The original mobile game Fallout Shelter is the most successful game in the entire series. It now gets a sequel with Fallout Shelter Online, which has existed for a while but is now coming in English.
What is Fallout Shelter? Fallout Shelter is a mobile game that was announced at E3 in 2015. It was released in 2015 for Android and iOS, 2016 for PC (Bethesda.net and Steam) and in the following years for Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.
It is a free-to-play game in which you must build and manage one of the famous vaults from the Fallout universe by adding vault dwellers, giving them tasks, and ensuring everything runs smoothly.
It was so successful: By 2018, Fallout Shelter had already recorded over 120 million downloads, and since then it has likely increased even more (via pocketgamer). At the E3 2018, Game Director Todd Howard even stated that Shelter had been more successful than all Fallout games from Bethesda combined.
Sequel: Fallout Shelter Online is coming in English
What is Fallout Shelter Online? In 2019, Fallout Shelter was continued with the game “Fallout Shelter Online,” which was announced in 2017. However, the sequel was only available in China. In a tweet, Vice President Pete Hines confirmed: “It was developed in China for China.”
The Chinese beta started in March 2019. Some European and American sites managed to take a look at the game. However, everything was still in Chinese, so most Western players would probably have little to do with Fallout Shelter Online.
However, Fallout Shelter Online is now supposed to receive an English version. There are also versions in Korean and Japanese (not in German). We do not yet know when the game will be available in Western stores.
How do I participate? Fallout Shelter Online will, like its predecessor, initially be released on mobile. There is a version for both iOS and Android, but so far no information on the required version.
- This is the pre-registration for Fallout Shelter Online in the Google Play Store
- This is the pre-registration for Fallout Shelter Online in the Apple App Store
For registration, you apparently need a Japanese, Korean or Chinese account. We checked with a German and a US account and could not log in. Here you can find support articles on how to change your region on iOS and on Android.
Fallout Shelter Online is published by the Chinese publisher Gaea Mobile Limited. However, a specific date has not yet been announced. According to the Play Store, the last update of the app was on November 22, 2019. We have embedded the official trailer here for you:
Those who register now will even receive some rewards. These include bottle caps, Nuka-Cola, lunchboxes, and other useful items. More information can be found on Gaea’s registration page.
New features, more to do
How does Fallout Shelter Online differ from its predecessor? The framework of Fallout Shelter Online is very similar to that of its predecessor. You are the head of a vault and must ensure that everything works and that your residents are happy.
However, Online places more emphasis on exploration, which was almost nonexistent in the first part. You can explore areas in the surroundings, visit well-known places like Red Rocket Stations or Diamond City, or tackle and master dungeons.
What else does Fallout Shelter Online offer? In addition, there are numerous other features and functions that were not available in the predecessor, such as:
- Groups and guilds that you can join
- a PvP system to fight against other players
- Hero cards with different values – including legendary characters like the annoying Preston Garvey
- more skills and perks for your residents, which are used more frequently
The PvP system looks similar in the pictures to what you might already know from other mobile games. You apparently do not play against real opponents, but against their teams, which they have set up and which are controlled by the computer. This way, there are no network problems. Since players didn’t like PvP in Fallout 76, this might be the better option.
The hero system could become a bit of a “cash sink,” for which Chinese mobile games are known. It looks similar to the gacha principle of the Fate series, where you can buy hero cards through mini-loot boxes. In Fate/Grand Order, this is considered a pay-to-win feature. It will be interesting to see how Fallout Shelter Online implements this.
The Fallout YouTuber JuiceHead has already made an English video about Fallout Shelter Online, where he highlights some of the aspects in more detail:
More about Fallout – What’s new?
While Fallout Shelter Online is more or less finished and just needs to arrive in the West, the already released online multiplayer Fallout 76 continues. The developers are currently working hard on the Wastelanders update, which is set to be released on April 7, 2020.
The update will bring NPCs and continue the story. Bethesda themselves even says that they may have gone a bit overboard. Many fans hope it will meet the expectations they had for the release in November 2018.
Many players have already expressed their interest here on MeinMMO, such as our reader Bodicore: “Looking at the feature list, I am sure that not only people will return to Appalachia, but players as well.”
With Fallout Shelter Online and the Wastelanders update, all fans of the franchise have a little something to chew on for the next few months. Whether the new Shelter will also come to PC or consoles is still unknown. However, at least Fallout 76 will also be released on Steam:
