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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Fallout: New Vegas is canon, but no single one of its four main endings has been established as the exclusive canonical outcome. Bethesda treats the Fallout TV series as part of the franchise’s continuity, too. Its second-season finale returns to a Mojave where the Legion, NCR and Robert House are still competing for New Vegas—not one where the show declares a definitive winner.
Is Fallout: New Vegas canon?
Yes. In April 2024, Bethesda Game Studios design director Emil Pagliarulo answered “Of course it is” when asked whether Fallout: New Vegas is canon, adding, “We’ve never suggested otherwise.” That confirms the game belongs to Fallout continuity. It does not confirm which faction wins the Second Battle of Hoover Dam or select one of the game’s endings as the official outcome. Source
Is the Fallout TV series canon?
Yes. Todd Howard said, “We view what’s happening in the show as canon.” The series tells an original story in the Fallout universe rather than retelling a game. It is set in 2296, after the events of Fallout 4. Source
Fallout’s official timeline
Bethesda’s published chronology places the main games in this order. These dates locate the stories; they do not determine which player choices in New Vegas happened in the show’s version of events.
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- Not even nuclear fallout could slow the hustle of Sin City. Explore the vast expanses of the desert wastelands
- Feuding Factions, Colorful Characters and a Host of Hostiles
- Enjoy new additions to Fallout: Special melee combat moves have been added to bring new meaning to the phrase "up close and personal"
- With double the amount of weapons found in Fallout 3
- In a huge, open world with unlimited options you can see the sights, choose sides, or go it alone
| Story | Setting |
|---|---|
| Fallout 76 | 2102 |
| Fallout | 2161 |
| Fallout 2 | 2241 |
| Fallout 3 | 2277 |
| Fallout: New Vegas | 2281 |
| Fallout 4 | 2287 |
| Fallout TV series | 2296 |
Bethesda published the game chronology on October 17, 2022; the 2296 date for the series is reported by GamesRadar+. Bethesda timeline; GamesRadar+ on the series
Why a canon game does not mean one canon ending
New Vegas lets the player shape the Mojave’s future through four broad main-quest outcomes: Caesar’s Legion, the New California Republic (NCR), Mr. House or an independent New Vegas led through Yes Man. Confirming the game as canon means its story is part of the franchise; it does not, by itself, make one of those player-selected outcomes the sole canonical ending. Source; Source; Source
Rank #2
- Beyond the Wasteland: The world of New Vegas is more expansive than ever. Each new distinct area presents a fresh set of branching-quests, remarkable personalities and more chances to play the Savior or the Pariah to the natives of New Vegas.
- Dead Money: Lured into a trap masquerading as the Sierra Madre Casino, you are thrown into a high stakes game where you'll have to work with three other lost souls if you want to survive.
- Honest Hearts: An expedition into Utah's Zion National Park goes horribly wrong and you become embroiled in a war between tribes and put into a conflict between a New Canaanite missionary and the mysterious Burning Man.
- Old World Blues: Transported to the Big MT research crater, you are enlisted by the Think Tank to save them from their own science experiments that have gone horribly out of control.
- Lonesome Road: Ulysses, the original Courier Six, contacts you and promises to answer why he refused to deliver the Platinum Chip at the start of Fallout: New Vegas, but only if you make one last journey into the treacherous canyons of the Divide.
Howard has described how he weighs continuity: what players see on screen is “the most truthful thing”; material officially written alongside the games is “kind of second truth”; and material outside that, such as spin-offs or online answers, is “kind of third place.” That is his description of an approach, not a universally binding policy document. Source
What the TV show says about New Vegas
Before season 2: avoid overruling player choices
Before season 2, co-showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet said the creative team—including Howard, Jonathan Nolan and Graham Wagner—wanted to avoid making one particular game ending correct, so the show would not contradict players’ experiences. Source
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After season 2: the conflict remains open
The season 2 finale, reported on February 5, 2026, leaves the Legion, NCR and Robert House competing over New Vegas. Robertson-Dworet described an open approach to players’ different experiences: the team wanted them to coexist in the same universe. She said House’s cold-fusion development was intended to feel true to his character while accommodating as many player experiences as possible. Source
That explanation is creator intent, not proof that every detail fits every possible game outcome. Robertson-Dworet later described House’s cold-fusion-powered version as an additional plan for survival—one that could allow many players’ experiences to have happened. His presence, or a suggestive plot detail, is not confirmation that the House ending has been selected as the exclusive canon. Source
Rank #4
- Ultimate Edition
- If you've played Fallout 3, you won't miss a step when transitioning over to New Vegas since it's largely the same in terms of gameplay.
- RPG
- Play in first-person or third-person perspective
Nolan summed up the season 2 approach this way: “We had the delicious idea that at the end of a conflict, 15 years down the line, every faction might think they won, which I think has a bit of a poetic quality to it.” Source
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What can be said with confidence
- Fallout: New Vegas is canon as a game; Bethesda has said so directly.
- The TV series is treated as canon and takes place after the games listed in Bethesda’s chronology.
- The show’s creators have said they wanted to preserve room for different player experiences.
- Season 2’s finale leaves major factions competing over New Vegas rather than naming one game ending as the definitive outcome.
On the evidence available through the post-finale comments in February 2026, the distinction remains: New Vegas is canon, but a single exclusive ending has not been established. A future season or a direct official statement could clarify the question.
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