The world of Fallout isn't a particularly nice place to live. The series takes place in a very different version of the United States that is ravaged by mutated wildlife, humans who have turned into mindless ghouls, and haywire robots. Radiation is everywhere, and it's hard to even find a place to sleep without being attacked by roaming gangs of raiders.

So, how did things get so bad in the Fallout universe? Let's dig into the timeline and follow it through the past all the way up to the most recent Fallout titles.

The newest entry in the Fallout timeline is the Fallout TV Show, and it is the furthest in time we've ever been. Since it is set in 2296, it happens well after all the video games have come and gone.

Updated on May 15, 2024, by Alfredo Robelo: While we are still waiting for a new Fallout single-player title, the franchise has been greatly expanded by the release of the TV Show. We've expanded this article to include everything the show adds, from the events of 2296 to the revelations of the Great War.

Before The War - Differences With Our Timeline

Due to the art style represented in Fallout, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:particularly inside the Vaults, you might think that the Great War began somewhere in the 60s. In reality, the Great War (and the bombs dropping) h🔯appened in 2077, meaning that the Fallout world and our own started to go on different paths long befꦆore then.

The Cold War With China

After World War 2, tensions between countries rose just like they did in our world, but the main players were the U.S. and China, instead of the U.S. and Russia. This is why, when a character in the game talks about communist spies, they 𒅌are talking about one country instead of the other.

This wasn't the only change since, as the years passed, the U.S. became more isolated and focused its technologies on nuclear power, instead of trying to make things portable and small like in our reality. Their fashion and world view became stagnant, staying for over a century with the same mindset, but allowing a huge technological growth that gave way to artificial intelligence, robotic assistants, and ultimately, the Vault technology.

Events Leading Up To The War

As technologies advanced, so did the use of natural resources, specifically petroleum and uranium (that part isn't so different from our timeline). This caused significant tension between nations, and in 2066, ⭕the U.S. declared war on China, which in turn led to China invading Alaska.

Around the same time, a pandemic known as the New Plague had started to wreak havoc across the U.S. In an attempt to find a cure for this disease, scientists began researching a drug to counter its effects in 2073. Dubbed the Pan-Immunity Virion, it pr🅘oved to be an effective counter-measure against the New Plague.

We don't know for sure where the New Plague came from. Many documents have the U.S. blaming China for releasing it with a bioweapon, but it could also be a result of human experimentation done inside the country as well.

In fact, it was too effective, as its side effects included increased muscle growth and brain activity. This caught the eye of the U.S. military, who decided to steer research away from simply curing a virus and towards turning U.S. soldiers into supersoldiers. This would begin the creation of what would be known as the Forced Evolutionary Virus or FEV.

The Great War

Conflicts and tensions continued to rise up until the fateful date of October 23, 2077, which was the beginning and end of an event known as The Great War. This was the moment when the United States was struck by a series of nuclear missiles, utterly wiping out the country and leading to mass destruction, millions of casualties, and most of the land becoming an irradiated wasteland. Some lucky civilians were able to make it to the underground Vaults where they would survive the blasts, but be subjected to the cruel experiments of Vault-Tec scꩵien🐟tists.

In fact, it was that very company (Vault-Tec) that likely started the Great War. They had t𒆙he means and the reason to do so, since they had heavy investments in the Vault experime📖nts, but they could only come into fruition if the War really did happen.

During the collapse of society, several important events occurred. A group of U.S. soldiers would abandon the army and form a paramilitary faction with religious overtones known as The Brotherhood Of Steel. The remaining members of the U.S. Government formed a coalition known as The Enclave and took refuge at The Poseidon Oil Rig in the Pacific Ocean where they plotted to retake the United States. Experimental species such as Deathclaws es❀caped from U.S. facilities and caused havoc across th🤡e country.

Over in Boston, an individual who would come to be known as The Sole Survivor (protagonist of Fallout 4) would witness the fall of the bombs and manage to make it to Vault 111 where they, their spouse, and their baby Shaun would be cryogenically frozen.

Years later, on June 27, 2102, a man named Richard Grey would stumble across the Mariposa Military Base where FEV research was being conducted. While exploring the facility, he would fall into a vat, causing him to mutate into a grotesque mass of flesh and machine known as The Master. This event would become an important ๊part of the very first Fallout game.

