This article features spoilers for all eight episodes of Fallout season 1.
Adapting a video game into a TV show is a pretty daunting task, but Fallout is a more difficult beast than most. A series of six massive RPGs, four of which are huge open worlds filled to bursting with companies, creations, and creatures, there’s a hell of a lot to address in order to get the world just right in live action. And yet that’s just what the Prime Video show does – it’s a series teeming with game-accurate props, ideas, and locations.
We’ve dropped a few extra points into perception and crawled through all eight episodes to find a megaton of cool details – 111 of them, in fact. Hey, that’s the vault from Fallout 4! That’s definitely a coincidence and not something we purposely set up.
Naturally, talking about all these references means complete spoilers for the entire season, so go seal yourself in a bunker if you’d rather not see those. Or just close this page, if that’s easier. Anyway, here’s 111 details in the Fallout show that have been pulled straight from the video games. Click through each of the slideshow galleries to see examples from the show and their game equivalents.
Fallout Iconography
1. Every Fallout game opens with an iconic, ominous line from actor Ron Perlman: “War. War never changes.” Perlman doesn’t reprise his role as Fallout’s voice of doom, nor does the show open with the line, but it does get uttered in the final episode.
2. More iconic than Perlman’s line is the Vault Boy thumbs up, which the show provides an origin story for; both in terms of the (scientifically debunked) reason to use a thumbs up during a nuclear attack, and how Walton Goggins’ Cooper Howard uses the gesture as part of a Vault-Tec commercial.
3. The ‘Please Stand By’ messaging is another Fallout staple, frequently used in cutscenes and loading screens. Here it’s projected across the walls of Vault 33 during a disastrous attack.
4. Talking of Vault 33, its interior is pretty much inch-for-inch accurate to the vaults seen in both Fallout 4 and Fallout 76. The doors, windows, mailboxes, and even the emergency override switches are near enough identical to the ones seen in the Bethesda games.
5. The vault’s classroom may have the paintwork and architecture of a Fallout 4-era shelter, but it’s reminiscent of the room you take the G.O.A.T. exam in Fallout 3.
6. The vaults are also outfitted with the Vault Boy-themed foosball tables from Fallout 76.
7. Up on Vault 33’s top floor we have an entrance chamber that features all the familiar equipment from the games, including the moving gantry, control panel, and…
8. … the cog-shaped vault door itself, which uses the same heavy-duty lift mechanism seen in Fallouts 4 and 76.
9. Talking of vaults, as we discovered in the games, each one was developed as a twisted social experiment. In the show’s finale a group of corporate suits discuss ideas for different experiments, each of which references a vault from the games. The plan for an overcrowded vault results in Vault 27, while Vault 87 is used to turn people into super mutants, and Vault 106 suffers the psychotropic drug experiment. The idea for separating parents and children may be a reference to Vault 29, where all dwellers were under the age of 15.
Fallout Events
10. While the show isn’t directly adapting any specific Fallout story, it does replicate sequences similar to those seen in the games. The first episode’s nuclear detonations are, naturally, comparable to the explosions seen in the prologue of Fallout 4.
11. Also drawing on the events of Fallout 4 are the cryogenic pods discovered in the show’s Vault 31, which are vaguely similar to the ones the inhabitants of Vault 111 are frozen in.
12. The catalyst for the show’s story is Lucy’s father going missing, which just so happens to be the inciting incident of Fallout 3. In both instances the father is played by a beloved actor: Kyle MacLachlan in the show, and Liam Neeson in the game.
13. The quest to find her father demands that Lucy leaves the vault, resulting in a replication of Bethesda’s iconic “step out” moments, in which the player character exits the vault and steps into the searing bright light of the outside world. It wouldn’t be Fallout without it.
RPG Elements
14. Similar to Fallout 3, a powerful technology is used in the finale to bring hope back to a little corner of the wasteland. In the game it was a water purifier, while in the show the NCR uses a Cold Fusion device to activate limitless energy across the Los Angeles region.
15. During our introduction to Lucy, she talks about her personal achievements in repair, science, and speech. These are, of course, actual skills from the games, although it’s unclear just how many points she’s put into any of them.
16. It certainly seems she dropped enough into speech, though, because in episode five Lucy is able to pass a persuasion check and talk her way through a dangerous situation with a couple of fiends.
17. Vault 33 sports posters for SPECIAL, the rule system that governs your primary RPG stats in every Fallout game. This is the very same poster that can be seen pinned up around the Appalachian vaults in Fallout 76.
18. The kids in the first episode watch a TV show called Grognak the Barbarian, a reference to a fictional character that pops up in all of Bethesda’s Fallout games. In Fallout 76, the Grognak comics provide perks, so we can only assume that these kids will be dealing out +100% melee crit damage by the time the episode is over.
