In hindsight, the Fallout Series is pretty strange. Granted, it’s garnered a rather cult-like following over the years, but Bethesda still slaps the Fallout Community in the face from time to time.
Fallout 4 had its fair share of controversy but offered an overall solid experience. Then, there’s Fallout 76. We don’t talk about it here. So, if you’ve grown tired of the Fallout series and Bethesda’s antics, check out 8 other games like Fallout.
Outer Worlds
Release Date: October 25, 2019
Platforms Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, Microsoft Windows
Truth be told, the Outer Worlds made me appreciate Fallout 4, and for all the wrong reasons. While Fallout 4 isn’t a decent RPG, it’s a decent game in its own right, with a plentiful sprinkling of side-missions and playtime. Outer Worlds uses RPG elements like Fallout 1 and 2, but it’s far more linear than one would expect.
While not a great RPG, The Outer World shines when it comes to storytelling. The lore is pretty interesting. But there’s one caveat, it’s linear. The map and zones are sizeable but once the game ends, it’s over. You can finish the game in under 20 hours which is a pretty sparse number for an RPG.
Mad Max
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS
Mad Max, like Fallout, follows the trope of a post-apocalyptic open world filled with goodies and upgrades to scavenge. It’s got its fair share of side missions but they seem mediocre at best. Mad Max tries to make you really feel the harshness of its post-apocalyptic world but it tries at its best.
It doesn’t really follow through with its promises of a doom-and-gloom dystopia. There’s no real sense of pressure. Mad Max has some action-packed scripted scenes such as gunfights and car chases. But at the end of it all, it becomes pretty forgetful.
It’s a game filled with content, but most of the content and side missions are empty and fluffy. This is why no one really remembers or talks about Mad Max these days.
Rage 2
Release Date: May 14, 2019
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Microsoft Windows
While Rage 2 has its fair share of RPG elements and a post-apocalyptic setting, it’s not Fallout by any means. While the gunplay in Fallout can be clunky and a bit slow, Rage 2’s gunfights are fast, fueled with adrenaline, and punchy. Some claim that Rage 2 can be a bit boring at times, but the game plays at your pace.
The plot is fairly shallow and the world-building isn’t all too great. To be specific, the open-world setting doesn’t feel alive. Avalanche needs to learn a thing or two from its competitors. Still, Rage 2 excels when it comes to gunplay, just like Doom.
It’s a shame that the open world doesn’t offer a lot, despite Avalanche’s best efforts at exploring different biomes.
Cyberpunk 2077
Release Date: December 10, 2020
Platforms: Xbox, PlayStation. Microsoft Windows
Cyberpunk 2077 had one of the biggest redemption arcs after a botched launch. Where Fallout 4 is semi-lack luster in terms of its world-building and level design, Cyberpunk 2077 knocks it out of the park. Just like Fallout, Cyberpunk 2077 utilizes RPG mechanics in an FPS format.
In a not-so-impressive likeness of Fallout, the gunplay is clunky. And this aspect is extremely reminiscent of Fallout. Weapon selection is pretty neat and you get your hands on loads of shiny and useful loot along the way that can be sold to vendors.
The game really shines when it comes to the storytelling and the memorable cast of characters. We’re looking at Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand, V, and Adam Smasher here. Something that the Fallout series can’t quite get right after all these years.
Skyrim
Release Date: November 11, 2011
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, Microsoft Windows
Skyrim uses the same engine, gameplay mechanics, and RPG format as Fallout. It’s Fallout with swords, spells, and no guns. It’s an undeniable classic, to say the least. But it isn’t fine wine. The combat and gameplay haven’t aged quite well and it’s rather clunky, just like Fallout.
In contrast to Fallout, where Skyrim truly knocks it out of the park is the environmental storytelling. Skyrim feels shallow in terms of mechanics and the plot. The chosen one trope was used before in Fallout 2 and we find it here as well.
But why was Skyrim considered so good? It had a relatively plentiful offering of side missions and activities for players to complete. They weren’t incredibly good or game-changing but they were good enough to keep you going, offering dopamine hits along the way. Something, that’s become a part and parcel of the gaming industry.
Witcher 3
Release Date: May 18, 2015
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows
Not exactly like Fallout, Witcher 3 is one of the better RPGs to have been released in the past decade. Where Fallout 4 offers loads of quantity in terms of its missions and side quests, Witcher 3 offers loads of quality and quantity.
The world-building is great in both games. Exploration is much more rewarding in Fallout 4. In terms of in-game content, both games offer hundreds of hours of playtime.
Storytelling is another department the Witcher 3 get’s right. Bethesda could learn a thing or two from CDProjektRed if they ever get around to a Fallout 5. Fallout 4 is controversial, yet a decent game. But let’s be honest, Witcher 3 is a masterpiece.
Metro 2033
Release Date: March 16, 2010
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Linux, Microsoft Windows, macOS
Metro 2033 is another post-apocalyptic FPS shooter but it’s an entirely different experience from Fallout. While Fallout offers an open-world RPG experience, Metro 2033 throws players into a beautifully precrafted linear FPS adventure.
While Fallout throws out resources like hotcakes, Metro 2033 is very sparse with the ammo and medkits it gives you along the way. It’s incredibly dark, decrepit, and atmospheric. And sometimes runs shivers down your spine.
If you’re looking for a linear post-apocalyptic adventure that tests how well you fare with limited resources, then Metro 2033 will certainly satiate you.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R
Release Date: March 20, 2007
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
I had nothing but a potato to play on. I lowered my standards and decided to play an ancient game, something that I wouldn’t normally touch. With an open mind, I fired up Stalker with no prior reviews or recommendations in mind.
A game with RPG elements in an FPS format. It seems Stalker did it earlier than Fallout. While the open world is sectioned between load screens, it feels lively, rich, and challenging and has certainly aged like fine wine. You’ll come across factions battling it out in the Zone. These encounters feel organic.
Like Fallout, you can side with whatever faction you need to. You can discover side missions along the way or just skip through them and continue to the final mission. The game doesn’t bar you with mission order or structure. Despite its age, Stalker kept me reeled in throughout the whole experience and it’s something that modern AAA games can’t quite nail anymore.
Stalker makes Fallout look like a kid’s game.
Conclusion
Fallout has its fair share of problems but it’s still an incredible franchise in its own right. Despite its obvious flaws and drawbacks, I love the Fallout series. And it’s obvious that some of these games bear some inspiration from Fallout. But Stalker…Stalker is in a league of its own.
