’s post-nuclear Boston in 2287. Here’s how the setting, Sole Survivor story, settlements, factions, and current editions fit together.
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The Commonwealth is Fallout 4’s post-nuclear Boston region, explored in the year 2287. You play as the Sole Survivor, who awakens from cryogenic stasis after the bombs fall in 2077 and sets out to find family. The journey also puts you amid rival factions, settlements to build, and choices that shape the region’s future.

What is the Commonwealth in Fallout 4?

In Fallout 4, “the Commonwealth” is the name used for the ruins of Boston and the surrounding post-nuclear setting. Bethesda’s Fallout 4 page describes the player’s task as exploring the post-nuclear Commonwealth and deciding its fate; Bethesda’s franchise timeline identifies the game’s year as 2287.

Where does Fallout 4 take place, and when?

The story unfolds around Boston roughly two centuries after the bombs fell in 2077. The protagonist survived the initial catastrophe in cryogenic stasis, then wakes in a changed world as the Sole Survivor. The personal search for family gives the main story its starting point, while exploration brings you into contact with the people and conflicts shaping the Commonwealth.

What can you do in the Commonwealth?

Explore and shape the region

Exploration is central: the game invites you to travel through the post-nuclear setting and make decisions about what becomes of it. The Commonwealth is not just a backdrop to the family search; Bethesda presents it as a place whose fate is affected by the player.

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Fallout 4 - PlayStation 4
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Build settlements

Settlement construction is part of Fallout 4’s official feature set. It lets players create places to live and develop within the larger world, alongside the main quest and exploration.

Travel with companions and encounter factions

You can recruit companions from a roster of characters, while factions compete over survival and the Commonwealth’s future. These relationships and competing interests add another dimension to the player’s choices.

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Which Fallout 4 edition includes the Commonwealth content?

Bethesda’s Anniversary Edition announcement lists the base game, six official add-ons, and over 150 Creation Club items. The six add-ons are Automatron, Far Harbor, Nuka-World, Contraptions Workshop, Vault-Tec Workshop, and Wasteland Workshop. Bethesda announced this edition on November 10, 2025 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4. Bethesda’s announcement provides the edition details.

Nintendo Switch 2 version

Bethesda announced Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition for Nintendo Switch 2 on February 24, 2026, with the base game, all six add-ons, and over 150 curated Creation Club items. The physical release is code-in-box, not a cartridge: the box contains a game code. In this version, the included content is built into the game and there is no Creations menu. See Bethesda’s Switch 2 announcement.

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Creations on other listed platforms

For Anniversary Edition and earlier Fallout 4 versions on other platforms, Bethesda says players can access Creations through the in-game Creations menu. Some content is free and some can be purchased with Creation Credits; availability can differ by region, title, and platform. The Anniversary Edition’s included item count should not be taken to mean every Creation is available everywhere or included with every edition. Bethesda explains these distinctions in its Creations support information.

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