Fallout 5 – everything we know so far
News.
last updated 12 June 2024
Fallout 5 is likely a very long ways off
While Fallout 5 has yet to be officially revealed, we do know that it is being worked on in some respect, and that it’ll follow Bethesda’s next RPG: Elder Scrolls VI. Unfortunately, this means it is likely some ways off from releasing.
Ranking among the best RPGs of recent memory, Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 offered memorable, and deeply affecting stories. Reinforced by generous environmental storytelling, these games have been some of the most immersive sci-fi offerings to ever grace PCs and consoles. Now, they’ve even been adapted into a TVC show, which has been a hot with critics and fans alike.
Though information on a potential sequel is scarce, there are scattered morsels of information here and there which we’ve collated for your reading pleasure. Read on to learn everything we know about Fallout 5.
Fallout 5: cut to the chase
What is it? The next installment of the Fallout franchise
When can I play it? TBC
Which console will it be on? Likely not PlayStation
Fallout 5 story and setting: where could it be set?
A barren post-nuclear landscape with pylons dotted into the distance
If you’ve ever played a Fallout game, you’ll know the series revels in its nuclear-ravaged American setting. Fallout games have all been set in a US state, so it would stand to reason this aspect wouldn’t change. Fallout 3, for example, was set in Washington while Fallout 4 took place in Boston.
In fact, Todd Howard recently commented on Fallout’s American setting in an interview with Kinda Funny. In it, he explains that the series’ main themes are inherently tied to America:
“My view is part of the Fallout schtick is on the Americana naivete. And so, you know, it’s okay to acknowledge some of those other areas but our plan is to predominantly keep it in the US”
For those looking for a different experience, however, modders have been hard at work crafting their own takes on other locations in the Fallout universe. You don’t have to look far to see fans discussing and fantasizing about where Fallout 5 will take place.
It is possible that a new Fallout game could be set in New Orleans given that a trademark application for ‘Fallout New Orleans’ was spotted online way back in 2016.
We’ve already visited swampy areas in Fallout, but a game set entirely around the deep South would certainly be an interesting take, especially given New Orleans’ distinctive urban environments.
Fallout 5 news
A character in Power Armor, with the shot focused on the helmet in side-profile
Todd Howard isn’t putting a date on Fallout 5 anytime soon
In an interview with IGN, Todd Howard revealed that he is avoiding putting even a rough date on Fallout 5. He confirmed that the team is currently working on Elder Scrolls 6, but added that this ‘doesn’t mean that we’re not making plans for other things.’
Fallout TV show is “almost like Fallout 5”
Speaking to Total Film (via Gamesradar), Fallout TV director Jonathan Nolan described the series as “almost like Fallout 5”.
Fallout 5 is coming after The Elder Scrolls 6
In an interview with IGN, Todd Howard confirmed that Fallout 5 will be Bethesda’s next major project after The Elder Scrolls 6.
“Yes, Elder Scrolls 6 is in pre-production and, you know, we’re going to be doing Fallout 5 after that, so our slate’s pretty full going forward for a while” Howard told the publication. “We have some other projects that we look at from time to time as well.”
Work has begun…sort of
Work has started on Fallout 5 but don’t hold your breath for seeing it any time soon. Speaking to IGN in November 2021, regarding the impending release of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Anniversary Edition, Bethesda studio director Todd Howard revealed that a “one-pager” design document was already in place for Fallout 5, being a very early blueprint for what the studio has planned for the game.
Being a “one-pager”, the design document is a high-level outline and there is, therefore, little to share. With Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 both up first, it’ll be a while before we hear more about Fallout 5.
As for whether or not Obsidian—the studio which handled development duties on the Xbox 360-era Fallout: New Vegas—could have some involvement, Howard said “We’ve worked with other people from time to time. I can’t say what’s gonna happen…If I could wave my hand and have [Fallout 5] out…you know, I’d like to find a way to accelerate what we do, but I can’t really say today or commit to anything… other than [the fact that] our cadence is Starfield then Elder Scrolls 6”.
