Highlights

  • Fallout 5 has the opportunity to explore new locations in the Fallout series, branching out from the familiar areas of California and the East Coast.
  • The untapped potential of Middle America provides diverse landscapes and rich history that could create a visually different and fresh Fallout experience.
  • Bethesda may consider setting Fallout 5 in the Midwest, allowing the franchise to reboot and evolve while maintaining its overall style and tone.

When it comes to post-apocalyptic game worlds, Fallout is most likely the flagship franchise that comes to mind for many players. Emerging from a patented Vault-Tec vault and trekking across Fallout's vision of America's ruined landscape and blasted-out cities has become an iconic experience ever since the first game let fans loose in it in 1997. Developer Bethesda's reinvention of the series after acquiring its property rights in 2008 set the trend for the modern era of FO titles, exponentially increasing immersion by shifting to a first-person view, in addition to newer graphics capabilities that could render the expansive wastelands in richer detail than ever before.

However, there emerges a distinct pattern of exactly where in the USA Fallout titles have been set. Similar to how most titles put the player in a vault resident's shoes to start, the choice of locations seen so far, while visually stunning and impressive, is also rather limited in scope. This is an aspect that could be said to be due for a change, and Fallout 5 has the chance to overhaul its setting to bring fans to a few areas that haven't been explored in the series yet.

Fallout 5 New Location Rumor
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Fallout 5's Rumored Setting Explained

The Fallout series has gone to many distinct locales over the years, and one iconic U.S. city has been heavily rumored as the setting for Fallout 5.

Fallout 5 Should Change Up Its Setting in One Major Way

Fallout's Previous Locations

Looking at the history of where the major Fallout releases took place:

Game

Region/Setting

Release Year

Fallout 1

California

1997

Fallout 2

California, Oregon

1998

Fallout 3

Virginia, Washington, D.C.

2008

Fallout: New Vegas

Nevada, Arizona, parts of California

2010

Fallout 4

Massachusetts

2015

Fallout 76

West Virginia Appalachian Mountains

2018

It's noticeable that Fallout has covered the far West (specifically California and surrounding areas) and Eastern parts of America, usually along its coastlines. Sometimes it has extended a bit further inland, but still generally stuck to these areas. For example, Fallout 76's Atlantic City update returns to an Eastern coastal region. A number of Fallout 3 DLCs did see players visiting more varied areas. The Pitt saw fans traveling to Pennsylvania, while Point Lookout sent the Lone Wanderer into rural Maryland. Operation Anchorage was in Alaska, though this was technically a virtual reality simulation of past events. Finally, Fallout 4's Far Harbor had fans heading to Maine, which is still an Eastern coastal state.

Where Fallout 5 Could Take Players Next

There is thus a huge swath of Middle America that has been largely unseen in any Fallout to date. Fans may recall that Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel was in Chicago and parts of Colorado, though the title is often labeled a black sheep of the series. While there have been numerous mentions and lore regarding areas other than the above, Fallout has yet to actually show players its version of them. The natural beauty, awe-inspiring vistas, and diverse biomes of these landscapes are brimming with untapped potential to provide a great, and perhaps more importantly, visibly different Fallout. For example, Fallout 5 possibly being set in New Orleans might provide an excellent way to balance the familiar and the unknown while taking advantage of the region's rich history and culture to realize in a FO game.

The upcoming Fallout TV series premiering on Amazon in the Spring will be set in/around Los Angeles, making it another Fallout release to be in California.

While it is rumored Fallout 5 will be in San Francisco, this would yet again constitute a Fallout game being set in and around California. Perhaps Bethesda intends to evoke the originals with this strategy, but it would still mean returning to previously-seen ground. There are other options it could consider, particularly in the Midwestern areas. Such a switch might even allow Fallout 5 a chance to reboot the franchise and evolve by branching out into never-before-seen locations, showcasing completely new and fresh regions while keeping its overall style and tone intact. For now, though, fans will simply need to wait until Bethesda reveals more information regarding where Fallout will go next.