Choose Fallout 3
Choose Fallout 3 if it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. 9,805 Steam reviews back the pick.
Fallout 3 vs Fallout 4
Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 both land in RPG on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are RPG games on Steam. Fallout 3 (2008) is 7 years older than Fallout 4 (2015). Both sit near 81% positive on Steam (Fallout 3: 9,805 reviews, Fallout 4: 181,116). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Fallout 4
Choose Fallout 4 if you want the Stereo Sound, Surround Sound, and Playable without Timed Input side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2015) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 181,116 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 sit in RPG on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (80.3% vs 81% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Fallout 3 |  Fallout 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2008 | 2015 |
| Genres | RPG | RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 80.3% positive (9,805 reviews) | 81% positive (181,116 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Bethesda Game Studios | Bethesda Game Studios |
Side by side
- Both are RPG games on Steam.
- Fallout 3 (2008) is 7 years older than Fallout 4 (2015).
- Both sit near 81% positive on Steam (Fallout 3: 9,805 reviews, Fallout 4: 181,116).
- Fallout 3 is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Fallout 4 (9.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Fallout 3 is Deck Playable, Fallout 4 is Deck Verified.
Fallout 3 vs Fallout 4 — FAQ
- Which is better, Fallout 3 or Fallout 4?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Fallout 3 sits at 80.3% positive (9,805 reviews), Fallout 4 at 81% (181,116). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Fallout 3 or Fallout 4 first?
- If you want chronology, Fallout 3 (2008) came out before Fallout 4 (2015). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 similar?
- They overlap on RPG on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.