What to Expect from the Fallout Franchise in 2026

Despite not releasing a new game since 2018, the Fallout franchise still had a massive 2025. Not only were Fallout fans treated to the highly anticipated Season 2 of the Amazon Prime TV series, but Fallout 76 saw a massive update in the form of Burning Springs, which included a new Ohio map and the addition of Walton Goggins’ The Ghoul from the show, and Fallout 4 received an Anniversary Edition for its 10th anniversary. The future of Fallout heading into 2026 is a bit murky at the moment, but the new year has the potential to provide more killer content for Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic franchise than fans might expect.

There isn’t a ton of official information about the future of Fallout to latch onto at the moment. While Fallout 5 is expected eventually, Bethesda is currently prioritizing the development of The Elder Scrolls 6, which also doesn’t have a firm release date. Although there are rumors of remakes for Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas in the works, none of these have been confirmed. Luckily, Fallout 76 is still expected to receive substantial content over the next year, and the Fallout TV series has already been greenlit for Season 3.

Fallout 76 Season 24 Arrives in March 2026

Image via Bethesda

One of the few pieces of confirmed information for the Fallout franchise in 2026 is the upcoming content for Fallout 76. While the details of this content are scarce, the event roadmap for Fallout 76 points shows that players can expect Season 24 to drop in March 2026. The current season, titled Blood x Rust, began earlier this month with the Burning Springs update, and will run through the first couple of months of 2026.

The PTS Gives Players a Glimpse of What Fallout 76 Will Look Like in 2026

Some Events are being rebranded as “Activities”
Updated Reward Pools
Updates to Armor
Vanity Lights for Photo Mode
New 4-Star Bigfoot boss

Fallout 76 players can get a sneak peek of in-progress features coming to the game in the near future by hopping onto the Public Test Server. The latest PTS update went live on December 18 and showcases a variety of reworked features coming to Fallout 76 next year. The biggest change players can expect is the streamlining of certain Events into shorter Activities with increased difficulty for higher-level players and better rewards. Another addition players can find right now on the PTR is a new 4-star boss in the form of Bigfoot, the latest cryptid to join Fallout 76‘s Appalachian Wasteland, which has the chance to spawn after the completion of some Public Events.

Fallout Season 3 Could Get a Teaser in 2026, Full Release is Unlikely

With the premiere of Fallout Season 2 on December 16, fans will be able to enjoy the story of Lucy, Maximus, and The Ghoul well into 2026, as episodes are scheduled to release weekly through February 4. The writing of a third season of the show has already started, but fans may not see an episode of Season 3 air until 2027, based on the previous seasons’ production timelines. However, it’s possible that a teaser for Fallout Season 3 could be shown sometime in 2026, but this would likely come later in the year, perhaps at The Game Awards 2026.

Bethesda’s Todd Howard has confirmed that the events of the Fallout TV series are canon and will influence future games like Fallout 5.

Bethesda May Pull an ‘Oblivion Remastered’ With Fallout 3

Bethesda Just Announced the Wrong Fallout Game

At this point, a Fallout 3 remake seems like Bethesda’s worst-kept secret, with Todd Howard acknowledging the fan desire to see this remake happen and noting that the developer is working on a lot of stuff. While this doesn’t outright confirm a Fallout 3 remake is happening, there have been numerous credible leaks suggesting a Fallout 3 remake is in progress and could release as early as 2026. After Bethesda successfully pulled off a surprise shadow drop of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered earlier this year, the door was flung wide open for a similar style of remake and subsequent shadow drop-style release for Fallout 3 or even Fallout: New Vegas in the future. With the success of the Fallout TV show on Amazon Prime, hopefully, this rumored Fallout 3 remake launches sooner rather than later to tide fans over between Season 2 and Season 3.