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 currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. 181,116 Steam reviews back the pick.
Fallout 4 vs The Outer Worlds
Fallout 4 and The Outer Worlds 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 4 (2015) is 5 years older than The Outer Worlds (2020). The Outer Worlds scores higher on Steam reviews (82.4% positive) than Fallout 4 (81% positive). 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 The Outer Worlds
Choose The Outer Worlds if it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 16,855 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Fallout 4 and The Outer Worlds sit in RPG on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (81% vs 82.4% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Fallout 4 |  The Outer Worlds | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2020 |
| Genres | RPG | RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 81% positive (181,116 reviews) | 82.4% positive (16,855 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Bethesda Game Studios | Obsidian Entertainment |
Side by side
- Both are RPG games on Steam.
- Fallout 4 (2015) is 5 years older than The Outer Worlds (2020).
- The Outer Worlds scores higher on Steam reviews (82.4% positive) than Fallout 4 (81% positive).
- Fallout 4 is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than The Outer Worlds (19.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Fallout 4 is Deck Verified, The Outer Worlds is Deck Playable.
Fallout 4 vs The Outer Worlds — FAQ
- Which is better, Fallout 4 or The Outer Worlds?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Fallout 4 sits at 81% positive (181,116 reviews), The Outer Worlds at 82.4% (16,855). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Fallout 4 or The Outer Worlds first?
- If you want chronology, Fallout 4 (2015) came out before The Outer Worlds (2020). 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 4 and The Outer Worlds 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.