Experience the Thrills Post-Apocalypse: Must-Play Games After ‘Fallout’ Show

Hey, if you’re reading this and you can afford a month of Amazon Prime Video, it cannot be stressed enough: You should really give “Fallout” a try.

Despite some asinine complaints about the show, it’s largely been well-received and mostly appears devoid of any ulterior messaging. It’s an homage to the storied video game franchise and little else, which is actually a good thing.

The show looked promising from the get-go and didn’t disappoint after the entire season was released on April 10.

(Though the decision to drop the entire season at once did stir some controversy.)

Given the raucous success of the show, it came as little surprise when a second season of the show was ordered.

FALLOUT will be back for SEASON 2. pic.twitter.com/zQ7pJXz7V1

— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) April 18, 2024

While that news is exciting for fans, there is no release window whatsoever for that second season of “Fallout.” So fans who were introduced to the franchise via the Amazon show have a potentially brutal wait ahead.

If you are one of the people who fall into that category, here are some recommendations to fill that void from a longtime “Fallout” fan:

The “Retro” Era

“Fallout 1” and “Fallout 2” deserve their own category simply for how different they are from the other games in the franchise. Whereas all “Fallout” games can be classified as role-playing games, the first two are more old-school computer RPGs.

If you really want to see the roots of this franchise, however, I can’t really recommend the first game.

Both games are brutal relics of the era they came out in (1997 and 1998, respectively) but “Fallout 2” comes with certain key quality-of-life improvements that make it just a little more in tune with modern tastes.

The Oddball Games

I’ll readily admit that despite being a big “Fallout” fan, I haven’t played too much out of the core numbered entries in the series. I couldn’t begin to tell you about “Fallout: Tactics,” for instance.

Two offshoot games I have dabbled in, however, are the online multiplayer game “Fallout 76” and “Fallout Shelter.”

The latter game is a free-to-play game readily available on many platforms, including iOS, and this writer is almost ashamed to admit how many hours he’s sunk into it.

In short, “Fallout Shelter” is a management sim game with light RPG elements, and it is positively addicting.

“Fallout 76,” meanwhile, had a rough start when it launched in 2018 but has rounded into form with continual updates and improvements to the game, as well as some meaty expansions.

If you’re a fan of MMO-type games, “Fallout 76” offers a great version of one and is almost a direct canonical prequel to …

The Modern Era

“Fallout 3,” “Fallout: New Vegas” and “Fallout 4” are a stark departure from the first two games and were many people’s introduction to the series, myself included.

Each entry has strengths and weaknesses:

• “Fallout 3”: This 2008 title was the rebirth of the franchise, leaving its CRPG roots for a more first-person, action-RPG flavor that takes place 30 years after “Fallout 2,” canonically. It’s a deep, huge RPG but is certainly a bit lacking compared to “Fallout 4” and “New Vegas.” Despite that, it’s still a good game and a wonderful starting point for anyone new to the franchise (and if you’re a fan of the show, the early storyline of “Fallout 3” should be familiar). This game is most readily available on PC currently.
• “Fallout: New Vegas”: The 2010 follow-up to “Fallout 3” is this writer’s personal favorite and takes the game from Washington, D.C., to the Mojave Desert. The game offers more choice, more customization, more loot and slightly better gunplay. There’s also a bit more of a revenge factor to the storyline, adding to it all. Fun fact: The late Matthew Perry voiced a key character in this game. This game is most readily available on PC currently.
• “Fallout 4”: The highly anticipated 2015 entry easily features the best gameplay in the modern era. The robotic, stodgy movements of “Fallout 3” and “New Vegas” gave way to much more fluid movements that felt more in line with modern AAA shooters. However, in exchange for the fluid gameplay, “Fallout 4” features far fewer choices and customization options than its direct predecessors. This game is available on modern home consoles and PCs.

WARNING: The following trailer contains footage from an M-rated game and includes violent imagery the viewer may find disturbing.

So there you have it. Those are seven “Fallout” games played by this writer, all with varying degrees of recommendation.

If you enjoyed the show, it’s worth hunting those games down.