When it comes to picking the best Fallout game for you, there’s good news and bad news.
The good news is that there are no bad Fallout games.
The bad news is the depth of each Fallout RPG is inversely proportional to its accessibility.
In short, the best Fallout game may not be the best oneto start with, per se.
Without further ado, then, here’s our list of the best Fallout games from worst to best.
Fallout Shelter
Fallout Shelterisn’t so much the worst Fallout game as it is the least essential.
But it’s also a neat example of a lighter take on a management-style game.
That said, Shelter is neither a great Fallout game nor a great colony sim.
If you want to know what Fallout is about, this isn’t the game you should play.
Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
Fallout goes Commando in 2001’s tactics-focused spin-off from the early RPGs.
It definitely isn’t the first Fallout game you should play.
But for existing fans, it’s worth checking out.
Fallout 76
There was a time whenFallout 76was unambiguously the worst Fallout game.
In the years since, Bethesda has improved the game substantially.
In sum, it’s a much better game than it was.
But its experience still lags behind the mainline series.
While the main story is improved, it’s considerably shorter than what you get in the single-player Fallouts.
It also places an even greater emphasis onbase-buildingthan that seen in Fallout 4.
Fallout 4
It’s important to remember my point about there being no bad Fallout games here.
Fallout 4 has a lot going for it.
It’s the best-looking of the mainline RPGs - especially with the recent"next-gen" update.
It’s the most streamlined game in the series.
It has the best set ofcompanionsof the 3D games, including all-timer legend and synth detective Nick Valentine.
But the reason Fallout 4 sits at the lower end of this list is twofold.
First, the settlement-building system is, at best, an acquired taste.
The bigger problem, though, is that Fallout 4 is a pretty weak RPG.
That said, there are a couple of reasons why it ranks lower on this list than the original.
While it’s a bigger game, it’s also baggier and less consistent.
Because of this, there isn’t much point in playing it without experiencing the original game first.
It’s about giving you more of that experience, rather than an alternative.
In every other way, however, this is as good as 3D Fallout gets.
The blend of nuclear horror and kitsch retrofuturism.
The morally grey branching narrative.
The weird quests and encounters.
Even specific details, such as perks like Bloody Mess and Mysterious Stranger, are there from the start.
It’s a frequently weird, absurd, and funny game, too.
But beneath all that is a lingering dread that pursues you through your entire adventure.
Yes, it’s combat is scruffy by today’s standards.
Yes, the timer attached to its main quest can be scary for the uninitiated.
And yes, you should under no circumstances give Ian an automatic weapon.
