Fallout 4 versus Fallout 3 Graphics Comparison Screenshots

It’s no secret that a lot of Fallout fans were a bit disappointed with the visuals of Fallout 4. But does Fallout 4 actually deliver a generational leap in visuals over its predecessor? Well, you’ll be the judge of it as you’ll find below some comparison screenshots between Fallout 4 and Fallout 3.

[ZaWarudo]

A significant upgrade from Fallout 3. Man i can't wait to play this.

[Brotard]

I love how people are judging this game in full bars on one trailer that shows us almost nothing of the game.

[raWfodog]

I just hope Fallout 4 will still make use of VATS, with even more targeting capabilities and options like maybe switching weapons during a VATS sequence.

[frostypants]

@Brotard, are you surprised? It's DSOgaming...much like GamingBolt, they just sling crap looking for hits.

[ShinMaster]

To be honest, Fallout 3 looked pretty crap back then too.

[Apollosupreme]

Well perhaps they shouldn't show the game until they're ready?

There are many, many, many game trailer releases throughout the year and yet most don't insight this sort of reaction. Why is that do you think?

[Bansai]

8 years of a upgrade tho? Don't think so. Graphics are disappointing imo.

[Sabian187]

Fallout has always been a campyish game...with very campy and exaggerated graphics. To change that would be against the spirit of the game. It would be akin to making a photo-realistic borderlands game, which would be boring.

[joab777]

It's fine. I'd trade a bigger, more detailed world for graphics, bugs, or framerate anyday. Looks fine to me.

[PvtHavoc]

2010 was the last fallout so no not 8 years learn maths

[gamernova]

People are so picky about the graphics. This is why companies are afraid to be honest about the graphics about their product. The game can have the same graphics as fallout 3 or new vegas and still be an excellent game. The graphics did not make fallout great; the game mechanics did.

[d_g]

definitely there is big difference

[darkesthour4]

There is a big difference between Fallout 3 and 4. Also, true fans of the Fallout series won't care if the graphics aren't as good as The Witcher 3.

[joab777]

If you are on consoles, it won't be a huge difference. On PC, you will get mods.

[Entonations]

Bethesda games are all insanely good for modding. It's mind blowing. Fantastic mods are still coming to Fallout New Vegas and that game is years old.

[starrman1985]

"It’s no secret that a lot of Fallout fans were a bit disappointed with the visuals of Fallout 4"

Urgh, please tell me that's not true! I just want to get back to the wasteland!

[Simco876]

The bandwagon was up in arms, while the true fans just started polishing their plasma rifles.

[starrman1985]

Was more of a hunting rifle guy myself ;) more reliable!

[yellowgerbil]

Sniper rifle and repeater...

[jmc8888]

Some people wanted a bigger jump, nothing wrong with that.

It also depends on what you played at. FO3/NV on PC looks a lot closer to what they showed of FO4 then the console versions. In other words, if you played 360 FO3, then it looks like twice the jump or more then from a PC FO3 players. Throw in graphical mods and the jump is even lower.

That said, it looks good..not great, but good. PC gamers will use mods again that will make it look better.

PS4/XB1 owners should rejoice because since they didn't try to push the graphics too hard, they are likely to be gaming at 1080/60 or close to that.

So overall there's nothing wrong with wanting better graphics, but you'd think they were still good enough to looking forward to enjoying FO4 for the great game it probably will be.

[Clown13]

It looks beautiful. People act so damn spoiled and entitled anymore. Whats the first thing that happened after the trailer came out? Crybaby comments on how awful it looks. It's unbelievable how the community acts nowadays.

[chippychan]

Haha, I think it's great how they sought out scenes in F3 that were similar to the ones in the F4 trailer... like the dog next to a Nuka-cola machine. :)

[MilkMan]

Let gamebryo go bro.

[jocomat9]

I think the problem was the dog really. Lots of things actually look Good in the fallout 4 trailer but i think people couldn't get past the dog. No dynamic fur and looks washed out.(kinda bad). But other parts looked really good like the deathclaw and goul part. I wanna see gameplay before judging anything.

edit just looked again at dogmeat and i actually think the fallout 3 dogmeat looks better then the fourth. They need to upgrade dogmeat big time.

[jocomat9]

Im talking about the textures on dogmeat btw. they look better in number 3. They need to fix it in the fourth.

[akurtz]

Better? Some people go to far with crap.

[Lon3wolf]

I'm sure it will be fine why is everything about the graphics these days, can't people enjoy games for gameplay anymore?

[starrman1985]

It seems like we just love to complain, rather than just enjoy what we have been given. It's also much easier to see the bad rather than the good.

[Lon3wolf]

Sad but true look at the outcry over Witcher which I think looks fantastic.

[Entonations]

@starrman1985. My biggest problem with the Witcher 3 graphics was the global lighting in game. But, there's a mod in development that is bringing the cutscene lighting engine to in-game and it looks fabulous, so my only real complaint is now being taken care of.

[jmc8888]

I think it's because people were on the same systems for almost 9-10 years now and with new systems and powerhouse PC's, people were expecting a bigger jump in visuals.

Coupled with the fact that a modded FO3 on PC is far less of a jump then from the console versions, people freaked out.

Plus we can't play the games, because they aren't out, so people complain, and they won't stop complaining until the game is being played by them, and even then, some will still complain.

The problem is people don't take the nuanced approach to things. If you just accept what devs give you, then what you'll be given is increasing more crappy as expectations aren't kept high. If you complain about every little thing, then that's bad and it can hurt a game/franchise/publisher for little to no reason, plus having to be around all that negativity for such a long time isn't good.

