RPG · December 17, 2009

Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition (2009)

calendar_todayAge 17+group1M–10M ownerstrending_up318 peak concurrentrecommend40.9k recommendations
Prepare for the Future™ With Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, experience the most acclaimed game of 2008 like never before. Create a character of your choosing and descend into an awe-inspiring, post-apocalyptic world where every minute is a fight for survival. Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition includes all five of the Fallout 3 Game Add-on Packs: Operation: Anchorage - Enter a military simulation and fight in the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska from its Chinese Communist invaders. The Pitt - Travel to the post-apocalyptic remains of Pittsburgh and become embroiled in a conflict between slaves and their Raider masters. Broken Steel - Increase your level cap to 30, and finish the fight against the Enclave remnants alongside Liberty Prime. Point Lookout - Embark on a mysterious and open-ended adventure in a huge, murky swampland along the coast of Maryland. Mothership Zeta - Defy hostile alien abductors and fight your way off of the alien mothership, orbiting miles above the Capital Wasteland. Key Features Limitless Freedom - Take in the sights and sounds of the vast Capital Wasteland! See the great monuments of the United States lying in post-apocalyptic ruin! You make the choices that define you and change the world. Just keep an eye on your Rad Meter! Experience S.P.E.C.I.A.L. - Vault-Tec engineers bring you the latest in human ability simulation — the SPECIAL Character System! Utilizing new breakthroughs in points-based ability representation, SPECIAL affords unlimited customization of your character. Also included are dozens of unique skills and perks to choose from, each with a dazzling variety of effects! Fantastic New Views - The wizards at Vault-Tec have done it again! No longer constrained to just one view, experience the world from 1st or 3rd person perspective. Customize your view with the touch of a button! The Power of Choice - Feeling like a dastardly villain today, or a Good Samaritan? Pick a side or walk the line, as every situation can be dealt with in many different ways. Talk out your problems in a civilized fashion, or just flash your Plasma Rifle. Blast 'Em Away With V.A.T.S. - Even the odds in combat with the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System for your Pip-Boy Model 3000! V.A.T.S. allows you to pause time in combat, target specific body parts on your target, queue up attacks, and let Vault-Tec take out your aggression for you. Rain death and destruction in an all-new cinematic presentation. Mind-Blowing Artificial Intelligence - At Vault-Tec, we realize that the key to reviving civilization after a global nuclear war is people. Our best minds pooled their efforts to produce an advanced version of Radiant AI, America's First Choice in Human Interaction Simulation. Facial expressions, gestures, unique dialog, and lifelike behavior are brought together with stunning results by the latest in Vault-Tec technology. Eye-Popping Prettiness* - Witness the harsh realities of nuclear fallout rendered like never before in modern super-deluxe HD graphics. From the barren Wasteland, to the danger-filled offices and metro tunnels of DC, to the hideous rotten flesh of a mutant's face. *Protective Eyewear Encouraged.

Position in RPG

MetricThis titleGenre position
Review volume50.6k Steam reviewsTop 10% in RPG
Positive rating81% positiveGenre average: 83% — this title sits in top 69%
Metacritic91/100Genre average 78 — top 9% of RPG titles
Concurrent peak318 playersTop 24% in RPG by live player count
Engagement hours16 h averageTop 61% for session depth among RPG

Community Tag Signals

Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.

  • Open World · 1.6k
  • RPG · 1.5k
  • Post-apocalyptic · 1.4k
  • Singleplayer · 909
  • Moddable · 865
  • First-Person · 758
  • Sci-fi · 682
  • FPS · 630
  • Adventure · 618
  • Action · 617
  • Exploration · 470
  • Replay Value · 450
  • Atmospheric · 439
  • Sandbox · 420
  • Third Person · 412

Peer RPG titles

Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.

More from Bethesda Game Studios

Bethesda Game Studios has 12 titles indexed — top 6 by review volume below.

Reception Metrics

Steam community

81%Mostly Positive · 50.6k reviews

41.0k positive · 9.6k negative

Metacritic

91/100 critic aggregate

Open Metacritic page

Curator recommendations

40.9k

Peak concurrent players

318

RPG releases from 2009

10 RPG titles launched in 2009 — top 6 by review volume.

Press Quotes

'Fallout 3 is the ultimate video game.' - Game Critics Awards

Engagement Profile

All-time avg

16h

moderate (15–40 hours)

Median

4h

Typical completion time

2-week avg

1h

Current engagement

Release & Availability

Release dateDec 17, 2009
DeveloperBethesda Game Studios
PublisherBethesda Softworks
Base price$6.59
Required age17+
PlatformsWindows
Estimated owners1M–10M
External linksMetacritic page · Support

Localization Coverage

Interface / Subtitles (5)

  • English
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Spanish - Spain

Editions & Packages

  • Buy Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition