The Fallout franchise became the gaming phenomenon that it is today for two reasons: the games’ innovative open-world designs push the limits of player-controlled narratives, and its retro-futurist setting that freezes American culture in the atomic 1950s is simply a lot of fun. Whether you’re drinking a Nuka-Cola or listening to old pop hits on the radio, the atom is the guiding star for all of Fallout’s worldbuilding.
The game has found a new audience thanks to its Amazon Prime Video adaptation, which will bring the story to New Vegas for Season 2. But in regular old Las Vegas, a new museum will explore the real-life Atomic Age, and how its influences on Fallout aren’t as far-fetched as fans might think.
The Museum of Atomic Testing in Las Vegas recently announced a “World of Fallout” exhibit, partnering with Bethesda Games to show artifacts from both the fictional apocalypse and our non-fictional atomic obsession. “What makes this exhibit one-of-a-kind is that we’re putting iconic Fallout symbols side by side with the history that inspired them,” said Joseph Kent, chief community officer and curator for the National Atomic Testing Museum (via IGN). “It’s a chance for gamers and history buffs alike to see just how closely the two worlds connect.”
The Fallout invasion goes beyond this exhibit, as Fallout-inspired Easter Eggs will also be added to the museum’s main exhibit. The exhibit opens on November 14, 2025, which is well-timed, as Fallout 4 and New Vegas are celebrating milestone anniversaries this fall, while Season 2 of the TV show premieres in December.
The Season 1 finale teased a move to the bustling Wasteland city of New Vegas, the setting of a fan-favorite game. As Lucy MacLean and the Ghoul prepare for a pilgrimage to Vegas, fans can take a journey of their own and learn about the real-life history behind America’s nuclear age — and Nevada’s large role in it.
Fallout may be a game of mutant creatures and irradiated environments, but it’s not nearly as far-fetched as you may think. For decades, it seemed like a nuclear apocalypse was a distinctly possible outcome for our entire species, and now you can revisit that terrifying time through Fallout’s bizarre lens.
