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Fallout season 3 is on the way... and there's so much more of the Wasteland to explore. The journeys of our heroes, Lucy, Max, and the Ghoul, are just getting started, and the Fallout season 2 finale has opened up a whole new slew of exciting possibilities for what's to come next.
The hit Prime Video series, based on the massively popular video game franchise of the same name, premiered in 2024 and became the second-most-watched original series on the streaming site after The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Prime Video renewed the series for a second season just one month after the premiere, and ordered a third season in the months leading up to season 2's December 2025 premiere. Below, we've rounded up everything we know so far about Fallout season 3, and will continue to update you on the release date, plot, confirmed list of characters, exciting news, and everything in between.
There are spoilers for Fallout season 2 below, so proceed with caution. For more, check out our guide to the Fallout season 2 ending explained, and be sure to hit up our guide to all the Fallout season 2 Easter eggs you might've missed.
Fallout season 3 release date speculation
Fallout season 1 premiered on April 4, 2024, with season 2 arriving on December 16, 2025. This is a relatively quick turnaround given the fact that some TV shows take two or three years between seasons.
Because Fallout season 3 is set to start filming around May 2026, we could very well expect a late 2027 release date. Executive producer Jonathan Nolan even referred to the long gaps between seasons as an "unfortunate trend" and told IGN, "You don't want the show to lose any of its scope, [so] we like to be back on the air as soon as we can."
Fallout season 3 cast
As of right now, we don't have a confirmed cast list. But we can infer, especially from the Fallout season 2 finale, who is set to return. Of course, our leads, Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, and Walton Goggins, are all set to return. As for our Vault dwellers, all of the members of Bud's Buds are seemingly dead (save for Claudia), but the members of Vault 32 and Vault 33 are still kicking… for now, anyway. Because Robert House was a main fixture of season 2 and we haven't seen all of the lead-up to the end of the world yet, we can probably count on seeing him again as well. The only main cast member whose fate remains unclear is Kyle MacLachlan, but we'll explain that below in our brief Fallout season 2 recap.
It's quite possible that we'll see Clancy Brown return as the last President of the United States, as we still don't know too much about the Enclave. We also might see Congresswoman Diane Welch in a flashback, despite her severed head being destroyed in the present day in episode 8. Macaulay Culkin, however, is about to become one of the most important characters in the series as his character has just become Caesar and is getting ready to lead the Legion into war.
Our speculative list of returning cast members is as follows:
- Ella Purnell – Lucy MacLean
- Walton Goggins – The Ghoul / Cooper Howard
- Aaron Moten – Maximus
- Kyle MacLachlan – Hank MacLean
- Annabel O'Hagan – Steph
- Johnny Pemberton – Thaddeus
- Moisés Arias – Norm MacLean
- Justin Theroux – Robert House
- Frances Turner – Barb
- Leslie Uggams – Betty
- Macaulay Culkin – Legate/Caesar
What happened at the end of Fallout season 2?
We'll try to keep it brief. Fallout season 2 episode 8 begins with Legate (Macaulay Culkin) finding out that Edward Sallow, aka the Caesar of Caesar's Legion, never intended to have any of his men replace him. Upset by this news, he takes matters into his own hands and puts on the crown... effectively becoming the Legion's new Caesar.
It then jumps to the Ghoul and Robert House, who has digitized his consciousness into a computer system, down in the management Vault. The Ghoul demands that he takes him to his family, and the two walk (with House in a special Pip-Boy on the Ghoul's arm) through the Vault to get to the floor that holds Barb and Janey's cryopods. While on the way, House confirms that Cooper accidentally brought about the end of the world by delivering the cold fusion diode directly into the hands of the Enclave, in which the last President of the United States was, indeed, a member.
Elsewhere on the surface, Bud's Buds are seconds away from killing Norm... before a Radroach swarm flies out of an empty elevator shaft and attacks and kills them all (except for Norm and Claudia).
On the strip, the fight against the Deathclaws continues. Maximus almost dies, but a one-armed Thaddeus comes to the rescue with an impressive sniper shot. Sadly, this doesn't work for long, and Maximus ends up ditching the NCR suit for a stick and a poker table (wielded as a kind of sword and shield). Before the Deathclaws can charge at him, the newly reunited New California Republic comes stomping in to save the day.
