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Few game universes establish themselves as clearly as the world of Fallout. The factions and companies occupying the Wasteland have left their collective mark, but one stands out. Vault-Tec and their eponymous Vaults, touted as the safest shelters in the long-running series, may seem idyllic, but they conceal sinister purposes. For those wondering what those purposes are and how many Vaults are in Fallout, we’re here to help!
What Are Vaults in Fallout?
Vaults’ highly publicized, sanitized purpose is to provide shelter to paying American citizens in Fallout. After global nuclear war ravaged the soil and devastated the surface-dwelling population, Vault Dwellers eventually emerged and repopulated the Earth. However, the true purposes of the Vaults are quite nefarious.
Unbeknownst to the Dwellers, Vaults are secretly experimentation grounds for testing the inhabitants. Aside from Vault-Tec, US government officials, and leaders of the Vaults (elected Overseers), this purpose is a closely guarded secret.
The experiments include sociology, biology, and genetics. These experiments develop the inhabitants and prepare them to build a starship to colonize neighboring planets. The sad truth of the Vaults is that the Enclave, a deep-state superpower controlling this operation, never truly believed in reclaiming Earth after the bombs dropped.
How Many Vaults Are in Fallout?
There are canonically 122 known Vaults in the Fallout franchise. Only 17 Vaults are considered genuinely livable, referred to as Control Vaults. All known Control Vaults from the lore are the following:
- Vault 3, New Vegas
- Vault 8, Vault City
- Vault 13, New California
- Vault 76, The Forest, Appalachia
For players of the games or fans of the hit Amazon Prime Video series, it might be disheartening to see many Vaults not present on the “Control” list.
What Vaults Are Featured in the Games?
| Vault | Location | Purpose | Fallout Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vault 3 | New Vegas | Control | Fallout: New Vegas |
| Vault 8 | Vault City, Nevada | Control | Fallout 2 |
| Vault 11 | Mojave Wasteland | Experimental | Fallout: New Vegas |
| Vault 12 | Necropolis, New California | Experimental | Fallout |
| Vault 13 | New California | Control | Fallout & Fallout 2 |
| Vault 15 | New California | Experimental | Fallout & Fallout 2 |
| Vault 17 | West Coast | Experimental | Fallout: New Vegas |
| Vault 19 | Mojave Wasteland | Experimental | Fallout: New Vegas |
| Vault 21 | The Strip, New Vegas | Experimental | Fallout: New Vegas |
| Vault 22 | Mojave Wasteland | Experimental | Fallout: New Vegas |
| Vault 29 | West Coast | Experimental | Fallout 76 |
| Vault 34 | Mojave Wasteland | Experimental | Fallout: New Vegas |
| Vault 51 | The Forest, Appalachia | Experimental | Fallout 76 |
| Vault 63 | Ash Heap, Appalachia | Experimental | Fallout 76 |
| Vault 75 | Malden, The Commonwealth | Experimental | Fallout 4 |
| Vault 76 | The Forest, Appalacha | Control | Fallout 76 |
| Vault 77 | Location Unknown | Experimental | Fallout 3 |
| Vault 79 | Savage Divide, Appalachia | Experimental | Fallout 76 |
| Vault 81 | Boston, The Commonwealth | Experimental | Fallout 4 |
| Vault 87 | Capital Wasteland | Experimental | Fallout 3 |
| Vault 88 | Quincy, The Commonwealth | Experimental | Fallout 4 |
| Vault 92 | Olney, Capital Wasteland | Experimental | Fallout 3 |
| Vault 94 | The Mire, Appalachia | Experimental | Fallout 76 |
| Vault 95 | Natick, The Commonwealth | Experimental | Fallout 4 |
| Vault 96 | Savage Divide, Appalachia | Experimental | Fallout 76 |
| Vault 101 | Springvale, Capital Wasteland | Experimental | Fallout 3 |
| Vault 106 | Capital Wasteland | Experimental | Fallout 3 |
| Vault 108 | Capital Wasteland | Experimental | Fallout 3 |
| Vault 111 | Sanctuary Hills, The Commonwealth | Experimental | Fallout 4 |
| Vault 112 | Smith Casey’s Garage, Capital Wasteland | Experimental | Fallout 3 |
| Vault 114 | Boston, The Commonwealth | Experimental | Fallout 4 |
| Vault 118 | Cliff’s Edge Hotel, The Island | Experimental | Fallout 4 |
Of the 122 canonical Vaults, only 32 have appeared in Fallout games, meaning just under three-quarters of the remaining locations haven’t shown up. However, the new Fallout streaming series explores 4 additional Vaults with S.P.E.C.I.A.L. quirks!
What Vaults Appear in the Fallout Streaming Series?
Four Vaults appear in Fallout on Amazon, namely the interconnected Vaults 31 through 33 at the show’s beginning. In Episodes 5, 6, and 7, we also see Vault 4, with a one-eyed Overseer played by Chris Parnell. The series also reveals the awful experiments of these Vaults.
Vault 31 hosts cryogenically preserved pre-war management candidates hand-picked by Bud Askins. Bud chose these people to emerge and run Vaults 32 and 33 to consolidate control over the Wasteland. After the truth is revealed in the Season Finale, Lucy’s father, Hank, Vault 33’s Overseer, flees to New Vegas.
Vault 4 used to be a genetic experimentation location where they introduced rad-resistant traits to the human body. However, when a brave young Lucy (or Goosey?) discovers the truth, she finds this Vault is no longer a haven. This is especially hard to see given how well Maximus, a long-indoctrinated Brotherhood of Steel squire, was adjusting to the comfort of this shelter.
Plenty of Vaults remain in Fallout. Each modern game in the series has had an equal spread of Vaults to discover. Barring new 76 DLC, we’ll likely need to wait for Fallout 5, no matter how bad it hurts.
