Fallout

Fallout

Developers
	Interplay Entertainment
macOS (OS X)	The Omni Group
Publishers
1997-2013	Interplay Entertainment
2015-present	Bethesda Softworks
Retail re-release	Sold Out Software
Mac OS, OS X	MacPlay
Engines
	Fallout Engine
Release dates
DOS	October 10, 1997
Windows	October 10, 1997
Mac OS (Classic)	October 10, 1997
macOS (OS X)	August 9, 2002
Linux (DOSBox)	January 3, 2012
Reception
Metacritic	89
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase, Subscription gaming service
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Turn-based
Perspectives	Isometric, Bird's-eye view
Controls	Point and select
Genres	RPG
Art styles	Stylized
Themes	North America, Post-apocalyptic
Series	Fallout

Fallout
Fallout	1997
Fallout 2	1998
Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel	2001
Fallout 3	2008
Fallout: New Vegas	2010
Fallout 4	2015
Fallout Shelter	2016
Fallout 4 VR	2017
Fallout 76	2018

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

Fallout is a singleplayer isometric and bird's-eye view RPG game in the Fallout series.

General information

The Vault - A huge wiki for the series

No Mutants Allowed - General Fallout Discussion

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail
Retail
Epic Games Store		Comes configured with the High Resolution Patch. DRM-free when launched from the executable.
		Part of the Classic Collection
GOG.com		Previous Interplay-published version supported OS X with Wineskin as well. Comes configured with the High Resolution Patch.
Green Man Gaming
Humble Store
Microsoft Store		DRM-free after being copied to any other folder. Included with Xbox Game Pass for PC.
Steam		Comes configured with the High Resolution Patch. DRM-free when launched from the executable.
Amazon.com (unavailable)
Bethesda.net (unavailable)
GamersGate (unavailable)

Fallout Classic Collection includes Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel.

The Linux version of Fallout 1 is actually the DOS version which uses DOSBox in order to play it. It was exclusive to Desura store and it is no longer available. The same is also true for the digital release of the Mac version, though the retail version was a true native port.

A demo is available.

Version differences

Retail versions differ in the available violence levels: the North American version has all 4 violence levels, the regular European version has 3 and the German one has 2.

Furthermore, both the regular European and German versions remove child NPCs, rendering at least one side quest impossible.

Digital releases are based on the European versions.

Monetization

Type	Notes
One-time game purchase	The game requires an upfront purchase to access.
Subscription gaming service	Available via Xbox Game Pass for PC.

Essential improvements

Patches

Patch v1.1 updates the game to the latest version.

High Resolution Patch

1024x768 resolution using the High Resolution Patch v3.0.6

A utility/patch that modifies the game in memory to add support for windowed mode, higher resolutions, and various other enhancements.

Can also be downloaded as part of the Fallout Fixt mod compilation.

Included with the GOG.com, Steam, and Epic Games Store releases.

Further details can be found in the official thread.

Fallout et tu

A Fallout to Fallout 2 engine conversion

This project brings the first Fallout game into the engine of the second while utilising Fallout 2's features where applicable.

Not a 1:1 copy of the first game.

Introduces gameplay changes, as opposed to just fixes.

Fallout Fixt

A mod that patched the game to enhance, expand and improve upon the Fallout 1 experience.

Patch compilation which contains several essential patches and bug fixes, allows for high and widescreen resolutions, and contains optional fan content.

Appears to be outdated compared to more recent mods such as Fallout et tu, and has gone unmaintained for years, not receiving updates since 2016.

Introduces gameplay changes, as opposed to just fixes, that change the vanilla experience - even when selecting the "Purist" option at installation.^{[citation needed]}

Contains well documented bugs that can make progress impossible, and have yet to be fixed. [1]

Updating to the latest version of Crafty's Sfall is recommended as the included version is out of date. The latest version includes new bugfixes and optional features, set the following in the new ddraw.ini for compatibility:

Editing ddraw.ini for Crafty's Sfall[citation needed]
Open ddraw.ini. Set the following code: DialogueFix=1 PlayIdleAnimOnReload=1 RemoveCriticalTimelimits=1 DrugExploitFix=1 RemoveFriendlyFoe=1

Even the latest version of Sfall1 still suffers from several known crashes.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
DOS	<path-to-game>\fallout.cfg
Windows	<path-to-game>\fallout.cfg
Microsoft Store
Mac OS (Classic)
macOS (OS X)
Linux	<path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/38400/pfx/

It's unknown whether this game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux. Please fill in this information.

Save game data location

System	Location
DOS	<path-to-game>\data\SAVEGAME\
Windows	<path-to-game>\data\SAVEGAME\
Microsoft Store
Mac OS (Classic)
macOS (OS X)
Linux	<path-to-game> (mounted in DOSBox)
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/38400/pfx/

Save games can be transferred between Windows, Mac OS and DOS installations of the game.

