The 10 Best Games Like Fallout 4

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I'm a stand-up comic by night and write for HGG by day. Most of my gaming happens at an improvised desk at the Days Inn right outside whatever small town I'm in for the night.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

Fallout 4 is an action RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world where players explore a vast open world, fight against mutated creatures and savage raiders, scavenge for resources, and make numerous choices that affect the wasteland formerly known as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. While the game is quite long and expansive, your journey will eventually come to an end. Thankfully, there are other fantastic games like Fallout 4 out there.

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Here are 10 other games with a lot in common with Fallout 4 that should scratch your itch for surviving in an immersive RPG world. Now you’ll have something to play while we wait for Bethesda to finish Starfield.

10/10

Skyrim

If you haven’t already heard of Skyrim, you must have grown up in a Vault. Created by the same developer as Fallout 4, Skyrim was originally released in 2011 and is widely regarded as one of the best games of all time.

Skyrim is an excellent and obvious first choice if you’ve grown bored of exploring the Commonwealth. The RPG elements and controls are almost identical between the two games, although Skyrim does lack some of the polish that 2016’s Fallout 4 holds.

The biggest difference between the two is that Skyrim is set in a Scandinavian-themed medieval fantasy realm full of swords and magic spells, while Fallout is strictly a post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure.

You can get Skyrim on almost any conceivable gaming device. Pick up the Special Edition for enhanced graphics and numerous DLC of varying quality.

9/10

Fallout: New Vegas

Set in the same universe and preceding the events of Fallout 4, New Vegas is renowned for its deep, moralistic decision-making and is perhaps the best example of the dark comedy the Fallout series is known for.

Released in 2010, New Vegas is one of the best action RPGs of all time. While Fallout 4 is set in an interpretation of the New England region of the USA, New Vegas is set in a post-apocalyptic version of the American Southwest, collectively referred to as the Mojave Wasteland. Just like Fallout 4, your player character is quickly set up on a path toward revenge before the opening credits have even finished rolling.

The most notable difference between the two games is that New Vegas includes a lot more depth in its decision-making, with more major ramifications arising from the choices that the player makes. It has numerous alternative endings with drastically different implications for the fate of the Wasteland and many more nuanced dialogue options throughout the entire game.

8/10

Cyberpunk 2077

This massive 2020 release from CD Projekt Red was widely regarded as a buggy, under-developed mess, in contrast to the incredible product that was promoted before the game came out. While fans of Cyberpunk were initially disappointed by the gap between what was promised and what was delivered, future patches of Cyberpunk 2077 have made the game much more concrete and engrossing.

If you like the immersive feel of Fallout 4, you’ll love wandering Cyberpunk‘s Night City. Take in the highly stylized art form of the world and engage with a distinctly more civilized and busy map.

Just like Fallout, this game is largely played in a first-person view, and a lot of the gameplay progression will depend on you acquiring progressively more powerful, customizable weaponry. Plus the familiar process of leveling up your player character to gain more skills and abilities.

Cyberpunk 2077 is more action-focused than Fallout 4, with a huge range of abilities and playstyles you can adapt to. It also has its own distinct dark sense of humor and purpose, with some truly wild, futuristic (dystopian) ideas being entertained in front of you.

7/10

Borderlands Series

The Borderlands series is what happens when Fallout means Looney Tunes. The over-the-top sci-fi adventure feeling gets turned up to 11, with huge explosions and bigger guns abound. The setting for this series of games is very much an apocalyptic sci-fi wasteland, and it matches some of the similar themes of Fallout with its parody of unchecked capitalism gone wrong.

While Borderlands is also a first-person shooter with RPG elements, the major difference between the two is that Borderlands is built to be played with friends instead of being a deep story that you absorb by yourself.

Parties of four players can team up to stomp the massive hordes of enemies you encounter in Borderlands, and all of them can play as different classes of characters with different strengths and special abilities. Guns are semi-randomly generated as well, letting you assemble an absurd arsenal with your friends!

6/10

Metro: Exodus

While the other games in the Metro series would also fit into this list, we need to make special room for Metro: Exodus simply because it pushes you to interact with an open wilderness significantly more than its predecessors.

Based on a series of books by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky, these games follow a group of survivors that take refuge in the underground Moscow metro system following an apocalyptic, world-ending nuclear war. Exodus came out in 2019 and follows the same hero as the previous games as he makes his way out of Moscow and into the outside world.

