Fallout 4
A post-apocalyptic open-world RPG set in the Commonwealth.
Fallout 4, an action role-playing game from Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks, launched on November 10, 2015, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. It is the fourth main installment in the Fallout series. The game’s open world is set in a post-apocalyptic version of Boston and the surrounding Massachusetts area, referred to in-game as the Commonwealth. The story unfolds in 2287, a decade after the events of Fallout 3 and 210 years after the Great War—a nuclear holocaust. Players control the Sole Survivor, who awakens from cryogenic sleep in Vault 111 after witnessing their spouse’s murder and their son Shaun’s kidnapping, then ventures into the Commonwealth to find him.
Gameplay involves exploring the ruined world, completing quests, aiding factions, and earning experience points to level up and enhance abilities. New series features include managing and developing settlements, plus a deep crafting system that lets players use scavenged materials to make explosives, upgrade weapons and armor, and construct and improve settlements. It is also the first Fallout game with a fully voiced protagonist. The combat system, handled by id Software, builds on earlier titles, with a camera that switches between first-person and third-person views. Weapons can be customized; over 50 guns offer more than 700 modifications, including receivers, barrel types, and laser focuses. Power Armor, like the T45 suit, now functions more like a vehicle, requiring fusion cores for efficient operation and allowing modifications such as jet packs and separate armor plating.
Settlement crafting lets players break down objects and structures, using the raw materials to build their own. Towns can be powered with electricity via a line system. Merchants and non-player characters can inhabit settlements, where players must provide food and water, and build defenses like turrets, traps, and bombs against random attacks. A happiness meter tracks settlement well-being, influenced by meeting needs and offering amenities like barber chairs and trading stands. The Pip-Boy, a wrist-mounted device, provides access to stats, maps, data, and items, and can play Holotapes. A downloadable app for iOS, Android, and Windows lets players use the Pip-Boy interface on a separate screen and play game cartridges offline. The V.A.T.S.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Fallout 4
- Developer
- Bethesda Game StudiosAdditional work by id Software. Iron Galaxy co-developed the VR version.
- Publisher
- Bethesda Softworks
- Director
- Todd Howard
- Producer
- Ashley Cheng · Jeff Gardiner
- Designer
- Emil Pagliarulo
- Programmer
- Guy Carver
- Artist
- Istvan Pely
- Composer
- Inon Zur
- Series
- Fallout
- Engine
- Creation Engine
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S · Nintendo Switch 2
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Fallout 4 takes place in the year 2287, 10 years after the events of Fallout 3 and 210 years after a nuclear holocaust known as the 'Great War'. The player assumes control of a character referred to as the 'Sole Survivor', who emerges from long-term cryogenic stasis in Vault 111, an underground nuclear fallout shelter. After witnessing the murder of their spouse and the kidnapping of their son Shaun, the Sole Survivor ventures into the Commonwealth to search for their missing child. The story begins on the day the bombs dropped: October 23, 2077.
Gameplay is similar to Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, but with gunplay handled by id Software. New features include a layered armor system, base-building, a dialogue system with 111,000 lines of dialogue, and a crafting system that implements every lootable object. The player can freely roam the world, fast travel to discovered locations (except on Survival Difficulty), and customize weapons with over 700 modifications. Power Armor was redesigned to function more like a vehicle, requiring fusion cores for efficient operation and allowing modification with items such as a jet pack.
The game introduces settlement crafting and deconstruction: players can break down objects and structures to use raw materials for building their own structures. Settlements can be powered with electricity, inhabited by merchants and NPCs, and defended with turrets, traps, and bombs. A happiness meter for settlements can be increased by meeting requirements such as food, water, beds, defense, and power, as well as providing options like a Barber Chair and Trading Stand. The Pip-Boy returns with a downloadable app for iOS, Android, and Windows smartphones and tablets, allowing access to the Pip-Boy interface on a separate screen. V.A.T.S. now slows real-time combat rather than stopping it, and critical hits are performed manually through the system.
Reader's Guide
Fallout 4 received positive reviews from critics, with praise directed at the world depth, player freedom, overall amount of content, crafting, story, characters, and soundtrack. Criticism was mainly directed at the game's simplified role-playing elements compared to its predecessors and technical issues. It shipped 12 million units to retailers, generating US within the first 24 hours of its launch. The game received numerous accolades, including Game of the Year and Best Game at the D.I.C.E. Awards and British Academy Games Awards.
Bethesda released six downloadable content add-ons, including the expansions Far Harbor and Nuka-World. A version bundling the base game, its downloadable content, and all previously released Creation Club content, called Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition, was released on November 10, 2025, for all platforms, followed by a Nintendo Switch 2 version on February 24, 2026. The game's introduction of settlement building and a fully voiced protagonist marked notable departures from earlier entries in the series, while the crafting system and layered armor added new depth to character progression and world interaction.
Did You Know?
- Fallout 4 is the first game in the series to feature a fully voiced protagonist.
- The game includes over 50 guns with more than 700 modifications available.
- The companion Dogmeat returns from previous Fallout games.
- A downloadable Pip-Boy app was released for iOS, Android, and Windows smartphones and tablets.
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