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The main story of Amazon’s Fallout TV series takes place in Los Angeles in 2296. That is nine years after Fallout 4 and 15 years after Fallout: New Vegas, based on Bethesda’s published game timeline. The show also includes pre-war flashbacks to the period before the Great War in 2077.
Where the show fits in the Fallout timeline
Amazon identifies the series’ main-story setting as Los Angeles in 2296, 219 years after the nuclear apocalypse. Bethesda’s timeline places the two most recent major game settings before it: Fallout: New Vegas in 2281 and Fallout 4 in 2287.
| Year | Event or story |
|---|---|
| 2077 | The Great War and nuclear apocalypse |
| 2102 | Fallout 76 begins, 25 years after the Great War |
| 2161 | Fallout |
| 2241 | Fallout 2 |
| 2277 | Fallout 3 |
| 2281 | Fallout: New Vegas |
| 2287 | Fallout 4 |
| 2296 | Fallout TV series |
The intervals are in-universe years, not release dates: 2296 is nine years after 2287 and 15 years after 2281. Bethesda described Fallout 4 as the latest mainline game chronologically in its 2022 timeline article.
Is the Fallout show canon, and does it adapt a game?
The series is presented as a new story in the same broad universe, rather than a direct retelling of one game. In Amazon’s series feature, executive producer and Bethesda Game Studios executive Todd Howard said: “We wanted to move the timeline forward and tell a new story in the world because the world of Fallout has always been the main character in our games.”
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- 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
GameSpot reported on April 17, 2024, that Howard confirmed the show is canonical. In the same report, Bethesda studio design director Emil Pagliarulo said of New Vegas’s canonical status: “Of course it is. We’ve never suggested otherwise.” These comments support treating the show as part of the franchise chronology, but do not establish which New Vegas ending is canon.
What about the Fall of Shady Sands?
There is an apparent chronology question involving Shady Sands. GameSpot reports that an on-screen timeline places its Fall in 2277, before New Vegas’s 2281 setting. Howard, as quoted by GameSpot, said: “All I can say is we’re threading it tighter there, but the bombs fall just after the events of New Vegas.”
Rank #2
- 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
The marker and Howard’s comment may refer to different events—the fall and a later bombing—but the cited reporting does not definitively confirm that explanation. It is more accurate to describe this as an unresolved point viewers have debated than to present a reconciliation as settled.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does Season 2 have a different year?
Amazon’s Season 2 coverage says the story picks up after Season 1 and takes the characters through the Mojave to New Vegas. It does not give Season 2 a separate in-world year, so 2296 is the stated series setting; a more exact year for Season 2 is not established there. Amazon’s Season 3 update, last updated June 19, 2026, says Seasons 1 and 2 are available and Season 3 is in production, but supplies no additional chronology date.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 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
Rank #4
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- ANNIVERSARY EDITION — Celebrate ten years of Fallout 4 with the complete post‑nuclear RPG experience, winner of over 200 Best Of awards including DICE and BAFTA Game of the Year.
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Rank #3
- Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition PS3
- console-video-games
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