With the Fallout TV show recently debuting on Amazon Prime (it is very good, by the way), this must be a most auspicious time to step into the realm of Fallout. Whether you are a beginner to the series or a long-standing veteran returning to the franchise, it can be rather difficult to pinpoint exactly when and where the events of the game and show would occur.
However, Fallout Games are all located in the same universe, but they stand alone with just a few references to one another. This allows you to play any Fallout title without being out of the loop.
If you want to enjoy the complete Fallout series or if you want to gather crisp information about Fallout lore, here’s the Fallout timeline in chronological order for your reference.
When Does the Fallout Series start?
The Fallout series began in the 1950s. Technically speaking, the Fallout series starts a little later than this, but as it takes place in a different world, it is essential to keep in mind that the rift starts occurring in the 1950s-the primary one being made in 1969. Ironically, that’s the same time Fallout USA splits into 13 commonwealths instead of 50 states.
Fallout 4 Prologue – 2077
Unlike Fallout 76, which is the most recent in the series, Fallout 4 takes us to the bombing of the Commonwealth just slightly ahead and celebrates perhaps its only chance in the whole game to have the player interactively witness such a laundry list of destruction. You create a character the classic way before being zapped to a nearby vault while sirens blare their warning of the impending doom. Following the fallout of the bombs as you descend into the vault, it is time for you to be told that cryogenic sleep is coming. Sleep well, Vault Dweller.
Fallout 76 Timeline – 2102
This is the first Fallout game where you can open a vault. It takes place in West Virginia in the year 2102, which is twenty-five years after the bombs went off. You’re charged with the task of healing the country from the effects of a nuclear apocalypse. Your mission in this game’s main narrative is to cleanse the wasteland of the Scorched–a diabolical mutant wreaking havoc in a post-apocalyptic way. As the very latest title in the series, it has returned to historic beginnings, setting the stage for classic Fallout factions such as the Brotherhood of Steel.
Fallout – 2161
The first within the series, Fallout, is set 84 years post-bomb-dropping. The players emerge from Vault 13 to seek a new water chip for their vault, fighting The Master, a being wanting to mutate humanity through a virus. Since he is seen as ever so inspirational, they cannot let the Vault Dweller inside so that he can stop this by way of miraculous achievements. The game is an experience of post-apocalyptic world survival versus survival.
Fallout Tactics – 2197
Fallout Tactics, essentially known as Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel, is the first proper spin-off of the Fallout series and is focused chiefly on the Brotherhood of Steel. It takes place in the year 2197; its narrative characterizes the genesis, development, and apotheosis of this famous faction. However, it is vital to understand that not every plot point is considered canon, even if some are later referred to in other games, so if you are looking just for hardcore lore, you can sort of bypass this one (though it is a very good game).
Fallout 2 – 2241
The setting for Fallout 2 is in the year 2241, 164 years after the events of the first game. You assume the role of a grandchild of the Vault Dweller, who must find a Garden of Eden Creation Kit (G.E.C.K.) to save the community. You encounter the New California Republic and the Enclave, both of which want to wipe out humanity. To save their home and people, players must kill the President of the United States. The game ends with a new community.
Fallout 3 – 2258-2277
At the beginning of Fallout 3, it is already 181 years after the bombs dropped, while the player is living in Vault 101. At the age of 19, he realizes that his father has left the vault and must search for him. Along the way, they uncover the secrets of the past, such as that their parents were involved in a science experiment, and fight through a war between the Enclave and the Brotherhood of Steel. At last, they have to overcome Liberty Prime and the Enclave.
Fallout: New Vegas – 2281
Fallout: New Vegas is a canon game that takes place 204 years after the blast. Caesar’s Legion and the New California Republic clash during the player’s turbulent voyage as a courier tasked with delivering a parcel to New Vegas, an area that saw Armageddon. One of the best, considering this series game is further said to be aided by the presence of six add-ons with new areas and adventures. The player can affect four different endings depending on which side he or she chooses, thus potentially breaking the timeline.
Fallout 4 Timeline – 2287
In the post-prologue of Fallout 4, the events unfold two hundred and ten years after the bombs are dropped, when the protagonist sees his wife’s murder and his child being stolen during cryosleep. As the Sole Survivor of Vault 111, they search for their missing son and confront the iconic factions and Synths. But he had no notion of the time since his son’s kidnapping, and learns that his son is an old man in his late years. The old man wants him to continue his work, while the evil Institute he created destroys everything around it; if he does not join, it will explode; the influenced ending is focused on nuclear-explosion-deterring plans for the molten reactor.
Fallout TV Show – 2296
Finally, the last place which culminates into the Fallout TV Show – the farthest point ever into the Fallout lore and an impressive 219 years since the bombs dropped. We won’t go into spoilers for what goes down here, but as we’ve said at the top of this article, worth pointing out that some aspects of the show are pre-all of the games. Go and watch it on Amazon Prime to find out more about Vault 33, but most of all, the show’s main protagonist, Lucy MacLean.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ans.Fallout, released in October 1997, is set in 2296, 219 years after the Great War of 2077.
Ans.Fallout 76 takes place in a different time and place, in the year 2102, twenty-five years after a nuclear war that destroyed the Earth.
Ans.On October 22, 2008, Microsoft stated that Fallout 3 would not be available in India for the Xbox 360 platform. The cause disclosed was religious and cultural feelings hurt due to the game storyline, violence, gore, and rivalry depicted in the game.
Ans.There was a fight between the US and China over natural resources that ended in a nuclear holocaust in 2077. Fallout 4 takes place in the year 2287, 10 years after the events of Fallout 3.
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