However, according to the official Fallout canon, the true first Fallout game in this timeline is the multiplayer survival game, Fallout 76.

Fallout 76

Inhabitants of Vault 76 would leave the safety of the vault to venture out into the remains of West Virginia on October 23, 2102, 25 years after the bombs fell. This day would be known as Reclamation Day.

As the Vault Dwellers would soon discover, a new pandemic known as the Scorched Plague had begun ravaging the region of Appalachia. This disease would turn hum💟ans and animals alike into mindless drones with burning sores and green crystals piercing through their skin. Thankfully, the Vault Dwellers discovered a cure for this disease and inoculated the local residents.

During the events of Fallout 76, The Master began his experiments with the FEV. He planned to use the virus to mutate all of humanity into a new species. This led to the creation of his army of super mutants known as The Unity, who would spre𓆏ad across the country looking for more human subjects to be experimented upon.

Fallout

It wasn't until 2161 that someone would put a stop to The Master's plans. In Fallout, a Vault Dweller from Vault 13 - one of the many still inhabited Vaults located in California - was tasked with finding a water chip for the Vault's malfunctioning water purification system. He ventured out into the wasteland and managed to befriend many fellow survivors while also fending off super mutants, raiders, and other baddies. Through his travels, The Vault Dweller would confront The Master and defeat him, leading to the end of his super-mutant army.

As a reward for not only ending The Master's schemes but also finding a replacement water chip, Vault 13's overseer declared that The Vault Dweller could not return to the Vault, as he had been exposed to the wasteland and could compromise the Vault's safety. Needless to say, the overseer is a jerk. The Vault Dweller left along with a few others, and they formed a new settlement known as Arroyo.

Fallout Tactics And Other Events

Many ⛦other significant events happen during and after the first Fallout game, but bef💙ore the second. These include:

• A scientific organization known as The Institute began their research into creating synthetic humans around 2178.
• The New California Republic or NCR was formed as a nation built from the remnants of New California as well as select regions of Nevada and Oregon in 2189.
• The events of Fallout Tactics occur in 2197, although the most significant thing to come from that game was the creation of a midwestern branch of the Brotherhood Of Steel.
• In 2227, members of The Institute break into Vault 111, where The Sole Survivor and their family are still cryogenically frozen. They kidnap The Sole Survivor's child, Shaun, and murder their spouse. The Institute then placed them back into cryogenic stasis for another 60 years, setting the events of Fallout 4 into motion.

Fallout 2

This leads into Fallout 2, which takes place in Arroyo in the year 2241. The Vault Dweller's daughter had become the village elder and her child would be known as The Chosen One. The village was in the midst of a terrible drought causing their crops to wither away. In an effort to save their people, the village elder sent The Chosen One out into the wasteland to find a terraforming device known as the Garden of Eden Creation Kit or GECK that could potentially save Arroyo.

The Chosen One faced many hardships and tough decisions on their quest, but they eventually found themselves back at a nearly deserted Vault 13 where they recovered the GECK. Unfortunately, while they were gone, most of the residents of Vault 13 and Arroyo were captured by The Enclave to be used as test subjects for its FEV experiments. To make matters worse, The Enclave planned to exterminate all mutated life with a new strain of the FEV that it'd release into the air.

Thankfully, The Chosen One puts a stop to this by traveling to The Enclave's oil rig and blowing it up. The residents of both Vault 13 and Arroyo were rescued, and they used the GECK to rebuild their society in Arroyo.

Shortly after the events of Fallout 2 in 2250, a group of scientists and Brotherhood Of Steel members in The Capital Wasteland - an area located around the remains of Washington D.C. - began a water purification project known as Project Purity. This would provide clean, radiation-free drinking water for everyone in the surrounding area and beyond. Among the scientists were James and Catherine, a couple who would conceive a child who would be called The Lone Wanderer.

Fallout 3

The Lone Wanderer would be born in 2258, but sadly, Catherine would not survive childbirth. This event would cause James to abandon Project Purity and travel to Vault 101 with an in♍fant Lone Wanderer. He struck a deal with the overseer to become their doctor, so heꦰ could raise his child within the safe confines of a vault. In his absence, Project Purity would close down.

