It’s hard to imagine now given the advances in gaming technology, but stepping out of Vault 13 into the wide post-apocalyptic wasteland was a stunning moment in the first Fallout. You went from a dank cave filled with rats to a massive map you could explore in any direction, which was huge for 1997. Many Fallout games have replicated that feeling of leaving the vault in the years following, but the first still holds a special place in many hearts. Fallout Vault 13 is a brand new Fallout 4 mod that aims to recreate that moment – and the entire first game – and it’s got a demo you’ll be able to play surprisingly soon.
First announced in 2021, Fallout Vault 13 is an ambitious mod for Fallout 4 which doesn’t just plan to plonk the first game in the newer RPG, but to remake it entirely. A couple of years ago the modding team working on the project announced a demo but since then there’s been a few periods of radio silence, with some assuming the project would never see the light of day. Despite that, the team has been busy behind the scenes, and now the demo is almost here.
The Fallout Vault 13 demo will give players the chance to explore an area called The Inyo. It encompasses Vault 13, Vault 15, and the budding settlement of Shady Sands – Fallout TV show watchers will no doubt remember that name. As this is a Fallout 4 mod, the team has had to build an entire wasteland to surround these areas complete with additional caverns and places to explore, some of which you can see in the Shady Sands Showcase released in 2022.
Presumably there’s been a lot of progress since then but even that earlier version of the village is familiar to anyone who’s played the original Fallout. Seth, Aradesh, and Razlo are all present but Tandi is conspicuously absent, though admittedly this may be due to another quest from the original game. You can also grab a few glimpses of Vault 13 and Vault 15 here, as well as everyone’s favorite radscorpion caves.
For me, I can’t wait until the mod includes Junktown. Dealing with Gizmo has always been a favorite quest of mine, with multiple ways to complete it showcasing the flexibility and range of approaches possible in this apocalyptic title. The Master rendered with modern gaming graphics also promises to be a treat, as even in the 1997 original’s art style he managed to become one of the creepiest villains in gaming.
The Fallout Vault 13 demo will be playable from Thursday August 8 from 6pm PDT / 9pm EDT / Friday August 9 from 2am BST / 3am CEST. You’ll be able to grab the relevant download links from the dev team’s Discord server.
If you’re looking for something else, our guide to the best Fallout 4 mods will get you started, and our Fallout 4 console commands guide will help you get the most out of this post-apocalyptic RPG.
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