# Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
**Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel** is a 2004 action role-playing game for the [PlayStation 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-2) and Xbox, set in the post-apocalyptic Fallout universe, in which the player fights raiders and mutants as a member of the Brotherhood of Steel, a technology-hoarding paramilitary order. Released on January 13, 2004, it was the fourth video game set in the Fallout universe, the second spin-off, and the first Fallout game released on home video game consoles.[1](https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Fallout%3A_Brotherhood_of_Steel) It is a separate work from the 2001 PC strategy game *Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel*, with which it shares part of its title.[2](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-tactics-brotherhood-of-steel/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | January 13, 2004 (North America); April 2, 2004 (Europe); April 28, 2005 (Japan)[1](https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Fallout%3A_Brotherhood_of_Steel) • [3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKl1eEeTz6Q) |
| Platforms | PlayStation 2 and Xbox; the first Fallout title on home consoles[1](https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Fallout%3A_Brotherhood_of_Steel) • [4](https://www.gamespot.com/games/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/) |
| Genre | Third-person action RPG, described by Metacritic as a "gritty and darkly humorous" action adventure[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/) |
| Developer / rating | Interplay; rated M for Mature[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/) |
| Reception | Metacritic 64 (PS2, 31 reviews) and 66 (Xbox, 33 reviews), both "Mixed or Average"; Xbox user score 5.1[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2) |
| Canon status | Never considered canon in the Fallout series[7](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/muerte-a-vault-tec-todos-los-grandes-juegos-cancelados-de-la-saga-fallout-r/) |
| Cancelled sequel | *Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2*, in preparation for a few months before cancellation[7](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/muerte-a-vault-tec-todos-los-grandes-juegos-cancelados-de-la-saga-fallout-r/) |
## Gameplay and structure
The game is a third-person action adventure in which players join the Brotherhood of Steel, whose mission is to maintain peace in the post-apocalyptic world, battling raiders, mutants, and radioactive creatures while attempting to save scattered remnants of humanity.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/) Unlike the open-world PC Fallout games, it is a linear action title in which visited locations cannot be revisited.[7](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/muerte-a-vault-tec-todos-los-grandes-juegos-cancelados-de-la-saga-fallout-r/)
It also contains light platforming elements, such as jumping across hazardous obstacles including bottomless pits and crouching under lasers that can instantly kill the player.[1](https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Fallout%3A_Brotherhood_of_Steel) Reviewers noted co-op play and character customization alongside the action.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2)
## Development context
By the early 2000s Interplay's finances were strained, and according to an interview with Feargus Urquhart, then head of its [Black Isle Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-isle-studios) division, Interplay decided to put its remaining development effort behind *[Fallout](https://www.edgepedia.org/fallout-video-game): Brotherhood of Steel* and the Exalted license, both console titles, while Black Isle worked on PC products.[8](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/qanda-feargus-urquhart-part-one/1100-6086046/) The game was defined at the time as "a Baldur's Gate with firearms", modeled on the console action RPG *Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance*.[7](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/muerte-a-vault-tec-todos-los-grandes-juegos-cancelados-de-la-saga-fallout-r/)
## Reception
The game received mixed reviews. The PlayStation 2 version holds a Metacritic score of 64 based on 31 critic reviews, and the Xbox version a 66 based on 33 reviews; on the Xbox page, 36 percent of critics were positive, 52 percent mixed, and 12 percent negative, with a user score of 5.1 from 29 ratings.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2) GameSpot gave it 7.3/10, writing that it "isn't a great game, but it can still be entertaining to play".[9](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel-review/1900-6086325/)
Critics repeatedly measured it against *Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance*. One Xbox review called it "a competent and occasionally compelling hack-and-slash" while predicting that fans of the PC games would keep waiting for a true RPG and that Dark Alliance fans would rather play *Dark Alliance II*.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/critic-reviews/) A PlayStation 2 review described it as "Dark Alliance minus encumbrance minus magic minus feats plus guns plus grenades".[6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2) Common criticisms included a lack of originality, a weak story, and dialogue options that all lead to the same outcome.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/) In a retrospective on the series, GamesRadar described it as a consoleified Fallout in the Dark Alliance mold that was, at best, dull, and less well-received than *Fallout Tactics*.[11](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/fallout/fallout-was-always-seen-as-a-b-project-28-years-since-the-post-apocalyptic-rpg-launched-its-original-creators-reflect-on-a-long-legacy-starting-with-that-very-first-bomb/)
## Relation to Fallout Tactics and the canceled sequel
The title is often confused with *Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel*, a 2001 PC spin-off by 14 Degrees East that shifted the series toward tactical, squad-based combat and scored 82 on Metacritic, a generally favorable reception.[2](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-tactics-brotherhood-of-steel/) The 2004 game is a different product by Interplay itself.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/)
Despite the first game's reception, Interplay planned and began work on a sequel, *Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2*, before the original even reached the market. The sequel was to recycle material from the canceled Black Isle project Van Buren, including [Caesar's Legion](https://www.edgepedia.org/caesars-legion) and the Jackals, factions that later appeared in *Fallout: New Vegas*, and intended to fix the original's problems. It spent a few months in preparation before being shelved.[7](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/muerte-a-vault-tec-todos-los-grandes-juegos-cancelados-de-la-saga-fallout-r/)
## Legacy
The game was never considered canon, and its gameplay deviation from the rest of the series made it one of the franchise's least popular entries among fans.[7](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/muerte-a-vault-tec-todos-los-grandes-juegos-cancelados-de-la-saga-fallout-r/)
## References
1. [Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, Fallout Wiki (Fandom)](https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Fallout%3A_Brotherhood_of_Steel)
2. [Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-tactics-brotherhood-of-steel/)
3. [Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel - Intro + Tutorial, PS2 Gameplay (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKl1eEeTz6Q)
4. [Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/games/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/)
5. [Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/)
6. [Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel critic reviews (PlayStation 2), Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2)
7. [Muerte a Vault-Tec: todos los grandes juegos cancelados de la saga Fallout, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/muerte-a-vault-tec-todos-los-grandes-juegos-cancelados-de-la-saga-fallout-r/)
8. [Q&A: Feargus Urquhart, Part One, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/qanda-feargus-urquhart-part-one/1100-6086046/)
9. [Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel-review/1900-6086325/)
10. [Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel critic reviews (Xbox), Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/fallout-brotherhood-of-steel/critic-reviews/)
11. ["Fallout was always seen as a B project", GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/fallout/fallout-was-always-seen-as-a-b-project-28-years-since-the-post-apocalyptic-rpg-launched-its-original-creators-reflect-on-a-long-legacy-starting-with-that-very-first-bomb/)
12. [Every Fallout game you can play on PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, PC and Xbox Series X right now, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/gaming/every-fallout-game-you-can-play-on-ps5-nintendo-switch-2-pc-and-xbox-series-x-right-now)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Game genres › Action, adventure, and role-playing games › Western role-playing games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license