Fallout TV series boosts game popularity on Steam Deck

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The effect of Amazon’s Fallout TV series can’t be understated, introducing the world from the game series to new audiences. It’s no surprise that Steam Deck users have four Fallout games in their top 20 most-played games of April.

While it couldn’t beat Stardew Valley to the top spot, Fallout 4 was comfortably the second-most-played game on Steam Deck in April. Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 76, and Fallout 3 – Game of the Year Edition all found spots as well.

Likely a mix of new and returning players, this list shows the power of a well-done TV or movie tie-in to a video game world.

Even the lackluster Halo TV series set a Paramount+ premiere viewing record and likely gave Halo: Infinite and other titles a boost in players.

Whoa, how is it May already?! Below are the top played games of April 2024 on Steam Deck, sorted by playtime. What have you been playing? pic.twitter.com/NQ6FXqe1Fn

— Steam Deck (@OnDeck) May 1, 2024

And for once, I found myself as part of the statistics. See, while I love the world of Fallout, Bethesda’s RPG games sometimes feel like a chore, scrounging for every little resource in the wasteland.

I’ve labored through Fallout 3 and all its expansion packs, played the factions against each other in Fallout: New Vegas, and tried to love Fallout 76. But I’ve never clicked with Fallout 4 until I started a new playthrough on the Steam Deck.

The sparse landscape of the wasteland around Boston is perfect for the smaller, low-resolution screen of the Steam Deck. I no longer wish to mod the game for better graphics, and I have yet to encounter a game-breaking bug.

And it plays well, with a solid 60 frames-per-second in almost every area I’ve visited. That might change later as I get into the downtown area, but it’s an impressive feat on the handheld gaming console.

The other thing that makes the Fallout series perfect for the Steam Deck is that the Gamebryo engine used for Fallout 3 ties its in-game physics to frame rate, so going over 60fps has wide-ranging effects.

This was fixed in later Fallout titles, but it still runs better at 60fps, in my experience.

Sure, Fallout 4 is nearly a decade old, but did any of us think it would run on a portable gaming console back then? The Steam Deck has brought interest back to old titles while also showcasing new (and admittedly great) games like Balatro.

If you excuse me, I’m returning to the wasteland to clear off some of my gaming backlog.

New to the Fallout series? Or are you a long-time fan doing another playthrough spurred by the Amazon TV series? Drop us a line in the comments below, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.