5 Best Fallout DLCs, Ranked

One of the crown jewels of Bethesda Softworks' extensive library of video game properties is "Fallout." Started by Interplay in the '90s, the story of "Fallout" features a retrofuturistic world devastated by nuclear war, with much of humanity surviving in fallout shelters. Since Bethesda took the reins starting with 2008's "Fallout 3," the franchise has mixed first-person gameplay with action RPG elements while exploring different parts of its post-apocalyptic setting. This exploration has been bolstered by DLC, each providing unique directions and often mixing its brutal grit with the franchise's penchant for dark humor.

From being abducted by aliens to reliving key moments through virtual reality, "Fallout" DLC covers an impressive breadth. The Bethesda published titles each feature DLC well worth picking up and expanding upon their respective games' experiences. In some cases, the associated DLC are a vital continuation of the stories from the base games beyond their initial narrative endings, and each adds significantly to their respective game's scope and overall experience.

Set in and around Boston after nuclear armageddon, "Fallout 4" was made even better by its DLC, even beyond the added narrative content. That said, the "Far Harbor" DLC released for the game in 2016 stands as the best post-release content the 2015 game ever got. The expansion's story involves the player character searching for a missing girl on an island off the coast of Maine. Arriving at the island community, the player discovers that two factions, a group of religious zealots and self-aware synths, are locked in a tense standoff.

With its atmospheric, fog-enshrouded landscapes, "Far Harbor" is one of the most distinctly evocative environments in "Fallout 4." The DLC's core feature of determining who are organic and who are synthetic adds a level of mystery and paranoia to the proceedings, dictating how the quests can progress. This leads to some of the best quests in "Fallout 4" overall, DLC or not, reveling in a deliberately uneasy mood that serves the story well. "Far Harbor" is one of those expansions that feels perfectly fine as a standalone experience, separated from the wider "Fallout 4" narrative, giving players a post-apocalyptic neo-noir mystery to enjoy.

The first game in the series published by Bethesda, "Fallout 3" still ranks high among the best "Fallout" games nearly 20 years later. The game is set throughout the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, with its 2009 DLC "Point Lookout" venturing into the swamps of Maryland. The region is overrun by mutated swampfolk and its own rival factions battling for control in the largely untamed landscape. As they delve deeper into the swamp, players must decide who to side with over the fate of Point Lookout.

"Point Lookout" is probably the most that "Fallout 3" veers into survival horror territory, albeit with its dark humor still firmly intact. From gruesome body horror and abandoned mansions to feral swampfolk and mad scientists, the DLC takes advantage of its premise and setting. The Point Lookout setting is also the largest DLC environment in "Fallout 3," encouraging players to explore it at their own pace, rather than giving them a main questline to follow. Offering players a rewarding new playground to traverse, "Point Lookout" is a reminder that side stories can be just as fun as more narrative-driven DLC.

The truth about "Fallout: New Vegas" is that it may be the greatest game in the series, and that celebrated quality carries over to its DLC. The 2010 game's first narrative DLC "Dead Money" sees the player character at their most vulnerable and constantly on the defensive. The expansion has the player ambushed and forced to carry out a heist on a casino enveloped in toxic gases. The player has a bomb collar attached to their neck while contending with the casino's security systems and virtually immortal mutated inhabitants.

There is extraordinary pressure on the player throughout "Dead Money," prompting them to advance quickly and strategically. The region's toxic gases steadily drain the player's health while the relentlessly resilient enemies put even seasoned gamers on edge. If "Point Lookout" leaned into survival horror for "Fallout 3," "Dead Money" embraces these qualities more readily for "New Vegas." As intense as "New Vegas" gets, "Dead Money" is a tautly staged heist mission that delivers thrills and chills in equal measure.

If "Dead Money" ramps up the intensity, "Old World Blues" offers a more pointedly fun expansion for "Fallout: New Vegas." This expansion has the player character regain their senses in the ruins of a scientific facility populated by mad scientists. The player agrees to help this ensemble defeat their longtime nemesis Doctor Mobius and conclude a longstanding feud. In addition to the player being fitted with cybernetic enhancements, they are given a sentient headquarters as they continue their quest.

"Old World Blues" is arguably the funniest DLC released for a "Fallout" game so far, doubling down on the campy qualities of its premise. This fits seamlessly within the established sensibilities of "New Vegas," especially the way that this particular expansion starts out. The new enhancements and gear that players can receive during the expansion are some of the most distinct in the game, truly feeling like earned rewards. The silliest and most breezily fun DLC for "New Vegas," "Old World Blues" is a freewheeling departure for the game.

The original ending to "Fallout 3" had players purify the waters of the Potomac River by entering an irradiated control room and sacrificing themselves. The game's 2009 expansion "Broken Steel" lets players continue the story as the fight for the D.C. wasteland escalates. Officially joining the Brotherhood of Steel, the player character moves to drive out the rival faction, the Enclave, from the region for good. This is complicated by the Enclave unleashing an orbital weapon capable of leveling the Brotherhood's strongest forces, with the player leading the charge to destroy tit.

Compared to the pyrrhic victory from the base game, "Broken Steel" gives "Fallout 3" the satisfying conclusion it deserves. More than just expanding the main questline, the DLC adds additional perks and weapons for players to utilize in their war against the Enclave. This makes the DLC not just feel like a paid expansion but like the true ending to "Fallout 3." The bar against which all future "Fallout" DLC should be judged, "Broken Steel" is one of those expansions that's just as crucial as any base game quest.