19. Talking of perks, by the amount of gore splashing around, it seems like The Ghoul has the Bloody Mess perk equipped.
20. Midway through the series, Lucy upgrades her Vault-Tec jumpsuit with a shoulder pad and a little more armour. It’s reflective of every player’s journey through all of the games, in which you start with nice clean blues and gradually upgrade with battered wasteland finds over time.
21. The show features several sequences in which past events are revealed through the use of posed corpses, a narrative technique heavily used by Bethesda through all of the studio’s Fallout games.
22. Poor allocation of your skill points in the games will make life a bit harder, a lesson Maximus – who frequently carries a massive, heavy bag of supplies – hasn’t yet learned it seems. You’re over encumbered, mate, either increase your carry capacity or drop some of that junk you’ve been picking up.
23. A sign on a wall in Filly says that the store owner will “Salvage, Buy, Sell, or Trade”. These are all inventory options from the games. Maybe Maximus should sell a few things here to take the weight off his shoulders…
PipBoy
24. That same store has some fun easter eggs in stock, including this PipBoy 2000 MkV, which is the wrist-mounted computer that players wear in Fallout 76.
25. Lucy and her fellow Vault 33 dwellers all use the PipBoy Pip-Boy 3000 Mark IV, based on the model from Fallout 4. And, just like in the game, it’s fully kitted out with features such as…
26. Monitoring of bio status, so that you can keep track of your HP.
27. A geiger counter to help you stay aware of things that will obliterate your literal DNA.
28. A handy map to help you explore the wasteland.
29. A tracking system to guide you towards your objective.
30. A flashlight will illuminate your path through gloomy dungeons.
31. A useful retractable cable lets you interface with many Vault-Tec approved computer systems.
32. A communications system allows you to receive messages from other PipBoy users, as well as tune into local radio stations.
Music
33. Talking of radio stations, while none of the broadcasters from the games are present in the show, many episodes do feature songs from the 1940s and 50s that have become synonymous with Fallout. In the opening of episode one we hear “Orange Colored Sky” performed by Nat King Cole and the Stan Kenton Orchestra, which was used in a TV advert for New Vegas and later in both Fallout 4 and Fallout 76.
34. Episode 2 features “Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall”, performed by The Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald, which you may remember being played by Galaxy News Radio DJ Three Dog in Fallout 3, and later broadcast by Diamond City Radio in Fallout 4.
35. That very same episode features another three bangers, starting with “Don’t Fence Me In”, performed by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters’ Vic Schoen and his Orchestra, which is part of the Appalachia Radio playlist in Fallout 76.
36. Then there’s Betty Hutton’s “It’s a Man”, which is played on Fallout 4’s Diamond City Radio.
37. And the episode concludes with The Ink Spots’ “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire”, which has become Fallout’s anthem thanks to being used in both Fallout 3’s marketing and intro cutscene, and appearing in both Fallout 4 and Fallout 76.
38. The Ink Spots could be considered the unofficial musical mascot of Fallout, since their song “Maybe” – which features in episode three – was used for the intro and credits of the very first Fallout, and is a regular in Bethesda’s era of games, too.
39. Marking their fourth track in the show, The Ink Spots can be heard again in the finale with “We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)”, which is taken from Fallout 76’s Appalachia Radio.
40. While licensed vintage tracks are a major part of the show’s soundtrack, Fallout also features an original score by Game of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi, inspired by music from the games. In episode six, we even get the recognisable theme that plays over the main menu in Fallout’s modern era of games.
Computers, Tech, and Robotics
41. The recognisably retro computer terminals from the Bethesda games can be seen in multiple scenes across the series. It’s authentic right down to the UI, which uses the same green text and similar menu categories.
42. That detail even extends to the hacking, which requires the passcode to be deciphered from a wall of text and symbols, exactly as it does in Fallout 3, 4, 76, and New Vegas.
43. Computer terminals and PipBoys aren’t the only recognisable tech relics we see across the eight episodes, though. The ‘50s style Radiation King TV from episode four is of the same brand as those seen in the blasted homes all across the game series, starting as early as the original Fallout from 1997.
44. Earlier in that same episode we see this Wirelessfone intercom developed by LGJG, a lock company whose much-less advanced padlocks can be spotted in Fallout: New Vegas.
45. As iconic as the Vault Boy are Fallout’s Mister Handy robots, which have been part of the series since the very beginning. The General Atomics International Mk4 makes a major appearance in episode four, featuring the orb-like design and circular saw appendage that’s present on the designs from Fallout 3 onwards.
46. Turning up as a minor plot point in episode three is a broken Vault-Tec Water Chip. A similar busted chip is the inciting incident of the very first Fallout game, so consider this a nod to the event that started it all.
