Surprise! Both Fallout 3 and New Vegas are getting remasters after all

We’re halfway through Season 2 of the popular Fallout TV show, now, and just as it did in 2024 with its debut season, the series has rekindled widespread interest in the games it’s adapting.

Notably, the presence of a countdown timer on an interactive website for the show that lines up with the release of Season 2’s finale has many thinking series developer Bethesda will announce a Fallout 3 remaster or remake at that time, or perhaps even shadow drop one.

As Windows Central Executive Editor Jez Corden exclusively reported earlier in a larger preview of what to expect from Xbox in 2026 and beyond, though, this will not be the case. Our sources revealed that much, though it’s still unclear what the countdown timer will reveal.

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Significantly, though, our sources did tell Windows Central that a remaster or remake for Fallout 3 will eventually come, and that one for Fallout: New Vegas will be developed, too. They will be similar to The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, which shadow dropped last year and reportedly far exceeded Microsoft and Xbox’s expectations.

“Some have been wondering if a mysterious countdown on the Fallout TV show’s Amazon Prime website is hinting at a shadow drop for a new Fallout game or remaster. I’m told this is not the case,” wrote Corden. “However, we are eventually getting a Fallout 3 remake in the vein of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, as well as Fallout New Vegas on top.”

2008’s Fallout 3 and 2010’s Fallout: New Vegas are both difficult to run on modern PCs, making remastered version of these games very valuable for PC players in particular. (Image credit: Bethesda | Edited with Gemini)

Nothing else is known about these Fallout remasters beyond the fact that they exist and are planned, though the news that they’ll be similar to Oblivion Remastered suggests they may be designed in the same way. This would mean the use of Unreal Engine 5 for an extensive graphical overhaul, with Bethesda’s Creation Engine predecessor Gamebryo still serving as the core of the gameplay systems.

Indeed, though, it’s ultimately unclear who will create these remasters and what engine they’ll use. The fact both games were built on the Gamebryo Engine does make me wonder if they’ll be included together as a package deal — the popular Tale of Two Wastelands mod achieves this, notably — but that’s just speculation.

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Our sources noted that Obsidian Entertainment — the developer of Avowed, Grounded 2, The Outer Worlds 2, and Fallout: New Vegas back in 2010 — have four new projects in the works, “some big some small.” Given that Fallout co-creator Tim Cain joined the studio recently, one has to wonder if Obsidian is contributing on these remasters.

Ultimately, we won’t know more until the remasters are announced officially, unless inside sources provide further information. Still, it’s very exciting news that Fallout 3 and New Vegas are getting modern overhauls, as many fans of both games have been asking for them for years.

Notably, their value won’t just lie in pretty graphics and quality-of-life gameplay tweaks. Fallout 3 and New Vegas are both rather notoriously tough to install and run well on modern PCs (Viva New Vegas does a lot to fix New Vegas), so it’s great that we’re getting a new version of both that’s built for the systems of today.

By the way, all the Fallout games are available across Xbox and PC through Xbox Game Pass. Even the old-school CRPG titles are on the service, albeit only on PC.

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Are you excited to play a remastered version of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas? Do you want it to be mostly graphics only like Oblivion Remastered, or would you like more extensive gameplay changes too? Let me know in the comments.

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