The pacing of this game is slower than Fallout, still requiring a good amount of scavenging and smart play to survive. You’ll customize your weapons using scrap you pick up along your journey and use those weapons to put down monstrous, irradiated creatures. The game is a blend of open-world exploration and linear areas and could be a great pick for any fans of Fallout.

5/10

Deus Ex: Human Revolution & Mankind Divided

The Deus Ex series is another set of first-person action RPGs with heavy shooter elements and a futuristic sci-fi setting. You play Adam Jensen, the head of security for a company that deals in augmentations, and artificial body parts that can enhance human abilities.

Adam is nearly killed during an attack on the company, and as a result, he becomes a heavily modified cyborg, capable of much more than he was previously. But the line between machine and human is a thin one, and your actions will alter the course of the world.

Similarly to Fallout 4, Deus Ex also has a morality system and lots of choices you can make during missions that will affect the ultimate outcome of the game. You can choose to approach situations nonlethally, risking a stunned enemy returning to the fight if they’re woken by a member of their team, or execute anyone who stands before you while you work to unravel the dark mystery you’re in the middle of.

4/10

The Outer Worlds

Developed by the same studio that created Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds was an attempt at creating a Fallout-esque original property that the team at Obsidian Entertainment could expand in similar ways.

It follows the gameplay model of Fallout New Vegas, but with a very different setting. You’ll traverse numerous alien worlds while contending with a society of ruthless greed and dehumanizing techno-corporate entities.

The major difference between the properties is that Outer Worlds uses a more pulpy, Flash Gordon-style tone instead of the gloomy environment that Fallout portrays. This space opera setting is light and fun to explore, and if you really enjoy Outer Worlds you’ll be happy to hear that a sequel is currently under development at Obsidian.

3/10

Dying Light 2

Released in 2022, Dying Light 2 is a game about trying to survive against hordes of zombies after humanity falls to a virus. Capable of numerous feats of parkour glory, you’ll spend a lot of this game dashing across rooftops to get from place to place.

A majority of the combat in this game is in melee situations with only the occasional shotgun or crossbow getting involved. Another big similarity to Fallout is the many opportunities you’ll get to scavenge for new gear and customize the weapons you’ve already got. You can set up settlements with other survivors to help you trade for the items you need.

Another big thing it has in common is the far-reaching consequences of the player’s actions, especially regarding the factions in the world that are vying for control of the walled city. This game also features four-player multiplayer, although you’ll need to play through about two hours of the game by yourself before you unlock the ability to invite other players into your game.

2/10

Project Zomboid

This game is a big departure from the other entries on our list here as it’s actually a top-down survival horror game, with perhaps more in common with the original Fallout strategy games than the high-definition shooter that is Fallout 4. However, players who love the blend of environmental horror and dark sense of humor that Fallout exemplifies will love the ever-expanding world of Project Zomboid.

Zomboid focuses on an alternate history in 1990’s Kentucky where a zombie virus has raged out of control, and players control survivors of the disaster trying to piece society back together. Multiplayer servers are available with rules ranging from peaceful PvE playgroups all the way to brutal total war between players.

This game is still under development but can be bought in an early-access form. If you’re concerned about the longevity of early-access games, you’ll be comforted to know the game has a dedicated team of developers. Many other studios putting out a product this complete wouldn’t be putting it out at the price point that The Indie Stone is willing to do.

If your favorite part of Fallout is using VATS to blow away a deathclaw, this won’t be the pick for you. But if you love sneaking past ghouls to get the superglue you need to finish building your perfect settlement, or you wish Fallout were more focused on survival than its story, then Project Zomboid is the perfect sandbox game for you.

1/10

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines

Released in 2004, this game might have set the model for the Fallout games with its wide range of interesting NPCs and sandbox RPG gameplay. You play as a new vampire, stalking the streets of Los Angeles for victims and challenging rivals, both vampiric and otherwise.

Just like Fallout 4, the game is in first person and includes a lot of different moralistic choices you can make that affect the story and the world around you in big ways.

If the concept of this game excites you but playing a game that’s nearly 20 years old sounds like a bit of a UI challenge, you might be excited to hear that Paradox Interactive is publishing a sequel to the game, Bloodlines 2.

This updated version will be set in Seattle and promises to follow up on the gritty urban horror fantasy of the original. It hasn’t acquired a release date yet but some of the developers have speculated that it may have a 2023 release.

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This list of games that are similar to Fallout 4 is a great guide to further your adventures in a wide variety of apocalyptic wastelands. Subscribe to our newsletter and follow High Ground Gaming on all social media for more gaming tips!

We hope you keep the high ground out there, survivor. Happy gaming!