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The Fallout franchise has a long and complex history and timeline that has been expanding its post-apocalyptic future ever since the original game’s release back in 1997. With four mainline games, a handful of spin-offs, and now a TV show that’s set within the same universe, the series has a big, meaty timeline to wrap your head around.
Below, we run through the entire franchise’s storyline in chronological order to get you up to speed. (There’s a video recap available, too.) If you’re looking to dive into the games for the first time, check out our picks for the best Fallout games and the best Fallout 4 mods, which can dramatically improve the experience.
Our timeline kicks off in the mid-20th century in a post-WW2 world that looks a lot like our own. But that is all about to change.
You see, the world of Fallout diverges from our own in the period after World War 2 at some point between 1945 and 1961, and imagines a technologically advanced world steeped in the design aesthetics of the 1950s–hence all the retro-futuristic vibes. Despite this, our own history and Fallouts share a few key moments–namely the US entering the Vietnam War in the mid-1960s amid a heightening of tensions in the Cold War.
But in 1969, the similarities come to an abrupt end, and the timeline of Fallout branches off in its own unique direction.
