Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout: New Vegas is a single-player role-playing game set in a post-apocalyptic version of the Mojave Desert. You play a Courier who survives an ambush and sets out to find his attackers. This leads to a power struggle over New Vegas and Hoover Dam, the outcome of which depends on your choices.

Fallout: New Vegas was released in Europe on Oct 22, 2010 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. In North America, the release began earlier, on Oct 19, 2010. The game was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks.

Fallout: New Vegas was released natively for Windows PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The PC version is available on Steam and GOG, among others. On newer Xbox consoles, the Xbox 360 version can be played via backward compatibility. There is no separate PS5, PS4 or Xbox Series version.

You explore desert locations, ruins, casinos and military facilities, talk to residents and solve tasks in different ways. Conversations, stealth routes, trade or open combat can all lead to your goal. Your reputation with factions changes encounters and affects which paths are open to you.

Four large story expansions take you to new areas: Dead Money to the Sierra Madre, Honest Hearts to Zion, Old World Blues to the Big MT research complex, and Lonesome Road to the Divide. Courier's Stash adds starting equipment, Gun Runners' Arsenal adds new weapons, ammo and challenges. The Ultimate Edition bundles the base game and these six expansions.

The original Windows version requires at least a dual-core processor at 2 GHz, 2 GB RAM and 10 GB of free storage. Steam lists the GeForce 6 series or ATI 1300XT series as historical graphics cards. Current Steam software requires Windows 10 or newer.

An apparently ordinary delivery ends in an ambush in the desert. After being rescued, the Courier follows the trail of the stolen package to the New Vegas Strip. The personal search grows into a decision about the balance of power in the Mojave Wasteland.

The New California Republic wants to control the region militarily and politically, Caesar's Legion follows a brutal model of rule, and Mr. House defends his own vision of New Vegas. You can gain allies, turn against factions or take an independent path. The conflict comes to a head at Hoover Dam.

Your words and actions change the Courier's reputation with residents and factions. Individual quests offer several ways to solve them, from persuasion and trade to combat. This means it's not just your equipment that shapes the story, but also how you treat characters.

Seven SPECIAL attributes form the basis of your character. Skills, perks and level-ups affect how you handle weapons, tech, medicine and conversations. This means two characters can tackle the same task in different ways, even though they move through the same game world.

Battles can be played in real time or planned more precisely with V.A.T.S. The system lets you target body parts and trigger attacks in a set order. Besides firearms, melee weapons and special equipment are available. Weapons can also be upgraded with modifications.

You can recruit different companions along the way. They fight at your side, react to the game world and bring their own stories. Through the companion menu, you give orders, such as combat style or distance, without having to control every step individually.

Hardcore mode makes the journey more demanding. Hunger, thirst and sleep become relevant too, and ammo adds weight to your inventory. Resource planning and supplies matter more than in the regular difficulty mode.

The PC version has a large modding scene with technical improvements, additional content and user interface changes. Which mods work together depends on the game version and the expansions used. Console versions do not offer comparable modding options.

Fallout: New Vegas is designed as a single-player campaign. An official online co-op or competitive multiplayer is not included. The PC release offers German user interface text, among other languages.

The standard edition includes the Mojave campaign. With the Ultimate Edition, you also get the four large story expansions and the two equipment packs. It expands not only the weapon arsenal but also the explorable areas and character development options.

Bethesda announced a revamped version of Fallout: New Vegas on Jul 17, 2026. Fallout 3 is also set to be re-released. The versions of Fallout: New Vegas already released for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 remain separate games.