Summary

• The Fallout TV series has boosted interest in New Vegas mods, increasing community activity and expanding game options.
• Bethesda's next-gen update for Fallout 4 has consequences for mods, so it might be best that New Vegas has been left alone.
• The future of the show could make Fallout: New Vegas more popular than ever.

The Fallout TV series has been just the kick that a lot of people needed to return to the games or try them out for the first time, and one that's especially benefited is Fallout: New Vegas. Although it's not the most recent game in the series, New Vegas is a common fan favorite and a great choice for a compelling narrative experience. It's also more closely connected to the Los Angeles setting of the show than Fallout 4's Massachusetts locale, capturing a similar flavor of the Western American wasteland.

Although Fallout: New Vegas was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, it was made under developer Bethesda's stewardship of the series. Despite that, Bethesda hasn't been all that involved in pushing people toward New Vegas after the success of the show. More attention has been paid to Fallout 4, which received a long-promised next-gen update timed perfectly to capture some hype and potentially translate it into a wider player base. New Vegas was offered as a free bonus for Prime subscribers through the Prime Gaming program, so it hasn't been completely neglected, but it hasn't been the focus of the spotlight.

The Fallout: New Vegas Community Is Putting In Work

Fans Are Updating New Vegas Even If Bethesda Isn't

Bethesda's lack of interest in focusing attention on Fallout: New Vegas doesn't leave the game dead in the water, as New Vegas's modding community is incredibly active for a game originally released in 2010. Thanks to the show, the hype around New Vegas mods is the highest it's been in a long time, and the past week alone has seen nearly 200 new mods for the game appear on the popular site Nexus Mods. Not all of these are major overhauls, but with that volume of output, there are plenty of exciting choices to pick from.

It might actually be for the best that Bethesda is leaving the modding community to handle New Vegas, as the next-gen update for Fallout 4 wasn't without its consequences. Making changes to an older game can break plenty of mods that are already available for it, a problem that quickly reared its head in Fallout 4. New Vegas has plenty of long-standing bugs and issues that could be targeted, but the modding community has already done a good job providing fixes for them, so cleaning things up probably wouldn't be worth the consequences of breaking mods.

The Past Month Has Seen Great New Vegas Mod Releases

Some Standout Options Are Instant Classics

Plenty of the best Fallout: New Vegas mods are ones that have been available for years, but the new crop of add-ons and tweaks offers a strong assortment of fresh ideas. One standout example ed in May 2024 is New Vegas Animation Overhaul - Guns, available from hitman47101 on Nexus Mods. This mod offers an extensive rework of first-person gun animations in the game that took two-and-a-half years of work to bring to its now close-to-comprehensive state. Other options are required to overhaul first-person animations for anything besides guns, but it's incredible how much is covered in this mod alone.

One new mod that could be particularly fun for fans of the show is Fallout TV - The Ghoul's Handcannon, ed to Nexus Mods by Fallout: New Vegas ammo crafting recipe. Danneyo is also responsible for a mod that adds Lucy's Wasteland outfit from the series, which can fit both male and female characters. Whether roleplaying the show or simply enjoying these fashionable accessories, they're great New Vegas additions.

Fallout 4 also has some mods to tie in material from the show, so anyone currently playing it can enjoy similar benefits.

Perhaps the biggest thing in the works at the moment is Nova Arizona - A Legion Lands Expansion, a huge mod from the Nova Arizona Team that significantly fleshes out the Legion's presence in Fallout: New Vegas. This mod focuses on adding settlements and characters to make the Legion's territory in the Mojave feel alive, with everything focusing on remaining as accurate as possible to established lore. There's still a lot of work to be done, with quests and NPC dialogues remaining largely undeveloped, but this mod could be a game-changer when it's ultimately complete.

Fallout: New Vegas Has An Evergreen Legacy

Mod Should Last For Years To Come

All the new mods that have appeared in April and May for Fallout: New Vegas point to just how promising the future is, but what really makes New Vegas a great experience is everything that's come before. Anyone exploring New Vegas mods for the first time should check out Viva New Vegas, a guide that walks through a lot of the basics. Certain mods like the New Vegas Script Extender ed by korri123 (via Nexus Mods) are essentials for making most others function, and from there it's easy to either focus on simple fixes or start revolutionizing the game with major overhauls.

When it comes to the future, the mod scene might just keep getting better, as some of the returning hype around Fallout: New Vegas has to do with the future of the show. Based on the ending to the first season, it looks like things will connect even more directly to the game. The second season could provide plenty of inspiration for modders to work with, as well as expand the community once more to ensure New Vegas's continued legacy.

There's also always the dream of Obsidian making a Fallout: New Vegas sequel someday, but the more time es, the harder it is to hold out hope for another Fallout game in its vein. For now, Obsidian is busy with Avowed, and Bethesda seems too preoccupied with Starfield updates and The Elder Scrolls 6 to share the attention that Fallout 4 got with New Vegas. Regardless of what the future holds, there's never been a better time to start up a Fallout: New Vegas playthrough and explore all that mods have to offer.

Sources: Nexus Mods (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), Viva New Vegas