Fallout Renaissance: Bethesda Working on Multiple Fallout Games

Fans of the popular RPG from 2008 have been waiting years for the Capital Wasteland to return with fresh graphics and gameplay. Since a major leak during the FTC v. Microsoft court case in 2023, the idea has been circulating online and in fan communities, but Bethesda has never confirmed the project. It's been said again that the Fallout game will be back.

There may be a new golden age coming for the Fallout series, according to a leak. The leak says that several Fallout games are now being made by Xbox and Bethesda. This includes the game that fans have been begging for.

The timing of this news is not a fluke. Amazon's Fallout TV series premiered in 2024 to widespread praise, bringing the franchise new attention and rekindling interest in the wasteland. A significant gap was also made clear: even though the show was amazing, there wasn't a new Fallout game ready to capitalize on the wave of popularity.

Microsoft responded by releasing a next-gen update for Fallout 4, which saw a big increase in the number of players. They may have realized they'd missed a great chance. New content was also good for Fallout 76. Fans and Xbox knew that short-term fixes weren't enough, though. There had to be a bigger plan going on.

If you've been holding your breath for Fallout 5, you might want to let out a breath and sit down. At the moment, Bethesda is working hard on The Elder Scrolls VI. This means that the next Fallout game is likely to be released no earlier than 2030. It won't be possible to speed up that project.

Instead, Microsoft appears to be working on two other Fallout projects that are more likely to materialize: a remake of Fallout 3 and what could be the long-rumored Fallout: New Vegas 2.

There have been rumors about a remake of Fallout 3 for years, but they gained significant support when internal Microsoft documents were leaked during the FTC's case against Microsoft and Activision. The same papers correctly predicted projects like DOOM: The Dark Ages and the Oblivion remake, which have now been confirmed.

The schedule in those files indicates that Fallout 3 Remastered was originally slated for release about two years after TES IV: Oblivion Remastered. It's clear that work schedules have changed since then, but this remaster is probably real now, and it might be much closer than you think. It could happen as early as 2026 if everything goes well, but 2027 might be a better guess.

The possible follow-up to Fallout: New Vegas is probably the most exciting news. Although it was made quickly and had some problems during development, New Vegas became a cult classic and is now thought to be one of the best RPGs ever. The game, which wasn't made by Bethesda but by Obsidian, stood out for its dark humor, branching stories, and well-thought-out worlds.

The stars seem to be aligned now that Obsidian is also owned by Microsoft. In 2024, it was said that Obsidian had started talking about New Vegas 2 early on. So far, nothing official has been said, but things are moving forward quickly. Because of how well the Amazon series has done and how Microsoft clearly wants to cash in on Fallout's popularity, this sequel seems more like a "when" than an "if".

So, don't expect a trailer to come out soon. Even though Grounded 2 is coming out soon, Obsidian still has to work on Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2. After those games come out, though, the studio's main teams might have more time to work on other projects. And because Obsidian usually gets games done faster, New Vegas 2 might be out before Fallout 5 even comes out.

It would also be a good choice for a mid-generation release since New Vegas is generally thought to be less ambitious than mainline games. That sounds like the kind of project Microsoft could rush to keep the Fallout brand alive without having to wait years for a big AAA project to finish.

When looked at as a whole, the Fallout roadmap is finally beginning to take shape. This is how the next ten years might look: The remake of Fallout 3 is likely still in development, and it is expected to be released between 2026 and 2027.

Fallout: New Vegas 2 is still in its early stages, but progress is being made. Fallout 5 is set to come out in the late 2030s and will probably be Bethesda's next project after Elder Scrolls VI.

Microsoft won't keep Fallout in the Vault for much longer. With a popular show, huge fan bases, and multiple internal studios now able to make Fallout content, the franchise looks like it's ready for a full-on comeback.