Amazon Prime’s Fallout series takes place in a future where the world has been decimated by a bomb that was dropped decades ago. You read the correctly, decades. Fans of the series know that the bombs of the Great War dropped exactly on October 23, 2077. In that time, things like Super Mutants and even Ghouls have come to play important roles in the radiation and marauding that humanity has become consumed by. However, exactly how many years has it been since Vault 33’s doors were originally closed?
When Does the Fallout Show Take Place?
The Fallout television series takes place in 2296, 219 years after the Great War. Civilizations grew out of the shells of buses and airplanes left behind by those eradicated by the bombs during that time. Looking back at the flashbacks of the show’s Ghoul (simply named the Ghoul) as famed star Cooper Howard helps fill the gaps within the timeline a bit better. He was there when the bombs were first dropped, as showcased in the very first episode.
The fact that the timelines within each Fallout game release follow a chronological year order helps cement this theory as the show takes place after Fallout 4, which canonically takes place in 2287. This means that everything from the New California Republic to the Enclave and the Brotherhood of Steel have already been established. The timing helps flesh out the entirety of the Fallout universe through careful prop placement and visual references to ensure that viewers only have to question what could happen next.
Too bad that regardless of what year it is, America’s geographical landscape has changed so drastically that it doesn’t even matter anymore. Fallout 76 takes place in 2102, a little under 30 years after the bombs dropped and it looks like things haven’t changed too much 200 years later.
