Where Every Fallout Game Takes Place (2024)

The Fallout series paints a grim, post-apocalyptic future for the US after nuclear war ravages the country transforming the different regions into desolate shells of their former selves. As the series has gone on, players have gotten to explore different parts of the country to see how the nuclear devastation has affected the land and its inhabitants, and Fallout games have done a great job diversifying the types of environments presented in each title. From deserts and mountainous highlands to crumbling urban infrastructure, there are a lot of locales across a broken US for Fallout players to explore.

While most games in the series remain grounded in the post-nuclear ruins of the US, some entries include more bizarre locations like Mothership Zeta and Nuka World, though these tend to be DLC areas. Even with the range of locations the Fallout series has visited so far, there are a variety of places throughout the US that have yet to be portrayed. Going beyond these locations to see the effects of the Great War on other parts of the world could also be an interesting step for the series to move in after dedicating most of its time fleshing out the post-apocalyptic United States.

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Fallout 1 – New California

The first two games in the series take players to what's left of the West Coast after the nuclear annihilation of the Great War saw the rise of the New California Republic that encompasses most of California as well as parts of Oregon, Nevada, and Mexico. Players can explore some of the major cities in New California like Junktown, the Hub, and Necropolis in Fallout 1, and see how the various inhabitants like the Super Mutants, Ghouls, and remaining humans have made this wasteland their home. This map of New California is crucial to the series as it is the first look players were given at the greater Fallout world and would be built upon in subsequent entries.

Fallout 2 – New California

Following up on the events of the first game, Fallout 2 is also set in New California but offers players the chance to visit new locations like Vault City, New Reno, and Klamath on their journey. Fallout 2 essentially extends the map of New California from Fallout 1 north to include locations from parts of Oregon and northern Nevada, and its bottom portion just barely incorporates the top portion of Fallout 1's. The result is a solid foundation and expansive interconnected map that forms the basis of the lore for Fallout's greater post-apocalyptic US map.

Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel – American Midwest

While often considered the black sheep of the series, one of the more under-sung aspects that makes Fallout Tactics unique is that it is set across a part of the country that isn't explored much in other entries. The game begins in the ruins of Chicago but takes the player across the Great Plains of the American Midwest towards the Rocky Mountains in search of Vault 0. Along the way, players will visit locations in post-war Missouri, Kansas, and as far West as Colorado in their search for this mythical vault.

Fallout 3 – Capital Wasteland

The first Bethesda-developed title takes players to the East Coast of the US for the first time in the series. Fallout 3 is set among what remains of the United States' capital city of Washington, DC, known as the Capital Wasteland. In and around the city, players will encounter remnants of the old US government including iconic monuments and other real-world historical sites. While the game is mainly set between the inner city and the underground transit system below the capital, the juxtaposition with the outlying farmland and settlements helps give the Capital Wasteland a greater environmental diversity.

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Fallout: New Vegas – Mojave Wasteland

Obsidian-developed fan-favorite Fallout: New Vegas takes the series back to its roots and heads back out west to the Mojave Wasteland in what was once Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and part of California. While the most notable feature of this game's map is the glittering city of New Vegas emerging from the ashes of Las Vegas, other real-world locations from around the area like the Hoover Dam and Nellis Air Force Base also play an important role in the game's story. The map for Fallout: New Vegas builds upon the established geography of the first two titles and bumps up against NCR territory while still feeling fresh and unique to this entry.

Fallout 4 – The Commonwealth

Fallout 4 picks up where Fallout 3 left off on the East Coast, this time taking players north to New England and the ruins of Boston and the surrounding Commonwealth. The landscape here features a lot of coastal topography as well as references to more real-world historical sites like the cities of Lexington and Concord, as well as the Old North Church, all famous for their role in Paul Revere's legendary ride during the American Revolution. The Far Harbor DLC for Fallout 4 also adds a portion of the former state of Maine to the game's map, further expanding the game's New England scope.

Fallout 76 – Appalachia

The latest entry in the Fallout series is also set the farthest back chronologically in the timeline as Fallout 76 takes place starting on Reclamation Day when the best and brightest minds emerge from Vault 76 to the countryside that was once West Virginia. The landscape of Appalachia is mostly mountainous but also features dried lake beds and forests, as well as iconic cities like Flatwoods and Point Pleasant, known for their respective cryptids in American folklore. While West Virginia might not seem like as iconic of a location as Las Vegas or Washington, DC, the real-world history and folklore of the area perfectly meld into the lore of the Fallout universe to create one of the series' best settings.

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