Fallout: Vault 13 surprise release announced, and you can play free

You know the drill. Fallout 5 isn’t landing anytime soon.

Between post-launch support for Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI’s development, it’s not exactly a project that Bethesda has got time for at the moment.

Worry not, the game is coming.

But when you consider that it may be two to four years before The Elder Scrolls VI releases, that potentially places Fallout 5 in 2030 and beyond.

It’s a hard pill to swallow, but it’s something we’re going to have to do.

It’s a shame because quite clearly, Prime Video’s Fallout has left us yearning for the wasteland.

While Bethesda may be fully occupied with other projects though, fans have stepped in to keep us entertained.

I’m sure you can’t have missed the launch of Fallout: London, an enormous mod that takes the franchise to the UK.

And now, I’d like to introduce you to Fallout: Vault 13.

ICYMI: Here’s our guide for beginners looking to dive into the Fallout games.

Fallout: Vault 13 is a community-made remake of the original Fallout game within Fallout 4’s engine.

This is a great idea as it is fair to say, the earlier Fallout entries are overlooked by many fans due to their isometric nature (or trimetric if you want to pedantically argue).

Fallout: Vault 13 will bring the original Fallout title more in line with the series’ modern entries in terms of gameplay and despite having been in development for what feels like an eternity, the project’s release is almost upon us.

Taking to social media, the modding team announced that a demo is set to land tomorrow, on Thursday 8 August.

“The wait is nearly over! We're thrilled to announce that the Fallout: Vault 13 Demo will be available on Thursday, August 8, 2024 at approximately 9:00 PM Eastern Time,” they wrote.

To get involved, simply join the project’s Discord server where you’ll be able to grab a download link.

You’ll be able to provide feedback ahead of the full launch later this year.