Fallout 4

Fallout 4 is an action role-playing game set in an open world environment. Gameplay is similar to that of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, the two previous primary iterations in the series. However, unlike the previous two titles, the gun gameplay was handled by id Software. Returning features include a camera that can switch between a first-person and third-person perspective.

Fallout 4 introduces features including a layered armor system, base-building, a dialogue system featuring 111,000 lines of dialogue, and a crafting system which implements every object in the game that the player can loot. Enemies such as Mole Rats, Raiders, Rad Roaches, Super Mutants, Deathclaws, and Feral Ghouls return along with the companion Dogmeat.

Fallout 4 takes place in the year 2287, 10 years after the events of Fallout 3 and 210 years after the Sino-American War, a war between the United States and China over natural resources, which ended via a nuclear holocaust called the Great War. The setting is post-apocalyptic, covering a region that includes Boston and other parts of New England known as "the Commonwealth". Unlike the previous titles, Fallout 4's story begins on the day the bombs dropped: October 23, 2077.

The game takes place in an alternate version of history that features 1940s and 1950s American aesthetics, such as diners and drive-in theaters, while design and technologies advance in the directions imagined during the era. The resulting universe is thus a retro-futuristic one, where society has evolved enough to produce laser weapons, manipulate genes, and create nearly-autonomous artificial intelligence, all within the confines of 1950s' technology, such as the widespread use of atomic power and vacuum tubes, as well as having the integrated circuitry of the digital age. The architecture, advertisements, and general living styles are depicted to be largely unchanged since the 1950s, while including futuristic products such as robotic rocking horses for children and high-tech fallout shelters known as Vaults. Post-war societal currency is based on bottle caps, often simply called "caps".

The initial plans for Fallout 4 were formed in 2009, when director Todd Howard wanted to explore the world of Fallout before the bombs fell. Thus, a team began production on the game that year, including Istvan Pely, lead artist of Fallout 3, after finishing that game's downloadable content (DLC). Meanwhile, development on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim had Bethesda's full attention, and after that game was released in 2011, the studio continued to regularly support it until 2013 with updates and DLC. After that content was finished, Fallout 4 entered full production from mid-2013 to mid-2015.

Unlike the previous two titles—Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas—which used the Gamebryo engine, Fallout 4 uses the Creation Engine, previously used for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Modified for Fallout 4, the Creation Engine includes a revamped character editor system that allows freeform creation of faces without the use of sliders seen in previous games. Instead, the player can click and drag each feature of the face to accurately customize their character, which can either be a man or woman as the previous Fallout titles have featured. Bethesda announced that the game would run at 1080p resolution and 30 frames per second on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Bethesda revealed that mobile devices would be integrated into the game as a form of second screen, acting as a secondary display for the Pip-Boy.

Fallout 4 received "generally favorable" reviews on all three platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.

GameSpot's Peter Brown awarded it a score of 9 out of 10, saying "Fallout 4 is an argument for substance over style and an excellent addition to the revered open-world series." Brown praised the "thought-provoking" narrative, "intuitive" creation tools, the large amount of content, the overall combat, and the overall freedom the player is given. Game Informer's Andrew Reiner scored the game a 9 out of 10 and said: "Bethesda has created another game you can lose your life in. New experiences just keep coming, and you always have another perk to unlock." Reiner praised the "vastly improved" combat, the "denser" world, and the "brilliant" score, but had mixed feelings about the visuals.

A re-release of Fallout 4, titled Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition, was announced on October 23, 2025, featuring enhanced graphics, improved quests and equipment, additional content, and an in-game modding workshop. It was released on November 10, 2025, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Microsoft Windows, with a version for Nintendo Switch 2 released on February 24, 2026.