The Fallout franchise has been around for a long time, and it’s released plenty of games — all with their own gameplay styles and sets of quests. While each title provides a unique gaming experience, not all of them are of the same quality. Some Fallout games are, inevitably, better than others.
In ranking these Fallout titles, it’s important to consider their gameplay. This includes the game’s ease in navigation, its mechanics and interface, as well as whether they make for an enjoyable gaming experience. The overarching story should also be taken into account, and whether the title has replayability factor. Lastly, since Fallout is generally regarded as a role-playing game, titles with more RPG elements will end up higher in the tier list.
S-Tier
Fallout: New Vegas — Fallout: New Vegas is easily the best Fallout game in the franchise. Though its gameplay is clunkier than newer titles in the series, the game more than makes up for it with its intricately designed world and memorable characters. Aside from these, the overarching narrative is complex, with the player being thrown in the middle of three factions in conflict. How they choose to deal with those factions ultimately affects the ending of the game, too. This makes Fallout: New Vegas a top-notch RPG that encourages players to replay the game.
A-Tier
Fallout 2 — Unlike Bethesda’s newer entries in the series, Fallout 2 sported a very different style of gameplay. The well-loved 90s RPG has an isometric view, and combat is also turn-based rather than real-time. Despite this, Fallout 2’s gameplay and interface still hold up (clunky graphics aside). The story is simpler than that of Fallout: New Vegas and is a bit slow to start, but it’s still a strong narrative with emphasis on player choice. Bonus points for the writing as Fallout 2 is filled with jokes and gags. Lastly, there are multiple endings, making for better replayability.
Fallout 3 — Fallout 3 is Bethesda’s first Fallout game and an instant classic. It was a huge departure from Interplay’s games, as it featured FPS-style gameplay and a more expansive open world. Though its gunplay doesn’t quite hold up to modern standards, it doesn’t detract from the overall experience. The title featured a somewhat mundane main story but made up for this in its many side quests and fun DLCs. So, even though there aren’t nearly as many endings as Fallout 2 or Fallout: New Vegas, the game is still highly replayable given how vast its world is.
B-Tier
Fallout — Like Fallout 2, the original Fallout game features turn-based isometric-view gameplay. However, it’s far less optimized than its sequel, particularly in its UI. This makes it more dated in comparison. Still, Fallout’s story and characters hold up, with the game’s primary antagonist being one of the most memorable in the series. It also has a strong RPG aspect, as the player's actions in each settlement directly affect how it ends up once the game ends. That said, one downside cited by some players is that the game has a set time limit, which can take away from the desire to explore the entire map.
Fallout 4 — The most recent singleplayer Fallout title is undoubtedly the best in terms of gameplay. Unfortunately, its convoluted main storyline keeps it from being higher on this list — not to mention, the unsatisfying endings where the only main difference is which faction the player sided with. The many lackluster DLCs (except for Far Harbor, Nuka-World, and arguably Automatron) also take away from it. Still, Fallout 4 has an excellent companion system and a fun (mostly optional) settlement-building mini-game. Additionally, the open world is vibrant and populated, encouraging exploration and boosting replayability. Really, the only reason why Fallout 4 ended up quite low on the list is its aggravating story and the lack of true RPG elements.
C-Tier
Fallout Tactics — Fallout Tactics is an interesting case, as it’s very unlike its predecessors Fallout and Fallout 2. Instead of emphasizing exploration and roleplaying, Fallout Tactics has players completing missions for the Brotherhood of Steel of the Fallout world, most of which require tactical combat to accomplish. The player takes control of multiple characters and must direct them in each level in order to defeat the enemies. It’s more similar to the XCOM games than the original Fallout. So, while the game’s story is quite interesting, the gameplay might detract longtime Fallout fans. The relatively similar progression of levels in a playthrough also doesn’t boost replayability.
Fallout 76 — Fallout 76 was notorious for its problems at launch, earning it countless negative reviews. From the lack of NPCs to the numerous bugs, it seems the online Fallout game was doomed to fail. However, Bethesda has since released plenty of patches and new content to placate the fans. So, while the gameplay is still affected by bugs, the continuing narrative is shaping up to be a fun experience. And considering that the developers are still working on adding new content, the ever-improving Fallout 76 has some decent replay value. Though one downside is the RPG element, as it's difficult to create a world shaped by player choice in the online multiplayer environment. All that said, Fallout 76 is still quite low on the list since it needs more work, and its dismal performance upon release doesn’t inspire confidence.
D-Tier
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel — Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel isn’t a bad game, per se. However, when considering its place among other Fallout games, it’s a strange addition to the series. The title does away with the isometric view and instead provides a top-down view for the player. Combat also isn’t turn-based, but more akin to a run-and-gun game with some dialogue sequences in between fights. The story is also straightforward, with no change in the ending regardless of what dialogue options the player selects. That said, there’s some level of replayability, as progressing through the game unlocks other characters to play as and each has its own pros and cons.
Fallout 76 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.