The Fallout games are becoming popular again, thanks to the new TV adaptation. Per SteamDB, individual player counts for Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76 all doubled days before its April 11 premiere, then during the weekend.
Of the three, Fallout 4 had the most players at a peak of near-83,500 players on April 14, then Fallout 76 (39,455) and New Vegas (19,300). As of April 15 (today), Fallout 4 has nearly 68,000 players.
Fallout 76’s April 14 count is actually its highest ever on Steam. It came to the platform in April 2020, nearly two years after its PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One release in 2018.
By comparison, Fallout 4 and New Vegas’ numbers are well behind their all-time peaks. The former opened to nearly 473,000 players on Steam in 2015, and the latter just over 51,000 in 2010.
Interplay’s first two Fallout games and Fallout 3’s Game of the Year edition similarly received their own spikes. The first two have spent years with players in double digits, but the show led to over 2,300 (Fallout) and 1,000 (Fallout 2) players respectively.
Numbers are harder to pin down for consoles, particularly on Xbox thanks to Game Pass. But one can imagine games on those systems are also seeing a player resurgence.
Fallout’s show is just what the franchise needed
Prime Video’s TV adaptation of the games has received a strong critical and audience reception thus far, and it’s done its job in getting players to want to play Fallout.
This isn’t an uncommon phenomenon: sales for The Last of Us’ PlayStation 5 remake surged after the HBO series took off. Once a show or movie hits, it has audiences wanting to see what the games are about or relive fond memories.
In Fallout’s case, this is even more pronounced since Fallout 5 is likely a ways away. And while Fallout 76 has turned itself around, the show’s structure probably has longtime fans turning more toward the single-player entries.
A season two for the show hasn’t been confirmed (yet), but until then, the games should tide people over until then.