The Lone Wanderer lived a relatively normal childhood in Vault 101 through the beginning of Fallout 3. Meanwhile, James secretly continued his research on Project Purity with the limited resources he had in the vault. With The Lone Wanderer having nearly reached adulthood, James decided to make a last-ditch effort to finish Project Purity. Thus, in 2277, James escapes Vault💎 101 and heads back out into The Capital Wasteland.

However, upon learning that his father has vanished, The Lone Wanderer also decides to leave the vault and go after his father. He eventually foꦉund him, and they gathered the rest of the scientists to attempt to get Project Purity back up and r🌃unning. But they faced another major setback when The Enclave arrived and attempted to take over Project Purity by force.

James would make yet another reckless decision and flood the control room with radiation to prevent The Enclave from having complete control over The Capitol Wasteland's drinking water. He dies, and The Lone Wanderer is left to pick up the pieces of Project Purity.

With help from the Brotherhood Of Steel, The Lone Wanderer recovers a GECK, which would allow Project Purity to be completed. The Enclave attempt to interfere, but they're defeated by the Brotherhood Of Steel and their giant robot named Liberty Prime. P🐎roject Purity filtered the water of The Capital Wasteland and The Lone Wanderer went on to have many more adventures (one of which involved thwarting an alien invasion.)

Fallout: New Vegas Into Fallout 4

In 2281, an individual known as The Courier is attacked by a gang of hoodlums while transporting an important package. After surviving a gunshot to the head by the gang's leader, Benny, they head out into The Mojave Wasteland in Nevada to seek revenge. This is the beginning of Fallout: New Vegas.

After dealing with Benny, The Courier is stuck in a three-way war over the nearby Hoover Dam, which is still generating electricity. The three groups fighting for the dam included The NCR, an army of violent soldiers called Caesar's Legion, and a man named Mr. House who operates a casino in New Vegas and controls numerous robots. They all wanted the dam as whoever controlled the electricity had con🍒trol over the whole region.

The Courier eventually helped The NCR take over the dam ♛allowing them to secure thꩵeir power in The Mojave Wasteland.

Finally, in 2287, The Sole Survivor wakes up from their cryogenic sleep in Vault 111 to begin the events of Fallout 4. They set out on their quest to recover their son Shaun f𓃲rom The Institute that stole him and killed their spouse.

The Sole Survivor reached The Institute's headquarters only to discover that Shaun was now the one in charge. 60 years had passed since he was taken away, and he was now a dying, old man who went by the name Father. From here, there isn't an official canon ending, but it more than likely ended with The Sole Survivor destroying The Institute by overloading their nuclear reactor.

Fallout TV Show

The Fallout TV Show takes place in 2296, but chronologically, the story starts in 2198, when Shady Sands (a city you can visit in Fallout: New Vegas) becomes the capital of the NCR, a place for society to start anew. By 224💞1, it became a city like the ones we know today, with train sta♕tions connecting neighborhoods and a flourishing economy.

Meanwhile, the people of Vault 33 were also thriving. In this Vault, they believe that no remnants of society remain in the wasteland, so they mostly keep🎶 to themselves, keeping their population stable by marrying with people from their siste♌r vaults, 31 and 32.

In reality, all the Vault dwellers from 32 and 33 were the offspring of cryogenically frozen people of 31, who've been in that state since before the war. Hank, from Vault 31, marries Rose from Vault 33, and they have two children, Lucy and Norm.

Rose eventually finds out the truth about the wasteland, and escapes the vault with her two children, ending up in Shady Sands in 2241. Hank recovers his kids and, as retaliation, detonates a nuke, destroying Shady Sands completely and turning Rose into a feral Ghoul.

In 2296, as the show starts, raiders invade Vault 33 and kidnap Hank. They need him to access the code for a cold fusion device that they stole from the Enclave, and Lucy, unaware of this, leaves the safety 🌸of the Vau✃lt to find her father.

Lucy suffers through many hardships on her travels, while also meeting strange characters that could either be friend or foe. Chief among them is the Ghoul, a mercenary that has been around since before the bombs and is currently looking for his family.

Lucy ends up finding her father, but after learning the truth, she can't bear to look him in the eye. Hank escapes towards New Vegas, with both the Ghoul and Lucy in close pursuit, leaving the conclu✃sion to this story to be resolved 🐽in the next season of the show.