The Fallout franchise is being carried by two things at the moment: Fallout 76 and the live-action Fallout series on Amazon Prime. Live-action video game adaptations can be a real hit or miss, but Fallout has proven to work incredibly well as a TV series. The franchise’s formula of following a brand-new survivor through each game helped create a solid foundation to build a TV show from, and the live-action series now has the perfect opportunity to influence Fallout 5.
Major spoilers ahead for Fallout Season 2.
Realistically, a Fallout 5 release date is more than likely years away at this point. I wouldn’t be surprised if the game didn’t come out until 2030 or later, but I really hope I’m wrong. Thankfully, the TV series has helped fill up some of that dead air, and it could even offer some insight into what lies in store for Fallout 5. One of the biggest surprises of Season 2 was the revelation that The Ghoul is headed to Colorado to find his wife Barb and daughter Janey, and it hopefully plants the seed for Bethesda to explore uncharted territory when it comes to Fallout 5‘s wasteland setting.
Fallout Season 3 Taking the Story to Colorado Should Be a Blueprint for Fallout 5
As of now, it’s not super clear how big of a role Colorado will play in Fallout Season 3. It definitely seems like a given that The Ghoul will at least visit the area for a moment, though, even if it isn’t the full centerpiece for Season 3. Colorado in Fallout has a strange history, because the only game that actually features the area in any significant way is Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel, which isn’t fully canon.
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The Fallout Season 2 finale only showed a glimpse of the snowy Rocky Mountains, but the fact that an Enclave hideout is nestled within the remote wilderness teases that the state will have a pretty important role. Since the Fallout show is branching out beyond existing wastelands, it has me hopeful that Fallout 5 will do the same. Of course, the games have been doing this for years at this point, but past Todd Howard comments about future Fallout projects have teased things like the return of the NCR.
It’s definitely too early to say, so I’m simply speculating here, but that implies that Bethesda could be eyeing a return to regions like California or the Mojave Desert. That’s really the only way that bringing back the NCR would make much sense. As interesting as it would be to see Bethesda bring the franchise back to its California roots, opting for a fresh location like Colorado would be more exciting. Between Boston, Vegas, Washington D.C., and Appalachia, Fallout‘s Bethesda era has continued to lift the veil on what happened to various regions of the country after the Great War, and it would be best for the games to keep that tradition going.
Even If It Isn’t Colorado, Fallout 5 Has Plenty of Never-Before-Seen Wasteland Possibilities
Since Fallout Season 3 is taking The Ghoul to Colorado, using the same location for the yet-to-be-determined Fallout 5 wasteland setting risks being overkill, even if there is a lot of compelling gameplay potential. Thankfully, Bethesda definitely isn’t short on options when it comes to choosing the next setting for the franchise’s next main chapter.
Locations That Would Be Great Fallout 5 Wastelands
- New Orleans
- Miami
- Seattle
- New York City
- Chicago
- Hawaii
- Alaska
- Nashville
There are still so many places that the Fallout games have yet to explore. New Orleans and Miami could show players what alligators look like after being exposed to nuclear radiation, Seattle could fulfill the desire to go to the West Coast with a fresh twist, and seeing Nashville’s neon-covered Broadway would give off some serious New Vegas sequel vibes, but with country music instead of gambling. Also, Alaska plays a major role in Fallout‘s lore, which probably makes it the most deserving of being Fallout 5‘s main setting.
While The Ghoul is headed to Colorado, Lucy and Maximus are still in New Vegas, so Season 3 could potentially bounce back and forth between locations.
Fallout Season 3 Could Give Answers Sooner Than Expected
The third season is currently filming, and actor Kyle MachLachlan revealed to GamesRadar that production is about to finally wrap up on the next chapter. Whether it’s the Fallout show or a different series, time between TV seasons has been taking longer, but according to MacLachlan, the wait for Season 3 might be shorter than some fans may have expected.
We’ve got about a month or so to go… and then probably come out maybe May or June.
Granted, that’s still a while to wait, but with Season 2 premiering in December, I had just assumed that Season 3 would probably come out around the same time in 2027. Nothing is official, though, so MacLachlan’s words should be taken with a grain of salt. If he’s right, though, fans could possibly get a sneak peek of the Colorado wasteland in the coming months.
Between the new Obsidian Fallout game that was recently announced and Bethesda working on the next mainline entry with Fallout 5, I’m eager to see how both the show and future games continue to shape the lore. Whether it’s the unforgiving Colorado wilderness or a location that I haven’t even considered, Fallout‘s many wastelands are the heart of the franchise.
