We know that Bethesda Game Studios has started work on Fallout 5, even if it’s very early in the production cycle. What we don’t know is a single thing about the game, and that naturally includes where it’s going to be set. This is the focal point for every new Fallout game, as the setting indicates the game’s tone, points of interest, story elements, and even things like creatures and factions.
Until now, Fallout has never left the United States, and there’s a very good reason for that. However, in a recent interview, we heard from Bruce Nesmith, former design director and a key contributor to the likes of Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, and he thinks that a departure from the US of A could be a good thing.
Could Fallout Leave the United States?
In 2024, Todd Howard of Bethesda Game Studios said that Fallout will never leave the United States. Then, in 2025, I sat down with Jon Rush, creative director on Fallout 76, and asked for his thoughts on the matter.
He concurred, saying, ‘Never say never, but probably not.’
Fallout can’t leave the United States because of the universe’s lore and backstory, all of which are absolutely pivotal to the Fallout DNA. Without the United States, you miss out on the nuclear-powered nation element, the diverse factions, the FEV-driven mutations, the corporations, and, of course, elements like Vault-Tec, which are so important to the wider story.
It’s a relatively safe thing to assume that the rest of the world is grinding along in some way after the majority of the population has been cleansed by nuclear annihilation, but nowhere would have the critical Americana vibe that Fallout has in the United States.
But Bruce Nesmith Says…
In an exclusive picked up from Nesmith via the folks at AI humanizer GoHumanize, we heard a critical take on the setting topic.
I asked Bruce quite simply: If you had a blank slate for Fallout 5 and could take it anywhere, where would it go?
He explained:
I think it can go to any city that has a really distinctive style to it. You look at the places they’ve already taken Fallout and it’s Las Vegas, Washington DC, Boston and they’re all places full of style.
It would be very tempting to go outside of the country too even though Fallout is highly rooted in Americana.
We’re on the same page at this point, of course. Fallout’s core locations have always been steeped in recognizable points of interest, tourist traps, and historical sites. But it’s probably important to point out that other places in the world have all that.
That’s what Bruce alluded to:
I think London or Paris could be amazing settings, just as two examples, but if you’re going to stay in America I think New Orleans is a great place to set a Fallout game.
I think St. Louis could be fun too. I’d say Los Angeles but we’ve already been to California with the original Fallout games but we could go back to the West Coast too, and LA will always be a fun setting. You could do a lot there, especially if you lean into the Hollywood studios.
Nesmith was a designer on Fallout 4 and helped piece together some of the most memorable locations and side quests in the game. He was also the lead designer for Skyrim and a key part of the Fallout 3 team, so he’s got chops in Bethesda’s concerns. He departed the company in 2021, but not before also contributing to Fallout 76 and Fallout Shelter.
Bruce then made a bold suggestion:
We don’t even need to go to a city. It could just be a place. What’s happening in the Grand Canyon? You can get smart thinking about other places to take the game, although at its heart Fallout is a game that fits a more urban setting.
I agree that Fallout needs to be somewhere urban, just to add layers to the exploration aspect that sits at the heart of the franchise. It’s all about breaking away from the beaten path and finding your own route through the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
But where will that wasteland take us in Fallout 5? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord server what your expectations are for this game.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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