When does the Fallout TV show take place on the series timeline?

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From a nuclear 21st Century to Fallout on Prime Video, here's the quick-and-easy series timeline

Fallout TV show
(Image credit: Prime Video)

What year does Fallout take place? Given its canon status alongside the game universe, understanding where the Fallout TV show fits on the series timeline is crucial to understanding not only what’s happened in the centuries since nuclear armageddon, but also what could come down the line in the Wasteland.

Below, we’ll take you through the Fallout timeline by each main title – including what year the Fallout TV show takes place and how it fits next to each mainline RPG title. Be warned, some mild spoilers follow.

What year does the Fallout TV show take place?

Fallout TV show

(Image credit: Prime Video)

The Fallout TV show takes place in the year 2296, making it the latest entry (to date) in the main Fallout series. 

For context, Fallout 76 is the earliest title in terms of chronological order, taking place in 2102. The first Fallout game comes decades later in 2161; Fallout 2 jumps ahead 80 years to 2241.

Fallout 3 takes place 19 years before the events of the Fallout TV show in 2277. Not long after, the Courier rocks up out West in Fallout: New Vegas (2281). Fallout 4 is set in 2287. The Fallout timeline at a glance is available below:

  • Fallout 76 – 2102
  • Fallout 1 – 2161
  • Fallout 2 – 2241
  • Fallout 3 – 2277
  • Fallout: New Vegas – 2281
  • Fallout 4 – 2287
  • Fallout TV show – 2296

The Great War of 2077 is another important marker to consider: it’s the year of the flashbacks featuring Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins), Vault-Tec, and the bomb going off in California. It also marks the end of the Battle of Anchorage, a war that Cooper fought in within the previous decade (Fallout-heads will know it began in 2066). And that's it! You're all caught up on the Fallout timeline.

Fallout, starring Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins, and Kyle MacLachlan, is now streaming on Prime Video. For more, check out some of the best shows on Prime Video and the rest of our coverage:

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.