For the six mainline Fallout RPGs, Windows Central’s April 16, 2024 ranking runs from Fallout 76 at the bottom to Fallout: New Vegas at the top. It is one outlet’s editorial judgment, not an objective score or a universal consensus. The list leaves out spin-offs because their formats make direct comparison difficult.
That boundary matters: “every Fallout game” can mean the main RPGs, standalone spin-offs, or any Fallout-branded playable release. This ranking uses the six-game scope of Windows Central’s feature.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Fallout 4 Game of The Year Edition - PlayStation 4 | $30.81 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Fallout 3 - PlayStation 3 Game of the Year Edition | $20.80 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Fallout Collection (PC) | $44.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Fallout Collection - PC | $49.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Fallout Collection (PC) | $49.99 | Buy on Amazon |
The six mainline Fallout games, ranked
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Fallout 76
Windows Central places the online multiplayer RPG last, citing its 2018 launch’s limited content, technical problems, and lack of NPCs. The article also recognizes that free expansions and updates had since added story, role-playing, and gameplay content and improved performance by the time of its 2024 ranking. Its position reflects the outlet’s overall assessment, not a claim that the launch version and later game are identical.
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Fallout 2
The sequel expands the original with more locations, factions, characters, quests, and encounters. That breadth is its strength and its trade-off: Windows Central finds the result less focused, with a zanier tone than the first game.
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Fallout 4 Game of The Year Edition - PlayStation 4- Freedom and Liberty Do whatever you want in a massive open world with hundreds of locations, characters, and quests. Join multiple factions vying for power or go it alone, the choices are all yours
- Be whoever you want with the special character system. From a power Armored soldier to the charismatic smooth talker, you can choose from hundreds of perks and develop your own playstyle
- New next generation graphics and lighting engine brings to life the world of fallout. From the blasted forests of the common wealth to the ruins of Boston, every location is packed with dynamic detail
- Intense first or third person combat can also be slowed down with the new dynamic Vault Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S) that lets you choose your attacks and enjoy cinematic carnage
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Fallout
The 1997 original earns praise for its worldbuilding, characters, and writing, which can move between serious and comic. Quests offer branching ways to reach an outcome, though some time limits can frustrate players. It is a strong pick if you want classic role-playing and can accept an older presentation.
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Fallout 4
Windows Central highlights its graphics, shooting, character-build variety, weapon customization, and settlement construction. It ranks below the next two games because, in the outlet’s view, its dialogue and role-playing opportunities are less compelling. Choose it if action and making a place in the Commonwealth are more important to you than the deepest dialogue choices.
Rank #2
Fallout 3 - PlayStation 3 Game of the Year Edition- Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition PS3
- console-video-games
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Fallout 3
Set in the Capital Wasteland around Washington, D.C., Fallout 3 ranks above Fallout 4 in this list for its dialogue, role-playing, and writing. Bethesda’s official timeline calls it the first mainline Fallout on consoles and says it introduced the reimagined Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S. The game’s 3D first-person action and V.A.T.S. helped establish a different feel from the earlier isometric entries.
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Fallout: New Vegas
The Mojave-set RPG takes first place for its writing, dialogue, branching story and quests, memorable factions and characters, and dense open world. Windows Central flags bugs and crashes on PC and points to community stability and bug-fix mods; that is a platform-specific caveat from its feature, not a guarantee that every present-day setup has the same problems. For players who prize writing and meaningful choices, it is the ranking’s clearest starting point. Windows Central also names Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition as a purchasable edition; availability varies by retailer and region.
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Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.Rank #3
Why other Fallout rankings can look different
The order is a critical verdict, not a franchise-wide consensus. The Escapist’s October 2024 list covers nine standalone games, also puts New Vegas first and Fallout 76 last, but ranks Fallout 3 above the original, Fallout 2, and Tactics. Different entries and different judgments can change the middle of a list even when the top and bottom align.
What counts as a Fallout game?
Bethesda’s official franchise timeline includes more than the six mainline RPGs. It lists Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel (2001), Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (2004), Fallout Shelter (2015), and Fallout Pinball (2016), alongside the major RPG entries. Bethesda describes Pinball as a Fallout-themed table for the Pinball FX series. The Escapist’s nine-game list includes three major spin-offs and omits Pinball, illustrating why counts differ according to whether a list means standalone releases or any Fallout-branded playable experience.
Rank #4
- UK version, for ages 16+
This article ranks the six mainline RPGs only. The spin-offs are not placed alongside them because tactical combat, vault management, and a pinball table do not offer the same kind of experience as the role-playing games.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose by the kind of Fallout you want to play
| If you value… | Start with… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Writing and branching choices | Fallout: New Vegas | It is the top pick in this ranking for its writing, dialogue, factions, and branching story and quests. |
| Shooting, builds, and constructing a settlement | Fallout 4 | Its strengths here are gunplay, build variety, weapon customization, and settlement construction. |
| Online multiplayer | Fallout 76 | Bethesda describes it as the first entry where fans could explore online with friends. |
| Squad tactics | Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel | It is a spin-off with a tactical format, so it is a better fit than the main RPG ranking for strategy fans. |
| Classic isometric, turn-based role-playing | Fallout or Fallout 2 | The first two games have a markedly different presentation and combat style from the later 3D entries. |
| Vault management | Fallout Shelter | It offers a management format rather than a mainline open-world RPG. |
Release order is not the same as story chronology
The series’ release history begins with Fallout in 1997, followed by Fallout 2 a year later, according to Windows Central. Bethesda’s timeline identifies Fallout 3 (2008), Fallout: New Vegas (2010), and Fallout 4 (2015), and notes Fallout 76 as the start of the fictional chronology: it is set 25 years after the Great War of 2077. So Fallout 76 comes last in this ranking, but first in the series’ in-universe timeline.
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