We do also know that Bethesda thinks carefully about adding multiplayer to each of its major releases. Speaking to Mashable in 2015, Todd Howard said: “Believe it or not, every time we do a game, we design a multiplayer mode just to see what we could do.” Fallout was a purely single-player series before the release of Fallout 76, and that didn’t exactly go down well with fans, so expect Fallout 5 to feature a lot more single-player content than 76 when it does eventually release. However, he had this to say in an interview with German games site GameStar, Todd Howard was asked if all future Bethesda games would incorporate multiplayer and responded: “For those games, we want to keep them as single-player. That is what our focus is going to be.”
While Howard goes on to say that there may be some social features or integrations they have yet to come up with, it sounds as if Fallout 5’s focus will be on the single-player experience.
We can also expect Fallout 5 to utilize a new engine; while Fallout 76 used a heavily modded version of the Creation Engine, in an interview with The Telegraph, Todd Howard confirmed Bethesda’s upcoming game Starfield uses Creation Engine 2. When it’s time for Fallout 5 to enter development, then, Bethesda will have this resource at its disposal.
Possible Locations in Fallout 5?
New Orleans
Ever since a trademark application for ‘Fallout New Orleans’ was filed to the EU Intellectual Property Office in 2016, rumors of a Deep South addition to the series have been swirling. We have visited swampy environments before in Fallout 3’s DLC, Point Lookout, and Far Harbor in Fallout 4, so take this rumor with a pinch of salt.
Chicago
Trivia time: when have we visited Chicago in the Fallout series before? Ten of our most arbitrary points to you if you recall the intro to Fallout: Tactics. We may have only visited the home of Al Capone and deep-dish pizza briefly, but there’s a chance that it could be a Fallout 5 location. In New Vegas, ED-E hints at Enclave outposts in Chicago, after all.
Fallout 5 release date: a lone solider stands guard outside of a warehouse
Alaska
Another rumored destination that has appeared in the series already is Alaska. But that was just before the bombs dropped in the Great War of 2077. Operation: Anchorage, the first Fallout 3 DLC pack, is named after the greatest battle in the series’ alternative universe: the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska, from occupying Chinese troops. In the DLC, you travel back to 2076 via your Pip-Boy, but it would be great to trace the aftermath of this famous fight in Fallout 5.
California
Could Fallout 5 see a return to the original location? Both Fallout 1 and 2 were set in California, but the Fallout TV series has now taken us back to our roots, being set in LA. With the timeline of the Fallout series presumably taking place before Fallout 5 (Fallout 4 took place just a decade before the show), perhaps we’ll pick up in the same location.
Outside America
A Fallout game has never been set outside the US, but could Fallout 5 be the first? Maybe we’ll be venturing into Chinese or Russian territory to allow us to see the world-consuming conflict from the perspective of America’s biggest Fallout foes.
Equally, what about the European Commonwealth? Whether it is London, Berlin, Paris, or Rome, it is an enticing prospect to visit Europe after decades of struggles over resources and civil wars decimated the Union.
Fallout 5 Gameplay
Despite our positive Fallout 4 review, the game was not universally acclaimed. Few Fallout fans would count it as the pinnacle of the post-apocalyptic series, perhaps due to the reduced roleplaying mechanics and disappointing graphics. When it comes to Fallout 5 gameplay, RPG devotees are hoping for more.
Without any specific details to work with, we can only guess as to how Fallout 5 will play. We expect to be exploring a rich, new, and desolate world, looting, and picking up quests that take us to other intriguing locales. Hopefully, we get a deeper roleplaying system where choices actually feel consequential. It would also be great to see expanded dialogue options; we’d definitely have that at the expense of a voiced protagonist, which was introduced in Fallout 4.
Considering the amazing creations that were made in the previous game, perhaps Fallout 4’s settlements will return in the next Fallout game. Building bases added another wrinkle to scavenging as we kept our eyes peeled for two coffee cups to rub together to craft a posh new khazi. Bringing back materials from quests to expand and bolster our bases proved a compelling gameplay loop. Here’s hoping we see expanded settlement options in Fallout 5, although you can have that right now by taking advantage of the Fallout 4 mods and console commands.
Anything new in terms of Fallout 5 gameplay is anybody’s guess, but perhaps we will see a VR version of the game launched close to, or simultaneously with, the standard game. In Fallout 4’s case, we had to wait for a little over two years from the main game’s release before we could strap The Commonwealth to our skulls.
Leave a Reply