Fallout 4 is an open-world role-playing game set in a post-apocalyptic Boston, where players search for a kidnapped son while exploring a wasteland shaped by factions, settlements, and moral choices. Combat blends real-time shooting with the series' signature V.A.T.S. targeting system.

A deep settlement-building system lets players construct and manage their own outposts, adding a layer of base-building on top of the open-world exploration, questing, and crafting that define the experience.