So you don't want to be either extreme. You want to push devs to do the most they can, but not be raging if they can't accomplish it. Be more aggressive to those that were just lazy or more likely had incompetent higher ups forcing bad decisions, and less aggressive to those with less resources, who you could see trying and sometimes reaching out to their customers on forums, or had some good reasons to do what they did.

[Phoenix76]

Does anyone remember a time when "gameplay" was more important than "graphics"?? Oh how I miss those days.

[toddybad]

TBF right back to the early 90s graphics has been a huge talking point.
SF2, Sonic, SNES/Megadrive, The first FIFA, all of these had huge talk of graphics.

[commadore65]

There have always been debates about graphics right back to people boasting about how their Amstrad had more availible colours than their friends commadore64 or zxspectrum. Not to mention the 'bit wars' in the 90s were also pretty intense.

Even the hype train existed around crap games like 'Rise of the Robots' God awful fighting game, but looked insanely cool in the magazines.

[gangsta_red]

Not sure what people were expecting. If Bethesda would have shown super 4k Ultra graphics and then the game released we would have had a million articles spammed and huge amount of gamers talking about downgrades!

The game looked great and I cant wait to get my hands on some Fallout 4.

[ElementX]

I think the worst part of FO3 graphics were the low resolution, blurry-up-close textures used on the ground and walls. Litter on the ground was basically painted on. It looks as though the textures have improved.

[Gorilla_Killa_X]

Graphics be damned. It could look exactly like Fallout 3. I'm ready to return to the wasteland.

[chrisco84au]

I just want to get back out into the wasteland and lose weeks of my life exploring, fighting, looting, conversing, "fallouting" if you will.

I never had an issue with Fallout 3 / New Vegas when it came to graphics. Easily some of my most played and favourite games of last gen.

A Fallout game for me is an experience, not a visual tour de force. I for one, hope that never changes.

Why as gamers do we have to criticise instead of being excited for a game? We wanted a new Fallout, here it is.. Let's enjoy the damn thing and appreciate games for what they, not for what we wish they were, think they should be, believe we are entitled too.

Day 1.

[LamerTamer]

Well crappy graphics break immersion. This game doesn't look so great. The textures are low res and blurry and the colors look cartoony. Honestly the oversaturated cartoon colors make it look more like Borderlands than FO. I think they are overcompensating from those who complain that FO games look too grey. So now they amped up the color sliders to 11. Yes it is about gameplay but why can't the game have BOTH? It seems that people think you can only have one, good gameplay OR good graphics. That is BS.

[chrisco84au]

I 100% agree both is better but for a Fallout game, to me, I'm not worried at all about the graphics. I personally do not think the graphics are bad. Others disagree, that is fine.

And let's be honest, the graphics are not bad, sure they are not The Order, Ryse, Witcher etc standard but they look great to me, the art direction really seems to scream Fallout. This world is massive, dynamic and ever changing, you cannot replicate that, the Witcher as stunning as it is, is not on the same scale as a Fallout game (size maybe) but not game world (everything is interactable, movable in a fallout game).

I appreciate your opinion and respect and hope you can still enjoy the game as I beleve I will.

As I said, can we not appreciate the game as it is instead of complaining about things? Every Fallout game has never been a graphical benchmark, why should we suddenly suggest Fallout 4 should be?

Maybe my love for the series is allowing me to see past the graphics that some dislike, which is fine for me, I can only speak for myself and I can only decide for myself if this game is worth the asking price but the graphics shown so far in no way put me off pre ordering this game.

[LamerTamer]

Well for a game that I would be pouring many hours into I would like it to at least look decent. When you look at something and it makes you cringe (like those GameCube quality textures on that dog) it breaks immersion. I don't expect it to look like the Order or The Witcher but it should look better than a slightly improved PS3 game. They are not even making this for last gen and these new consoles have much more RAM. You would think they could at least do decent texture resolutions. The "jump" in graphics don't match the jump in console power and of course PC should be off the charts in visuals.

We have these basic expectations (better hardware=better graphics)so when they are not met we are disappointed that is all. I will eventually play it and get used to the lousy graphics, I hope the story and gameplay makes up for them.

[chrisco84au]

I believe art direction is the main component of Fallout visuals and as long as they nail those there will not be a problem. From the trailer it looks amazing in that respect so far.

You seem to be dismissing this game purely on graphics which I find disappointing as Fallout games have never been about graphics.

Shovel Knight is probably my favourite game at the moment I am playing (also playing MKX and The Witcher) and Shovel Knights graphics, by your definition (current gen 'better hardware = better graphics") are horrible. Obviously Shovel Knights visuals are a clear design choice by the devs, which I beleive are near perfect, just as Fallouts visuals will be a design choice by the devs.

With certain games, graphics are one of the very last things to judge a game on, art direction and style are way more important to the immersion of a Fallout game.

Did the graphics of Fallout 3 break the immersion for you? If not, then there is no way Fallout 4's graphics can as they are better from what we have seen so far (disregarding the generation jump, as in this scenario it makes no difference)
I'm not disagreeing with your disappointment with the graphics shown, that is opinion, I am just trying to understand how the 'break in immersion' can occur when art direction and style play a much bigger part of immersion than resolution of textures.

Visuals are not all about resolution and textures, direction and style can just as much immerse a player into an experience.

[Burnin]

Real Fallout fans are just happy we're finally get a new game... We don't really care about the graphics (don't get me wrong I like these) since they can be modded

[Wickerman1972]

The only thing that bothered me about the trailer was the character models. Everything else looked good enough.