The Fallout TV show is continuing to have a ripple effect on the franchise, bringing renewed popularity to its source material. Fallout 76 has reached its highest-ever concurrent player count on Steam, while Fallout Shelter has also seen a boost in players and revenue.
The game benefiting the most from the show’s success is Fallout 4. Despite being almost nine years old, it is the most recent mainline entry and has become one of the most-played games on Steam. According to SteamDB, the game’s concurrent player count has been climbing this week, peaking at a respectable 164,190 simultaneous players on Sunday. It was the ninth most-played game on Steam, ahead of Rainbow Six Siege, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Lost Ark.
This represents a significant increase of approximately 140,000 concurrent players compared to before the TV show’s debut. Fallout 4 was narrowly surpassed by Stardew Valley, which had a peak of 177,618 over the weekend, and Helldivers, which had a whopping 200,589 players simultaneously. Other popular titles dominating the top spots include Naraka: Bladepoint, Apex Legends, PUBG, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike 2.
Fallout 4 is also dominating the top sellers list on Steam in terms of revenue. It is currently ranked fourth in the UK, behind Helldivers 2, Counter-Strike 2, and the Steam Deck. This may be partly due to a recent sale where the game was available for only five dollars after the show’s release.
The resurgence of Fallout 4’s popularity is not surprising given the success of the TV show. Even those who have not played the games have enjoyed watching the show and exploring the lore it has to offer.
According to Chris Livingston, a resident expert, Fallout 4 is the best starting point for those interested in diving into the Fallout franchise, even if it is not the best in the series. As he put it, “If I’m gonna sit down today and play some Fallout, it’s definitely gonna be 4-flavoured.”
