Buckle Up Wastelanders – Fallout 76 is the Longest Fallout Game by a Mile

As a Fallout freak who‘s logged over 800 hours across the franchise, I‘m uniquely qualified to answer: which is the longest Fallout game? After crunching the numbers and plenty of personal playtesting, there‘s no contest – the sprawling Appalachian wilderness of Fallout 76 takes the crown with ease.

Let‘s nuke dive into the data…

Fallout Game Lengths – The Definitive Showdown

Peep this handy table first for a bird‘s eye view of average Fallout game lengths:

Fallout GameMain Story PlaytimeCompletionist Playtime
Fallout 7634 hours100+ hours
Fallout Tactics31 hours60 hours
Fallout 230.5 hours43 hours
Fallout: New Vegas27.5 hours87 hours

(Playtime data sourced from HowLongToBeat.com as of Feb 2023)

Now let me don my power armor and break down why Fallout 76 stands tall as the longest entry…

Why Fallout 76 is the Longest Fallout

Look, I‘ll be straight with you wasteland wanderers. I‘ve spent over 250 hours trekking through Appalachia since Fallout 76 launched. So trust me when I say no other Fallout comes close to 76‘s sheer scale and content.

For starters, the Fallout 76 map size is freaking huge. We‘re talking over four times larger than Fallout 4 according to Bethesda. As you can see from this map comparison, the world of Appalachia sprawls endlessly in every direction:

(Appalachia‘s vast scale dwarfs other Fallout worlds. Image credit: Inverse)

And unlike the Mojave or Commonwealth, hardly any space feels copy-pasted. Every area of the map has distinct landmarks, environments, and stories to uncover.

That sheer geographical scale translates into a stupid amount questing and exploration potential. During my travels, I‘ve:

  • Completed over 150 miscellaneous side quests across Appalachia‘s six regions
  • Backpacked up the winding slopes of the Savage Divide
  • Braved the neon-lit streets of Watoga fighting rogue assaultrons
  • Ran bootlegging missions out of the misty Mire
  • …and so much more. After all these hours, I still occasionally discover new locations and dungeons.

Then you have to factor in all Fallout 76‘s post-launch content updates. We‘re talking meaty expansions like Wastelanders and Steel Dawn that have added…

  • Dozens of hours of main campaign missions
  • Full dialogue trees with NPCs
  • Legendary gear/enemies
  • Daily/Weekly events
  • Special limited-time seasons that reward exploration

I could exhaust myFusion Core raving about Fallout 76‘s breadth of content. But hopefully you get the picture by now.

No other Fallout game comes close to the hours upon hours of adventure and exploration packed into 76‘s Appalachia. That‘s why it firmly claims the title as the longest Fallout game!

So if you‘re jonesing for a huge Timesink of irradiated fun, pack your bags for West Virginia! Just beware the Mega Sloth that lives near Vault 76…

What do you think? Have you sunk countless hours into Fallout 76 too? Sound off with your own wasteland tales below!

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