For nearly seven years, Bethesda Game Studios has allowed millions of players worldwide to live out the early years of the United States of America’s nuclear post-apocalypse in Fallout 76. Set primarily in the ruins of West Virginia, Bethesda has consistently introduced expansions for Fallout 76, offering players the opportunity to explore other regions of the irradiated U.S. Such as Pennsylvania and New Jersey. While Fallout 76 is a multiplayer spin-off, its expansions have added new canonical lore in the years shortly following the Great War. With Fallout 76 remaining fairly popular and introducing new aspects of the irritated U.S., Bethesda should consider having Fallout 5 be set earlier in Fallout’s timeline.
Rumor: Fallout 5 Has Been 'Fully Greenlit'
A new rumor indicates that Fallout 5 may have been "fully greenlit" by its publisher recently, which could be great news for the franchise's fans.
Fallout’s Game and Show Timeline Explained
Besides Fallout 76, every mainline Fallout game has taken place years if not decades after its predecessor:
- Fallout 1 is set in 2161, 84 years after the Great War began in 2077 and 59 years after the residents of Vault 76 first ventured into Appalachia in 2102.
- Fallout 2 is set in 2241, 79 years after the events of Fallout 1, though several characters from Fallout 1 do appear in Fallout 2, such as the founder of the New California Republic, Tandi, and the FEV tree mutant, Harold.
- Fallout 3 was the first mainline game set beyond the post-apocalyptic American west and instead set in the area surrounding Washington D.C. In 2277, 36 years after Fallout 2.
- Finally, Fallout 4 is set in 2287.
Amazon Prime’s Fallout show continued the Fallout game’s timeline trend by being set in 2296, nine years after the events of Fallout 4. While Fallout games have been developed after Fallout 2 that were set before the adventures of The Chosen One, such as 2001’s Fallout Tactics and 2004’s Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, none of those games are considered canon. In a way, Bethesda’s handling of the Fallout timeline mirrors its handling of The Elder Scrolls' timeline, with each mainline Elder Scrolls game taking place after the other except for the MMO The Elder Scrolls Online.
While little is still known about The Elder Scrolls 6, it is expected to take place sometime after the events of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.
The Potential of Fallout 5 Being Set In The Past
Fallout 76 showed off how wild and untamed the United States was shortly after the bombs dropped, with several variants of Ghouls and mutated animals such as Mothmen, Mega Sloths, and Scorchbeasts inhabiting the radioactive landscapes. While most of these creatures spawned from failed Enclave experiments and were said to have been mostly killed off by Vault residents and other settlements, they could still appear in other Fallout games in reduced numbers. Vault 76's inhabitants additionally showcased how difficult it was for people to establish new societies and footholds within the wasteland, with the Brotherhood of Steel requiring their help to survive in Appalachia.
Fallout 5 doesn't necessarily have to be set in or near West Virginia, but it could be set in other parts of the United States at any point in time following the Great War. For example, several Fallout games have referenced a splinter group of the Brotherhood located in the ruins of Chicago. While this faction is based on the now non-canon Brotherhood chapter from Fallout Tactics, it could still form a basis for a new single-player RPG set near The Great Lakes, which have so far been unexplored in modern Fallout titles. In Fallout Tactics, this faction was said to be established around 2198, but Bethesda could always change that point of origin for a proper Fallout game set in the Midwest.
The Benefits of a Prequel Fallout 5
The next new mainline Fallout game release, aside from rumored Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas remasters, is expected to be years away from launch, with it expected to debut after the release of The Elder Scrolls 6. However, with the Amazon Prime Fallout show building on much of the developments from Fallout 4 and New Vegas, it may be better for Fallout 5 to take place earlier in the timeline so that its story won’t conflict with the show’s developments. By having Fallout 5 take place after Fallout 76 but before Fallout 3 and setting it in a relatively unexplored region of the U.S., Bethesda would have freedom to create new stories and factions without worrying about conflicting with other projects.
Fallout 76
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