Fallout 5 Likely To Leave Millions Of Players Behind When It Finally Launches

Published Aug 30, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT Known as 'Cyberpunk 2077's' biggest fan, Angharad is a Welsh games writer who thrives in anything related to digital storytelling. If a video game explores the intricacies and horrors of womanhood, she is there. Thanks to previous work at GAMINGbible, GameByte, The Loadout, Game Luster, Angharad has built a strong understanding of both the digital world and what fans want from it and is eager to share her thoughts and expertise with readers. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Despite Bethesda finally breaking its silence in recent months, the future of some of its most anticipated games still remains uncertain. Whilst the next major release is expected to be The Elder Scrolls VI, it has been eight years since it was first announced and despite a recent update, there was still no sign of a potential release window, and that is not to mention the lack of cinematic or gameplay trailers. Following the launch of The Elder Scrolls VI, attention will turn to Fallout 5, marking the first mainline installment in the beloved post-apocalyptic RPG series since Fallout 4 launched in 2015. However, with updates expected to continue for both Starfield and Fallout 76, it seems as though Bethesda has its work cut out, leaving fans uncertain about the future. Fallout 5 Is Not Arriving Soon Put simply, there currently being no release window for The Elder Scrolls VI also affects the launch of Fallout 5 dramatically. Although some of the Bethesda team will currently be working on Fallout 5 in the background, it will not receive its full attention until The Elder Scrolls VI has launched. As such, no release window for the first game on the docket spells bad news for the second, and we may not see Fallout 5 until at least 2030. On top of that, Bethesda has also revealed that it will be working on both a Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas remaster as well as working on a brand-new Fallout entry alongside Obsidian Entertainment. Considering that we have waited quite some time for the next The Elder Scrolls and Fallout titles, could this docket be too ambitious? Fallout 5 Could Be Inaccessible To Many With all this in mind, it is also worth addressing the Power-Armor-sized elephant in the room. If Fallout 5 is not set to launch until 2030 at the earliest (although this is merely an estimation, not an official guide), this means it is likely that it will arrive on next-gen consoles. With reports suggesting that the PlayStation 6 will launch some time next year, it makes sense that the next Xbox hardware will arrive shortly after. However, with the price of hardware increasing over recent years, it is highly likely that next-gen consoles will be affordable to the masses, leaving many left in the dark when titles such as Fallout 5 are released. If this is the case, we can only hope that it will also be supported on our current-gen hardware, yet this all remains to be seen. For now, we await the next update from Bethesda, but what we do know, is that we had better get used to waiting once again.