Deep down in the management Vault, Lucy learns that her father Hank has been using the severed head of Congresswoman Diane Welch to keep House's robot experiments alive and give said robots a little bit of "personality." After she destroys the head, Hank attempts to implant one into Lucy in order to make her "his little girl again." Luckily, the Ghoul appears and shoots Hank in the leg. Lucy then implants the chip into the back of Hank's neck and demands he tell her what he's been up to. Hank then tells her that he's already sent the technology out into the Wasteland before pressing the button and activating his own chip. Lucy cries in his arms, but he doesn't recognize her. As Lucy looks around the Wasteland, Maximus appears – and the two finally reunite.
In Vault 32, the dwellers are still banging on Steph's door and demanding she come out and face consequences. Realizing there's nothing else she can do, she opens the box that Betty gave her. Inside the box is a special kind of Pip Boy made specifically for the Enclave. She puts it on and introduces herself as Hank Maclean's wife, before initiating "Phase 2."
As the Ghoul enters the cryopod chamber, we cut to Coop answering a payphone in the airport. When he picks up the phone, the voice of Robert House tells him, "I want you to know that it wasn't me... whatever it is that's about to happen. There are far worse people than me, Mr. Howard. I commend you for trying to play the hero... I really do." Cooper is then arrested and taken into custody.
The Ghoul enters the chamber and finds Barb and Janey's cryopods, but they're empty. Located inside Barb's empty cryopod, however, is a postcard depicting the beautiful mountains of Colorado. On the back, it reads, "Colorado was a good idea." The episode ends with Lucy and Maximus looking out over the Wasteland, knowing that a war is coming, and the Ghoul reaching Colorado. In a post-credits scene, the Brotherhood of Steel unveils the blueprints for a new, destructive suit known as Liberty Prime Alpha.
What will happen in Fallout season 3?
The possibilities are endless. Colorado is a state that has never actually been featured in any of the Fallout video games, which opens the door to brand new locations and creatures. Back in Vegas, however, the Civil War between Caesar's Legion, the New California Republic, and the Brotherhood of Steel is about to begin (And if that post-credits scene is any indicator, the Brotherhood definitely has the advantage).
Back in the Vaults, however, the worst is about to happen. Steph calling in "Phase 2" likely means that the FEV (Forced Evolutionary Virus) is going to be inflicted upon the members of Vault 32. We might see Chet and the rest of the Vaultys turn into mutants, which sounds horrifying (but is terribly exciting to those of us who've played the games). The Enclave is also still at large, and we still don't know the scope of Hank and Steph's involvement. We'll also probably learn more about their marriage, and why Hank ended up having children with another woman in the Vaults.
Cooper Howard's unlawful arrest does explain why he's working as a birthday party cowboy in Fallout season 1 episode 1, but we don't know what happens between the arrest and the bombs actually dropping. We also don't know how he gets separated from Barb and Janey, so hopefully season 3 will provide this closure.
It's unclear what's next for Lucy and Maximus, who reunited at the end of season 2, but it's even murkier for Hank Maclean. The once powerful overseer and secret Enclave member is now a blank slate with a microchip. After Lucy abandons him in Vegas, he's essentially left to sit there until someone orders him to do something. But don't forget what he told Lucy: "The surface is the experiment." There are already microchips implanted all around the Wasteland... so who knows what that means for what's left of humanity.
What have the creators and cast said about Fallout season 3?
So far, the cast and crew are keeping Fallout season 3 pretty hush-hush. Executive producer Jonathan Nolan, however, told IGN that filming should begin mid-2026: "I think what's happened with television in terms of, you know, taking longer and longer from season to season is an unfortunate trend. You don't want the show to lose any of its scope, [so] we like to be back on the air as soon as we can."
In an interview with Keramagaz, Goggins commented on the third season, saying, "You know, I can say that it's going to go to a place that the fans won't expect, and there will be clues along the way. But there will be at least one definitive direction with a very specific purpose in mind." Showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet also told GamesRadar+ that there would, indeed, be "new creatures" to look forward to.
For more on Fallout, you can read our Fallout Season 2 review. Or, if you're a gamer, we also have a guide on everything that you need to know about Fallout 5.
