The recently premiered Fallout series on Prime Video is seeing overwhelming success, continuously gaining followers within the entertainment industry, spanning both cinema and video games. Many are lauding it as the best film adaptation of a video game, and for good reason. Its attention to detail in its visual aspects, combined with its compelling plot and well-crafted characters, deserves praise whether you’re a fan of the series or a newcomer. With all the hype generated, it was expected that the franchise’s games would experience a surge of players, including newcomers drawn in by the series and veterans returning to the wasteland out of nostalgia after watching it.
The franchise’s first game has seen a rise in players, though it’s not the title that has grown the most. Last Sunday, it peaked at nearly 4,000 simultaneous users, which is only about halfway to its record on the platform of 8,130 concurrent players, set in September 2017. Though it didn’t break its previous record, this growth is substantial, almost unprecedented in the game’s 15 years on Steam, apart from the above period triggered by a franchise discount campaign by Fanatical.
Record concurrent players in Fallout 2, Tactics, and Fallout 3
Fallout 2 managed to break its record for concurrent players on Valve’s platform, hitting 2,194 simultaneous users last Sunday, its best performance in its 15 years on Steam. This classic from Interplay is among the most highly-rated in the franchise, boasting a resounding 94% positive rating from over 10,000 reviews.
Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel, long considered the least popular of the original trilogy, had a mixed reception at its release 23 years ago due to its hybrid strategy and RPG mechanics. It hasn’t resonated as well with modern players, reflected in its moderate reviews. That said, its reception has slightly improved in recent days; recent reviews on its Steam page give it an 82% positive rating, up from 79% overall. It also broke its record last Sunday with 243 concurrent players, showing that the Amazon series has breathed new life into the franchise’s black sheep.
The first installment developed by Bethesda will always be remembered not just for its quality but also as the gateway for a new generation of players, introducing open-world gameplay and first- and third-person perspectives while maintaining the original’s signature atmosphere and humor. Fallout 3 debuted on October 28, 2008, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, with a Game of the Year (GOTY) edition released the following December, including all DLC. This edition has drawn the most players, hitting its all-time peak last Sunday, April 21, with 11,471 concurrent players. This narrowly surpasses the previous record held in June 2015, coinciding with the launch of Fallout Shelter on iOS and just months before Fallout 4’s release.
Continuing with the Bethesda era, one of the all-time favorites, the legendary Fallout New Vegas developed by Obsidian, transported players to the Mojave Desert in a grand adventure that remains the top choice for most fans. Although its debut was turbulent due to numerous bugs in its initial version, it ultimately redeemed itself with great effort and post-release patches, solidifying its place as a true masterpiece. Recently, it peaked at over 36,000 concurrent users, a significant figure, though far from the 50,000-plus players who simultaneously enjoyed the game on its release day. Its last major spike was in June 2015, much like Fallout 3, when it reached about 30,000 concurrent players.
Fallout Shelter marked the franchise’s mobile gaming debut. Initially launched for iOS in June 2015 and for Android in August of the same year, it didn’t arrive on Steam until March 2017. At its Steam debut, it achieved an impressive 42,000 concurrent players. Recently, it hit a modest peak of 7,000 players, far below its release record, but still, a notable increase compared to its average player base on Valve’s platform.
Fallout 4 sales climb after the series’ premiere
Fallout 4 is regarded by many as the best game in the franchise, and this sentiment is one I personally agree with. It also had the most successful debut day, pulling in more than 470,000 concurrent players. This figure remains the absolute record for the entire franchise, placing it 17th in Steam’s history of most-played games. Of the titles that surpassed it, only three are older. Last weekend, Fallout 4 managed to gather over 160,000 concurrent players, much lower than its record but undeniably a steep increase compared to its pre-series average. Sales-wise, however, it has experienced a significant boom, with a 7500% increase last week. It became the best-selling game in Europe during that timeframe, combining both digital and physical copy sales. Fallout 76, Fallout New Vegas, and Fallout 3 also made the top 10, ranking in 8th, 9th, and 10th place, respectively.
Fallout 76 gathered one million players in a single day
Fallout 76, the saga’s only foray into online multiplayer, was among the series’ biggest beneficiaries after the show’s premiere, hitting over 73,000 concurrent users. This is more than double its debut peak and its all-time high for player concurrency.
Yesterday, Bethesda celebrated another unprecedented milestone, courtesy of the series’ success. Fallout 76 managed to gather one million players in a single day. On their official Instagram account, they revealed additional information, noting that on that same day, the franchise’s titles collectively reached a staggering total of 5 million users actively playing.
Thank you to the over one million of you who adventured with us in #Fallout76 in a single day... pic.twitter.com/rbariEI4q8
— Fallout (@Fallout) April 23, 2024
