Fallout 5 Enters Pre-Production as Bethesda Reveals New Engine and a Surprise Obsidian Project

Fallout 5 is officially happening. This is not a rumor or an idea scribbled in a notebook somewhere. Bethesda has confirmed that Fallout 5 is in pre-production, revealed the engine powering the game, explained how it connects to The Elder Scrolls 6, and dropped a detail that could mean fans get another full Fallout project before Fallout 5 even arrives.

The catch is that Bethesda is still primarily focused on The Elder Scrolls 6, which means Fallout 5 could still be a long way off. But something has clearly changed behind the scenes, and I want to go through everything that was confirmed, including how the television series affects the story, where the game could take place, and why Obsidian may end up giving fans something to play while they wait.

Fallout 5 Has Officially Entered Pre-Production

The biggest update is that Fallout 5 has entered pre-production. That might not sound exciting on its own, since pre-production is basically the stage where developers sit around a table, storyboard, and decide what game they are actually making. It covers the story, the setting, the gameplay systems, the concept art, and the technology before hundreds of people begin building the entire thing. It is a genuinely important phase, and for years Fallout 5 was something Bethesda only intended to make eventually.

Todd Howard had previously confirmed the studio had a basic outline for the game, but the plan was always Starfield first, Elder Scrolls 6 second, Fallout 5 after. Bethesda has now slightly changed that wording. The Elder Scrolls 6 remains the primary focus, with most of Bethesda's main development team working on that right now, but Fallout 5 is no longer completely waiting for that game to finish. A smaller team is apparently able to start making decisions, prototyping systems, and building a foundation already.

Creation Engine 3 Links Fallout 5 to The Elder Scrolls 6

The reason Bethesda can work on Fallout 5 this early is Creation Engine 3. Bethesda confirmed that both The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 are being developed on this new shared technology platform, which has apparently been in development since Starfield launched. Creation Engine 3 is not supposed to just be a fresh coat of paint over Starfield's tech. It is described as a new generation of tools with upgraded rendering, development systems, and gameplay capabilities that let Bethesda's teams work on multiple games at the same time.

That last part is the most important detail. Bethesda's biggest problem is not a lack of valuable franchises, it is the opposite. The studio has Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Starfield, but its games have become so massive that each franchise can disappear for fifteen years while the others get their turn. Fallout 4 released in 2015, and if Fallout 5 arrives in 2032, that would be a seventeen year gap between numbered games. As I put it, "a baby born on Fallout 4's release date could drive itself to the store to buy Fallout 5." Bethesda says bringing its core teams closer together with this shared tech is meant to fix that, and I agree that Creation Engine 3 is part of the solution.

What Fallout 5 Needs to Fix After Starfield

Now Bethesda has to prove this new system actually works. Starfield had impressive tech, but its structure divided exploration into planets, landing zones, and menus. Fallout cannot feel that way. The wasteland has to be one connected place where you can see something strange in the distance, start walking toward it, get distracted by a vault, find a ridiculous weapon inside, and completely forget what you were originally doing. That accidental exploration is what makes Fallout special, and it cannot be broken up the way Starfield was.

Fallout 5 also needs better facial animation, smarter enemies, larger crowds, stronger melee combat, and fewer loading screens. If Creation Engine 3 can deliver those improvements while preserving Bethesda's physics, environmental storytelling, and mod support, it could be big. My only real warning is that if I open a door in 2034 and get hit with a forty second loading screen, we are probably going to have a problem.

My Realistic Prediction for When Fallout 5 Actually Arrives

Bethesda has not announced a date or even a release window, and honestly they shouldn't have yet. Anything online claiming Fallout 5 is coming in 2029 or 2030 is just a guess. The Elder Scrolls 6 is Bethesda's primary game right now, with most of the studio working on it while Fallout 5 sits in pre-production. If The Elder Scrolls 6 arrives somewhere around 2029, and that is still an estimate, Bethesda could then shift most of that team onto Fallout 5.

A full Bethesda RPG can easily take five or six years to build, but Fallout 5 should already have several years of pre-production done by the time that happens, which could shorten the gap between the two games. My realistic prediction is 2032 to 2033. I know that sounds wild, but as I said, "unless Bethesda drastically changes how it develops these games, I just can't make an excuse or see Fallout 5 coming any earlier."

Bethesda Is Collabing With Obsidian on a New Fallout Project

There is a massive reason fans may not have to wait that long for something new. Bethesda confirmed it is collaborating with Obsidian on another Fallout project, and I said on the show that "that sentence may have done more damage to the internet than an actual nuclear war." Obsidian developed Fallout New Vegas, which a huge percentage of the fan base still considers the best modern Fallout game. Fans have spent years asking Microsoft to put Bethesda and Obsidian together again, especially since Xbox now owns both studios, and until now all we got back was corporate speak about everyone respecting everyone.

We do not know exactly what Obsidian is making. Bethesda did not call it New Vegas 2, and we do not know whether it is a full open world RPG, a smaller spin-off, or something else entirely, but it is a new Fallout project involving Obsidian, and Bethesda says more information will be shared soon. This could solve the entire release gap problem, with Bethesda continuing Elder Scrolls 6 and slowly building Fallout 5 while Obsidian gives fans a standalone Fallout adventure that does not even need to continue the courier's story.

Alongside that, Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas remasters are officially in development as well. Neither has a release date, but between continuing Fallout 76 support, two remasters, an Obsidian project, and Fallout 5, Bethesda and Microsoft finally seem to understand what they have. The television series exploded, millions of people discovered the franchise, and Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 both saw huge increases in players, but Bethesda had no new single player Fallout game ready to capitalize on that momentum. They cannot make that mistake again.

How the Television Series Will Shape Fallout 5's Setting

The show will also directly affect Fallout 5 because it exists in the same canon. Todd Howard confirmed that Fallout 5 will take place in a world where the events of the television series have happened or are happening. That does not mean Lucy, Maximus, and the Ghoul automatically become the main characters, but Bethesda cannot simply ignore what the series has established. The show is set in 2296, making it one of the latest major stories in the Fallout timeline, so Fallout 5 could be set before it, after it, or during roughly the same period, with the condition of California, New Vegas, and the Brotherhood of Steel now influencing what Bethesda can do.

That also helps rule out certain locations. I don't think Fallout 5 will be set in Los Angeles or New Vegas, since the television series is already using that territory and Bethesda normally wants each game to explore a new part of America. Chicago is one of the most popular possibilities given its existing lore and connections to the Brotherhood and the Enclave. New Orleans is another good option with flooded streets, mutated alligators, and the French Quarter, and Texas would offer massive open spaces, destroyed cities, oil, water, and old military tech. Seattle, Detroit, and New York have also been heavily requested.

Between the Fallout 3 remaster, New Vegas, Fallout 76, the show, the Obsidian project, and Fallout 5 itself, there is a real pipeline now. As I said, "it's good to be a Fallout fan."

Where would you want Fallout 5 to be set?