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The Fallout series began in 1997, created by developer Interplay Productions, who also published it. It was a gem among Interplay’s roster until, eventually, it fell into the hands of Bethesda Softworks, which released its first series entry in 2008 with Fallout 3 as part of its Bethesda Game Studios. The rest is history as Bethesda turned the Fallout franchise into a more recognizable brand. There’s even a successful TV show adaptation now on Amazon Prime.
While its post-apocalyptic setting changes between releases, the same series of ideas has been the franchise’s foundation since 2008. These other post-apocalyptic games are more interesting in some ways because of their settings, world design, characters, mechanics, and so on. They may not be better than Fallout in every way, but they certainly have some grander ideas than Bethesda’s games.
Atomfall
Leaving The U.S.
Atomfall is set in an alternate version of the 1960s in a rural part of England. The countryside is ruined by rusty weapons, machinery, and broken-down buildings, but as the apocalyptic event just happened recently, everything is still green.
While Fallout: London does exist and is comparable, it’s only a fan mod based on Fallout 4. In 2024, the brain behind Bethesda’s RPGs, Todd Howard, said the Fallout series will remain in the United States. Anyone hoping for an Atomfall-like game from Bethesda will have to keep on hoping, as the U.S. is at the forefront of their thoughts.
Death Stranding
The Mail Is Here
Death Stranding has a unique post-apocalyptic setting because it takes place across nearly the entire U.S., or at least a shrunken-down version of it. While there are action elements, this game is predominantly about a courier, Sam, connecting underground bunkers by delivering packages.
Imagine a Fallout game set in the entirety of the U.S., and also about delivering packages. It seems way outside what Todd Howard would ever want to do with the franchise. Thankfully, there are other game visionaries, namely Hideo Kojima, who always to push the boundaries of what is possible in a post-apocalyptic setting.
Destiny
A Post-Earth Apocalypse
Some fans may forget that Destiny, a 2014 game, begins on Earth, set in part of a destroyed Russian environment. After a cataclysmic event, most of humanity has escaped to space or a tower above Earth, since much of the planet became uninhabitable.
The game itself is a first-person shooter where players go to multiple planets and fight back against various alien incursions. Bethesda already has a Fallout-like space game, Starfield, so there’s no way their post-apocalyptic franchise will ever leave Earth. It would be like Bethesda devouring its own tail.
Final Fantasy 6
Witnessing The End
Spoilers Ahead
Final Fantasy 6 is where the first major spoiler comes into play, as players have to get through half of the game to get to it. This is a landmark title within the Final Fantasy franchise because the villains win, the planet is nearly destroyed, and the rest of humanity must cling together to what they have left. Players then have to recollect every party member to rouse hope in stopping the man who may strike again, Kefka.
While there have been scenes set before the bombs drop, like in Fallout 4, there probably won’t be any games that feature gameplay set directly after the blast, or even weeks after. It would be interesting to see, though.
Horizon Zero Dawn
A Beautiful Apocalypse
Horizon Zero Dawn is not the first post-apocalyptic game to be set in a beautiful version of the end of the world. It also features a set of enemies that are unlike anything else in gaming: robotic animals. By harvesting their parts, players can upgrade their heroine, Aloy, with new gear, or she can even hack the robots to turn them into allies.
While there are dangerous machines in Fallout, like the Assaultrons, they aren’t nearly as complex as the animals in Horizon Zero Dawn, nor are they as tricky to take down as something like a Thunderjaw.
The Last Of Us Part 1
A Horror-Themed Apocalypse
The Last of Us Part 1 also has a beautiful world, but it’s not open like Horizon Zero Dawn’s is. This is a purely linear adventure, and it’s hard to imagine Bethesda going down that route with Fallout, especially with a story this emotionally gripping.
The real standouts of this game are the horror and stealth elements. The way infected stalk hallways is haunting, and even the raiders are more unhinged than the ones in the Fallout games. A pure horror Fallout game could be good, especially if it focused on Ghouls, but that seems unlikely.
The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Come Sail Away
Many may forget that The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is technically set after a post-apocalyptic event that led to the flooding of Hyrule. The rest of life now mostly exists above water while the kingdom of Hyrule lies below. Sailing is a big part of the gameplay as Link can explore side islands before tackling big dungeons to progress the main story.
There aren’t many states that Bethesda could use where it would make sense to have the land be completely flooded for sailing purposes, other than perhaps Minnesota, “The Land of 10,000 Lakes.»
Metaphor: ReFantazio
The Bait And Switch
Spoilers Ahead
Metaphor: ReFantazio is another game that needs to be spoiled here to get to the juicy bits. First, this turn-based/action hybrid is a linear RPG, much like the Persona games. It’s disguised as a fantasy RPG with a rich tapestry of races, monsters, and magic, but there’s a big twist toward the end.
This world was built upon the ruins of what used to be modern civilization. Imagine if Bethesda announced a new RPG set in a fantasy world that wasn’t The Elder Scrolls, and in actuality, it revealed itself to be a spinoff of Fallout towards the end. Bethesda would never pull a Metaphor: ReFantazio, but if they did, it would be the greatest video game trick of all time.
Sand Land
Going Hard On Vehicles
One of the strangest things about the Fallout games is that everything has to be explored on foot without mounts or vehicles, unless clunky Power Armor counts. That’s where Sand Land is different. It takes place in a sandy world without water, but that’s exactly what players are tasked with finding.
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Players are Beelzebub, a demon prince, who is accompanied by fellow demons and humans alike on their quest. There is action-based combat with Beelzebub, but there are also tanks and mechs to pilot for battle purposes, along with cars and monsters to mount for travel.
Shin Megami Tensei 4
Angels Vs Demons
The Shin Megami Tensei series typically takes place in bombed-out versions of Japan, featuring a war of angels vs demons with humans caught in the middle. Among the many, Shin Megami Tensei 4, a 3DS turn-based RPG, is perhaps the best example of this.
Players essentially start as heavenly samurai, a sworn guardian of everything good, before they are struck down to Earth. To get home, they need to make alliances with human survivors and even some demons who can help them. Fallout is purely a sci-fi series, so adding literal angels and demons, or setting the game in Japan, is probably not going to happen.
