Fallout 5 is officially happening, but it'll be quite some time before we see the next irradiated world come to life. Yes, while the big upcoming Bethesda game is official, Todd Howard has said that the next entry in the long-running RPG series will be be coming after the long awaited and highly anticipated release of Elder Scrolls 6 - which is not expected to arrive any time before 2026 at the least.
While we're in for quite a wait, the Fallout TV show has certainly put a cheesy vault-boy style smile to our faces. In fact, we were even treated to a next-gen update for Fallout 4 following the release of the Amazon Prime series, which will certainly help tide us over for some time. And if you're curious, you can find out our thoughts in our Fallout TV show review. Yes, it's certainly a great time to be thinking about the rad-filled Wasteland.
If you're looking for a full recap of everything we know so far about Fallout 5, read on below as we take you through all of the news so far - plus a list of everything we'd love to see from the future follow-up.
Fallout 5: What we know so far
Fallout 5 release date speculation
It's unlikely we'll see a Fallout 5 release date anytime soon – but with Fallout 5 confirmed, we can at least speculate its release window. Starfield's launch is behind us, and the Starfield Shattered Space DLC is also out in the wild. This means that Bethesda is firmly set on The Elder Scrolls 6 as its next major port of call.
That's right; The Elder Scrolls 6 needs to come out before we even start thinking of Fallout 5. And then we have to wait a few years as well. During a 2024 interview with Variety, Todd Howard also told fans that it takes a good five years to make a new Fallout game.
"Games take a good five-ish years," he explained. "So, we’re in plans for future games in this series, and nothing to talk about right now, but we’re always planning."
With that in mind, Fallout 5 is unlikely to come out before 2030 since Elder Scrolls is only aiming to be completed sometime (optimistically) in 2026. While that seems like a long way off, it will at least give us all the time to replay the best Fallout games in preparation for the new title.
Fallout 5 platform speculation
Previous Fallout games have landed on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles across the board, with Fallout 4 being treated to a standalone VR version for the HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, and Valve Index.
Whether or not this broad support will apply to Fallout 5 in the long term remains to be seen. But the new Fallout game should follow in the footsteps of its immediate forerunners - Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6. This means we suspect that it'll first arrive on Game Pass, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Keep your eyes on this page as we keep you updated. In the meantime you can read our Fallout 4 review and see if you fancy replaying it.
Fallout 5 development
In late 2021, director and executive producer Todd Howard said Bethesda has a "one-pager" for Fallout 5, but it's still a while off. It wasn't much, but it was enough to set the rumor mill alight, with series' fans speculating en masse about Fallout 5's potential setting, story, and gameplay features.
In a conversation with IGN during E3 2022, Howard said: "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. We have some other projects that we look at from time to time as well... [these games] do take a while. I wish they came out faster, I really do, we’re trying as hard as we can, but we want them to be as best as they can be for everybody."
In other news, executive producer of the Fallout TV show Jonathan Nolan teased that the hit Amazon Prime series is like Fallout 5 itself. Now, obviously, the show and the upcoming game aren't connected directly, but Nolan has had conversations with Howard, and we assume that the stories won't be overlapping. This means that we are guessing that Fallout 5 will stay far away from any themes and plot threads shown in Fallout season 2. Interestingly, though, Howard is also said to have stopped some Fallout 5 ideas from appearing in the show, but the showrunners are, of course, keeping those ideas under wraps.
We'll keep you posted as more details head our way!
Fallout 5: What we'd love to see
Okay, so everything above is what we know about Fallout 5 at this stage. Everything below is what we want from Bethesda's next foray into the post-apocalypse - all informed by what we feel worked best in previous games, as well as some new additions we think would fit well with the tone and context of the games to this point.
1. Bring back the Karma system
The Karma system has been a mainstay feature in the Fallout series since Fallout 1, but it was one element that didn’t make its way into Fallout 4. The karma system really makes you feel like your choices actually have an effect on the world around you. If you go about murdering everyone, you’ll get yourself a nasty reputation, and people will view and treat you differently as a result. It helps to add a deeper level of immersion to the RPG aspect of the series and makes you think twice about the choices you run with. Without Karma, it felt like every choice you made in Fallout 4 only served to change the way your companions view you, which felt a little hollow in comparison to the best RPGs in the series.
2. Keep multiplayer out and bring co-op in
Fallout 76 does have a lot of things things going for it, but The Fallout game series has always been a strong single-player offering. With so many multiplayer games finding their way onto the market, it's hard not to hope Fallout stays true to its roots. Since Howard has already said it will likely be single-player focused, we shouldn’t have to worry too much, but it would be great to see co-op play introduced alongside single-player a la Dark Souls 3.
3. A polished and more refined building system
Building settlements in Fallout 4 was a great new feature that finally gave all that junk you find lying around a purpose, but it’d be nice to have this polished and refined so it's a little less clunky in places - although some of the best Fallout 4 settlements have overcome the quirks. Placing big sheets of metal into just the right spot with a controller could sometimes be a bit of an ordeal. While settlement building is a lot of fun, the mechanics and interface could use some fine-tuning to make it less awkward to control come Fallout 5.
4. Give us more dialogue options
Variety is the spice of life, as the saying goes, so we're all for more choice in the new Fallout game. As fun as the sarcastic option could be, the choice of just four options to reply with sometimes felt a little thin in Fallout 4, and while a similar amount of choice was offered in previous titles, it'd be good to see the next offer up an extra helping. Having more choice can't hurt, and it'll just add to the feeling that you're in control of how you want your character to be.
5. Give us a whole new setting to explore
As interesting as the Commonwealth was, we hope Fallout 5 will continue the series trend of introducing us to a new setting. Having a new setting keeps everything feeling fresh and exciting, and it's always interesting to see a new location with Fallout's retro-futuristic flare. From Washington DC in Fallout 3 to New Vegas in Fallout: New Vegas, right up to Boston in Fallout 4, the thought of being able to explore what a new location has to offer makes the thought of the next Fallout all the more enticing.
Can't wait for the new Fallout game? Check out our list of all the games like Fallout to play while you wait for the next entry in the series. Or look ahead with our list of all the new games heading our way this year and beyond.