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Epic Games Launcher
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud		Syncs up to 953.67 MB of game data (maximum 1000 files).
Xbox Cloud

Video

Video settings

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			Native widescreen support in the Bethesda releases on GOG.com and Steam via the High Resolution Patch. For any other version, use the Fallout Fixt patch. Pixel-based
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen			Native widescreen support in the Bethesda releases on GOG.com and Steam via the High Resolution Patch. For any other version, use the Fallout Fixt patch. Pixel-based
4K Ultra HD			Fallout Fixt patch allows 4K, but it is not recommended. Text becomes too small to read, and there is no improvement to graphical quality relative to lower resolutions. Consider using Lossless Scaling in windowed mode instead. Pixel-based
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed		Use D3DWindower or the High Resolution Patch.
Borderless fullscreen windowed		Use Fallout Fixt or High Resolution Patch and in f1_res.ini, set WINDOWED=1 and WINDOWED_FULLSCREEN=1
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Vertical sync (Vsync)		To minimize screen tearing, disable fullscreen optimizations on the executable of the game.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS		Game is coded to run at low FPS, but mouse control is unaffected.
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Ray tracing (RT)

Input

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		For DOSBox use the DOSBox Mapper (see the glossary page for other workarounds).
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		For DOSBox use the DOSBox Mapper (see the glossary page for other workarounds).

Controller types

Audio

General settings

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Master, music/movie, SFX and speech
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio		The exception is the "Maybe" track by Ink Spots.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Simplified Chinese				Fan translation by «BN13». GOG.com and Steam releases patch download here, but it cannot be directly used in GOG.com and Steam releases (FalloutHR.exe), all text will be glitched. You must enter the game from 'play Classic version' (Fallout.exe), high-resolution patches can be applied separately, see here.
French
German
Italian				Fan translation, download here for the GOG.com version; here for the Steam version.
Polish				Local retail version only. For digital releases use this patch.
Russian				Official localization by «1C-Softclub» for Local retail version. Localization can also be installed on the steam version, following these instructions.
Russian				Unofficial translation by «Fargus Multimedia».
Spanish				Improved Fan translation by Clan Dlan (author: L@Zar0), download; alongside complete full guide in Spanish (author: L@Zar0), download.

Issues fixed

Colors are displayed wrong

Use the fix below; if it fails see DirectDraw troubleshooting for solutions.

ddraw.ini mode[citation needed]
Only works in a limited number of cases. Open ddraw.ini. Find the [Graphics] header. Change mode=0 to: mode=4 for fullscreen DX9 mode or mode=5 for windowed DX9 mode. Notes If this fix fails, see DirectDraw troubleshooting for solutions.

Error Initializing Video Mode 640x480

Custom Resolution
Create a custom resolution of 640x480 with 60Hz refresh rate and 8 bits per pixel. In the Nvidia Control Panel under Display > Manage. For AMD users, this can be done in the AMD VISION Engine Control Center.

Retail install error

The CD version of the game reports an error upon start-up if run on modern versions of Windows.

Installer Compatibility Mode[citation needed]
Run the installer in compatibility mode for Windows 95.

Mouse issues

Slow/choppy mouse
If your mouse or game is slow or choppy, open the Control Panel, select Mouse, and in the Pointer Options section disable "Enhance pointer precision".

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9	Requires the High Resolution Patch; default in digital release.
DirectDraw	3.0a, 7	DirectDraw 7 support requires the High Resolution Patch.
OpenGL		Mac OS, OS X, and Linux only.
DOS video modes	SVGA

Executable	PPC	16-bit	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)					PowerPC only refers to the 2002 release of the game, the later Interplay-supported release used DOSBox.
Mac OS (Classic)

Utilities

Falche

A character editor for Fallout.

Also known as Fallout 1 Editor. Based on Fallout 2 Character Editor v2.10 (Falche2).

Can edit your character stats, perks, skills and more.

Peixoto's patch

Allows nearest neighbor or xBRz scaling.

Supports the original DirectDraw renderer, as well as the DirectDraw, DirectDraw 7 and Direct3D 9 renderers of the HD patch.

Fallout Et Tu

A Fallout to Fallout 2 engine conversion integrates Fallout 2's features for Fallout 1.

Port of Fallout 1 into Fallout 2 that can be played from start to finish.

Requires an installation of Fallout 2 and Fallout 1's MASTER.DAT.

Patches lots of bugs, has all the quality of life of Fallout 2 and associated Sfall version as well as the FO2 hi-res patch.

Has optional INI tweaks, including a motorcycle similar to the Highwayman, restoration of invasion timers, and more.

Child Patch

Child Patch restores child NPCs to the European and digital versions of the game.

System requirements

DOS

Windows

Mac OS (Classic)

macOS (OS X)

Linux

DOS
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	5.0
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium
System memory (RAM)	32 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	10 MB
Video card (GPU)	SVGA

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	95
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium 90 MHz
System memory (RAM)	16 MB	32 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	10 MB (CD version only, minimal install)	661 MB
Video card (GPU)	DirectX 3.0a compatible

Mac OS
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	7.5 or greater
Processor (CPU)	80 MHz or faster PowerPC
System memory (RAM)	16 MB (with Virtual Memory turned off)
Hard disk drive (HDD)	95 MB
Video card (GPU)	640x480 capable color monitor; Display Library (version 1.0 or greater) required for System 7.5 to System 7.5.2; Display Enabler (version 2.0 or greater) required for System 7.5 to System 7.5.1; DrawSprocket 1.1.2 or later is required for all (classic) system software

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	10.1.4 (digital version uses DOSBox/Wine and requires 10.6.8+)
Processor (CPU)	G3-233 MHz (Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GHz+ for digital release)
System memory (RAM)	128 MB (2 GB for digital)
Hard disk drive (HDD)	600 MB	565 MB
Video card (GPU)	256 MB of VRAM