47. Just like in Fallout 4, the show’s power armour runs on Fusion Cores. This grenade-sized technological wonder is also used to power the entirety of Vault 4, which suggests the show’s version of fusion cores last a lot longer than the ones in the game.
Weapons
48. There’s plenty of guns being fired across the wasteland, many of which are just regular firearms. Some of these are from the games, such as the Tommy gun from Fallout 2 and 4, but it’s the fictional weapons unique to the series that are the most fun to spot.
49. Lucy begins her journey using a dart gun that’s an original creation for the series, but later swaps it out for the more practical 10mm pistol. You’ll know this one as your trusty sidearm from Fallout 4.
50. Arguably Fallout’s best-looking weapon is the Laser Rifle, and we can see an Enclave security guard holding one in episode two.
51. In the final episode we also see its smaller brother, the Laser Pistol, being used by NCR leader Moldaver.
52. Maximus’s choice of firepower is the Colt 6520, a revolver-style 10mm pistol that could be found in Fallout 1 and 2. A lovingly-crafted remake of it was also available in Fallout 4 via the Creation Club.
53. The Brotherhood’s Knights, meanwhile, pack a much bigger punch with their Assault Rifles, which are based on the design from Fallout 4.
54. While up in the sky, the Brotherhood also makes use of pintle-mounted miniguns. These are similar to the Vertibird guns seen in Fallout 4.
55. Another machinegun turret can be seen at the Enclave base in episode two, with a design reminiscent of Fallout 4 and 76’s automated emplacements.
56. A more esoteric destruction device can be found in Fallout 4’s Junk Jet, which is used to fire both kitchen utensils and the leg of a baby doll in episode one. Another Junk Jet can be seen for sale in episode two, costing 285 bottle caps.
57. There’s also what appears to be a Plasma Rifle from Fallout 3 on sale in the same shop, hanging on the wall behind the owner.
58. In episode six we see a harpoon gun being used, which appears to be a much less heavy-duty alternative to the big boy used in Fallout 4’s Far Harbour DLC.
59. There’s not a lot of melee action in the show, but we do see Lucy use a Ripper, a mechanical vibroblade capable of chewing through flesh and bone. Multiple versions have been seen across the series, and Lucy’s appears to be a new model.
Items and Gear
60. Weapons aren’t the only pieces of equipment that have made their way from the games into the show. There’s all sorts of items and gear to be spotted, including the iconic NCR Ranger outfit that adorns the Fallout: New Vegas box art.
61. The show’s raiders are also outfitted in authentic apparel.
62. As in the games, Vault Boy bobbleheads can be spotted dotted about the world. There’s one holding out his hand, another with arms crossed, and one with his hands on his hips. Incidentally, these are all official Fallout merch figures from the real world.
63. In episode six you can spot an issue of the Capital Post newspaper, which was published in Fallout 3’s setting of Washington DC.
64. Other light reading can be found in Tesla Science Magazine, which was used in Fallout 4 to provide perks that enhance your ability with energy weapons.
65. Seen in Filly’s general store is a lunchbox, which fans will recognise from all of the Bethesda-era Fallout games, as well as the Fallout 3 collector’s edition.
66. If you’re a serial junk collector, you’ll definitely have picked up a bottle of Abraxo during your travels in Fallout 3, 4, 76, and New Vegas.
67. One of the raiders appears to be pretty into Jet, using an inhaler to partake in the addictive hallucinogen that is used in the games to boost combat effectiveness.
68. Talking of drugs, stimpacks are used to cure wounds several times across the series. These come in identical syringes to the games’ healing shots.
69. There’s also a couple of bags of RadAway to be found, including one with a hand-written label that’s just like the versions seen in Fallouts 3 and 4.
70. And for those who like to relax with a bit of nicotine, Amazon’s version of the wasteland is stocked with Big Boss cigarettes, which we last saw in Fallout: New Vegas.
Food and Drink
71. Of course, a wastelander can’t survive on cigarettes and stimpacks alone, and so the show features a number of classic Fallout foods and drinks. That starts, naturally, with Nuka Cola, and either bottles or vending machines can be spotted in most episodes.
72. During the prologue, two guys are drinking Fishbrau, the pale ale brand from Fallout: New Vegas.
73. At the same party, bottles of Sunset Sarsaparilla – also from New Vegas – can be seen on a table in the background. 200 years later, advertisements for the soda can be seen in multiple episodes.
74. Just after leaving the Vault, Lucy can be seen carrying a bottle of Purified Drinking Water, which is similar in design to the Vault-Tec water cans from Fallouts 4 and 76.
75. That water doesn’t last forever, though, and so it’s not long before Lucy succumbs to the same depths almost every player has by drinking dirty irradiated water.
76. The post-apocalypse has produced some interesting culinary choices, and in Filly’s market we see Iguana-on-a-stick for sale, which has been a regular snack for Fallout players since the very first game.
