Earlier today, Bethesda released a new video dedicated to the future of Fallout. And while the studio announced a new version of Fallout 4 and showed off more of Fallout 76‘s next big update, there was no explicit mention of a Fallout 5. But don’t worry, Bethesda’s creative director Todd Howard wants you all to know that “more” is coming and he’s excited to share it with fans…eventually.
In case you weren’t aware, October 23 is known as Fallout Day among the fan community. It’s the day that, in the video game franchise and TV show, the bombs dropped and destroyed the world. A weird day to celebrate, but hey, every mass media franchise needs a holiday to get excited about once a year. Anyway, on Thursday, for the second year in a row, Bethesda aired a Fallout Day Broadcast aka a Fallout Direct filled with some new trailers and updates on the series. The big news was Fallout 4 making its way to Switch 2 in 2026. But, for those hoping for Fallout 5 to be announced or the rumored Fallout 3 remaster to be shadow-dropped during the event, well, it was a disappointing presentation. That might explain why, at the end, Howard showed up to assure fans that the company was still working hard on more Fallout games.
“Even though I am recording this—it’s not live—and I’m probably watching myself right now from my desk and I’m reading your chat and these…that thing you want and this other thing you want…Hey, we read it all,” said Howard. “Just know, we are working on even more. We are looking forward to the day when we can share that with everybody. But thank you again for tuning in and happy Fallout Day.”
And…that was it. The stream then cut to a video of Halloween director and gamer John Carpenter (?!) claiming to be the biggest Fallout 76 fan and then wishing everyone a happy Fallout Day as well. Thanks, John! While Howard did also show up at the end of last year’s Fallout Day event, it was a much shorter experience that didn’t seem so apologetic.
It’s clear that Bethesda knows there’s a large demand for Fallout 5 and other Fallout games. That demand has existed for years now, but has only grown larger thanks to the really successful Amazon TV show. That likely explains Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition getting a Switch 2 port, and the next Fallout 76 update adding the Ghoul from the show as a quest-giving NPC. It’s an easier way to get more Fallout content out there that might appeal to both players and TV show fans.
Bethesda’s next big RPG after 2023’s Starfield is The Elder Scrolls 6, not Fallout 5. In 2022, Howard confirmed that TES6, announced in 2018, was entering pre-production and was still years away from release. After that’s done, Howard confirmed Bethesda will make Fallout 5. But considering how long these games take to make, that means the next main entry in the post-apocalyptic RPG franchise might be close to a decade away at this point.
In 2024, Howard explained in an interview that Bethesda doesn’t want to “rush” out a new Fallout single-player RPG and pointed to Fallout 76 and the TV show as options for fans longing for new Fallout content. But considering how successful the company’s Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remaster was earlier this year, I wouldn’t be shocked if, in a move intended to provide players with more Fallout games quickly, we see a similar remake for Fallout 3 and maybe even one for Fallout: New Vegas in the future. And there’s always next year’s Fallout Day!
