Since Fallout 4 also dodged the question of how serious the series is about its alien canon, an eventual Fallout 5 could finally be the game to either make or break Bethesda's commitment to visitors from another world within the franchise. Aliens have always existed in Fallout, from its very first game which had an encounter with a flying saucer to as recent as Fallout 76 with its "Invaders from Beyond" update in 2022. But the franchise has always played it fast and loose about whether these various alien encounters have any significance in games, regardless of how developed its aliens have become.
Given that Fallout takes much of its inspiration from American society and culture in the 1950s, it's no surprise that aliens would have wound up being referenced somewhere within the series due to the UFO craze that swept the nation at the time. But while there's plenty of potential on hand with the likes of the Roswell incident or the Battle of Los Angeles, Fallout has gone much further than just references and environmental storytelling. For instance, when Fallout 3 added DLC that directly engages with and expands its alien lore, it sets certain expectations that now rest in a future Fallout 5.
Fallout's Aliens Can No Longer Be Ignored
Prior to Fallout 3, Bethesda had at least some plausible deniability when it came to blending genres between Fallout's nuclear post-apocalypse and its extraterrestrial escapades, but the "Mothership Zeta" add-on was just the first of many nails in that coffin. While Mothership Zeta did explicitly confirm that aliens were much more than just fun Easter eggs to come across throughout the wasteland, Bethesda still could have used a little more caution when adding aliens to Fallout games. Even though Fallout 4 seemed more reserved with its aliens, Fallout 76's Invaders from Beyond update meant there could be no going back.
As a result, it can no longer be claimed that Fallout's aliens are little more than a fun reference. At this point in the series they've not only named this alien species as Zetans, but they have a consistent design and a recurring presence in most Fallout games. So while it might be unlikely that Fallout 5 or other future games will have a story that explicitly revolves around the Zetans, it will be increasingly difficult to skirt around the franchise's alien canon. With expectations already set by the likes of Fallout 3 and Fallout 76, it will be down to Fallout 5 to determine how much further the series is prepared to develop the Zetans.
Fallout 5 Could Take XCOM's Approach To Aliens
One possible means Fallout 5 could have of finally addressing how significant the Zetans are within Fallout canon is to take a page out of XCOM's book. Since Fallout's stories have typically revolved around the player character emerging from one of the series' many vaults, Fallout 5 could take the opportunity to factor alien technology into one of the Fallout vaults' secret experiments. As Fallout already explores ideas of genetic mutation and experimentation as seen with its Ghouls and the Forced Evolutionary Virus, it's only a small step to Vault-Tec dabbling in possible human-Zetan hybridization.
With this in mind, Fallout 5 could adopt the same approach XCOM takes where humans can research and assimilate alien technology and science for their own use. With Fallout's world already ruined by a nuclear apocalypse and the limited potential of ever returning to "normal," Fallout 5 could literally shoot for the moon by using Zetans' space-faring technology to inspire a story about humanity's second chance among the stars. By drawing attention away from Fallout's aliens themselves and focusing instead on their science, Fallout 5 could effectively resolve the Zetan canon once and for all and spare future games the same dilemma.
Fallout 4 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.