Fallout is known for its incredible worldbuilding. The narrative and timeline offer plenty of opportunities for players to create their own adventure. But every amazing story has an equally amazing history to it. 

The first Fallout game was released almost 20 years ago. As such even the most hardcore fans may have some difficlty following the plot after so long.

If you have ever wanted to find out what really started Fallout’s fall of civilization, we will cover it here. Before the in-game world turned into the scorched wasteland that we are all familiar with, trouble was brewing. So let’s gear up, Wasteland Gamer! This is our quick dive into the history of the Fallout Universe.

Where It All Began

The Fallout Universe first began to distinguish itself from ours in the 1960s. For example, the US went from 50 states to 13 in 1969. The country did this to protect itself against a communist threat. 

As time passed, the world started running low on valuable resources like petroleum and uranium. This caused a lot of friction in the global community. The situation finally spilled over in 2066, when the US declared war on China. In return, China invaded Alaska.

While this was happening, the US was also struggling internally. A pandemic called the New Plague was ravaging the country. In 2073, scientists started working on a drug that could counter the plague. It was called the Pan-Immunity Virion.

It was incredibly effective. However, this was both a blessing and a curse. The side effects of the drug included increased muscle growth and brain activity. With such enhancements, the US military was intrigued. They decided to change the goal of research and development. Instead of curing the virus, they wanted to turn US soldiers into supersoldiers. And this was where the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV) took its first steps.

The Birth of Robert House

The Fallout universe would not be complete without Robert House. House plays a major role in the games and you will either hear about him or run into him multiple times. House was born on June 25, 2020. He later founded RobCo Industries in 2042. Because he was a tech quiz and business expert, RobCo would soon become one of the wealthiest corporations in the world. 

House began using his technological capabilities to design and run predictions on the future. By 2065, he managed to conclude that a nuclear war would destroy the world in fifteen years. As a result, he started preparing for ways to help him and his home city.

He set up mainframes with satellite links that could disable missiles in-flight and designed high-powered laser cannons in case there were any missiles left over. To preserve himself, he connected his body to a hibernation chamber. His brain was wired directly into an information network through a supercomputer.

Start of the Great War

The combination of war, disease, and mutated viruses proved to be too much. On October 23, 2077, The Great War broke out.

China sent a series of nuclear missiles to the US. There was mass destruction, millions of deaths, and radiation everywhere. There were some civilians who managed to fortify themselves in underground Vaults. However, they became guinea pigs in the cruel experiments of Vault-Tec scientists.

This complete societal collapse led to the creation of these organizations and these circumstances:

• The Brotherhood of Steel. This is a group of US soldiers that abandoned the army and formed their own organization, which had some religious overtones.
• The Enclave, composed of the last remaining members of the US Government. They escaped to The Poseidon Oil Rig in the Pacific Ocean, where they waited until they could reclaim the United States.
• The Sole Survivor, an individual who managed to see the bombs fall and make it to Vault 111 in time. They, their spouse, and their baby Shaun would be cryogenically frozen.
• The escape of Deathclaws and other experimental species from US facilities. They would add to the chaos that the United States was already experiencing.
• The mutation of Richard Grey, who later became The Master. He fell into a vat full of liquid while exploring the Mariposa Military Base, where research was being conducted on FEV. This is a pivotal part of the first Fallout Game.

After this, the universe continues in this order: Fallout 76, Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, and Fallout 4