77. The Ghoul, meanwhile, makes his own meals from more unusual ingredients. These slices of human meat will be dried out to create Fallout 4’s ‘mystery’ jerky.
78. If your tastes veer closer to more classically American cuisine, then you can’t go wrong with a can of Cram. Fallout’s version of Spam, it’s regularly eaten by vault dwellers and a tin of it is included with Maximus’ food hamper, along with a number of other foods from the games:
79. YumYum Deviled Eggs.
80. Blamco Mac & Cheese.
81. Sugar Bombs Cereal.
82. Fancy Lads Snack Cakes.
Creatures
83. The wasteland is known for harboring some pretty weird creatures, but we’ll start with the cute one: the German Shepherd we all know better as Dogmeat. There’s also a sign for dogmeat at the Filly market. We’ll try not to think too much about that one.
84. In episode two, you can spot a Brahmin, the two-headed mutant cows that appear in almost every game in the series.
85. Fallout’s answer to zombie cannon fodder is the feral ghoul, and we see several of them in episode four. These are a staple in every single Fallout game, and so were a must-have for the TV series.
86. Fallout’s other famous enemy creature is the super mutant, and while we don’t get a proper showdown with one, we do see a super mutant hand on a gurney at the Enclave facility.
87. The wasteland’s most common pest is the overgrown radroach, and they feature in multiple episodes.
88. Proving a more fearsome foe is the Yao Guai, which first appeared in Fallout 3. Turns out a suit of power armour isn’t a guaranteed defense against a mutant bear.
89. Perhaps Fallout’s most impressive creature, though, is this grotesque redesign of the Gulper, a mutant salamander first seen in Fallout 4’s Far Harbour DLC.
90. Fallout is no stranger to a bit of weird science, and in the finale we’re introduced to a Vault-Tec employee’s talking brain in a jar. This is similar to Professor Clavert, another preserved chunk of gray matter that features in Fallout 3’s Point Lookout DLC.
91. Finally, we don’t get to see the beast itself, but the skull of a Deathclaw can be spotted just before the entire season rolls credits.
The Brotherhood of Steel
92. Having adorned the box art for most of the games, the Brotherhood of Steel were naturally going to be a massive part of the show. Unsurprisingly, we see plenty of the T-60, the most recent variant of the faction’s iconic power armour that arrived in Fallout 4.
93. The show uses an Iron Man-like in-helmet camera for several scenes, and projected in the corners of this view we can see an orange heads-up display that’s very similar to the HUD that appears when piloting the T-60 in Fallout 4.
94. While the armour is a very accurate replica of the in-game version, it does have a couple of new tricks: a flip-up visor and jet thrusters. The latter is a sleeker version of the much bulkier jetpack modification from Fallout 4.
95. As in the games, power armour is stored in metal stations when not in use.
96. The show’s Brotherhood of Steel has its own airship, taking the form of a massive zeppelin-like craft that looks a lot like the Prydwen from Fallout 4.
97. Flying alongside that monster are smaller Vertibirds, which also bear a strong resemblance to the Fallout 4 designs.
Locations
98. While most of the show visits locations that haven’t previously been seen in the games, a major storylines takes us to what remains of Shady Sands. This town was built after the war and is a major locale in Fallout 2.
99. Shady Sands is the capital of the New California Republic. The NCR also plays a major role in the show, with its flag seen in a number of scenes. Newer fans likely know the NCR from their appearance in Fallout: New Vegas.
100. The town of Filly is an original creation for the series, but its walls of junk and ramshackle, recycled feel is reminiscent of places like Megaton from Fallout 3 and Diamond City from Fallout 4.
101. The show also features branches of several franchise businesses that have been seen in the games. You’ll recognise Slocum’s Joe coffee shop from the massive donut that adorns its roof.
102. While the Super Duper Mart in episode four is similar to the brand’s other grocery stores as seen in Fallouts 3, 4, and 76.
103. The Red Rocket in episode seven is almost a perfect replica of the gas station you visit in the first hour of Fallout 4.
104. And while we don’t get to visit it properly, the unmistakable skyline of the New Vegas strip can be seen in the very final shot of the show.
Companies
105. Finally, there’s plenty of name-drops when it comes to famous companies from the world of the games, including monorail manufacturer CMR.
106. Robotics experts RoboCo.
107. Defense contractor West-Tek.
108. Big MT research and development center.
109. REPCONN, the aerospace and rocket manufacturer.
110. Galaxy News, the pro-government media company.
111. And, of course, Vault-Tec, the corporation behind the underground fallout shelters.
And there we have it: 111 details from the Fallout TV show that were taken directly from the games. For more Fallout, check out our full season review and our ending explained video. And for everything else, stick with IGN.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Senior Features Editor.
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