Should you play Fallout: New Vegas before watching Fallout season 2?

Thanks to the New Vegas of it all, Fallout season 2 might have you nervously eyeing up your copy of Obsidian's RPG classic and wondering whether it's worth revisiting the Strip before heading out for a second serving of the wasteland on Prime Video.

If you haven't experienced Fallout: New Vegas before, you could even be curious about whether you're missing out on vital context if you skip the 2010 game before watching Fallout season 2.

To help guide you towards a decision, we've put together a quick guide on whether you should play Fallout: New Vegas before watching Fallout season 2, including quotes from Bethesda's Todd Howard and co-showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet. We're not straying into spoiler territory here, but there might be some aspects you wish to keep under wraps for yourself – so be warned. While you wait, we have our Fallout season 2 review to read, plus a look ahead to the Fallout season 2 release schedule.

Do I need to play Fallout: New Vegas before watching Fallout season 2?

In a word, no. While New Vegas is the focus of the new season, the events of the second season take place more than 15 years after the game's ending. As such, many of the factions, locations, and major moments won't directly tie into the Prime Video series.

Speaking to GamesRadar+, co-showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet went one further, ensuring that no Fallout: New Vegas ending choice would be made canon during the course of Fallout season 2.

"Instead, 15 years have gone by and Vegas is not exactly as you remember it, because naturally, in the wasteland, there's constantly shifts, right? There's warring factions trying to kill each other, take over each other's territory every day. So things would not remain the same over 15 years. Some things fans will recognize as very much the same, but other things have changed.," Robertson-Dworet said.

Todd Howard, though, is understandingly a little more game-favored, saying "honor the journey" of players while still "starting fresh."

Fallout: New Vegas veterans will certainly find the second season enriched by their time playing the game. Mr. House (played by Justin Theroux) was a major player in the RPG, and returns again in Fallout season 2. That, when coupled with the knowledge of the area's history and warring factions, might stand those viewers in good stead when diving into the muddy waters of New Vegas' political powder keg.

Of course, Fallout season 1 is also far more essential than Fallout: New Vegas. If you're going to spend hours on something over the holiday, maybe rewatching that is the play? Thankfully, Amazon's official AI-driven, mistake-strewn Fallout season 1 recap has been removed so you won't be temped to cut any corners there.

If you can spare a few hundred hours, we really can't recommend Fallout: New Vegas enough. It's known as one of the best Fallout games for a reason, an exceptional, choice-filled experience that combines Fallout's anarchic gameplay with Obsidian's eye for quirky characters and memorable experiences.

For more, check out the complete Fallout season 2 timeline.