Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Mature action RPG with gore, sex, profanity, and drug use.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Fallout: New Vegas
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 33 parent reviews
Based on 89 kid reviews
Kids say that this game is a complex RPG with a blend of deep storytelling, consequential choices, and mature themes like violence, gambling, and sex, making it more suitable for older audiences. While many appreciate the freedom of playstyle and moral dilemmas posed in the game, concerns about its graphic content and themes of drugs and sex lead most reviewers to agree it’s not appropriate for younger players without parental guidance.
- mature themes
- parental guidance
- complex storytelling
- graphic content
- game choices
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
From the opening sequence -- where you'll find yourself kneeling in front of a freshly dug grave and with a gun pointed to your head -- to an "explosive" climax much later on in the game, Fallout: New Vegas is a thrilling single-player adventure that doesn't mess much with the formula used for its acclaimed 2008 predecessor, Fallout 3. The game takes place in the year 2281, a few years after the events of Fallout 3, and 200-odd years following a nuclear war that destroyed much of the earth's civilization. While unraveling what got you in the deadly predicament at the start of the game, you'll learn about your role as a courier, the power struggle between local feuding factions, and how to best navigate treacherous Las Vegas and the Mojave Desert (collectively referred to as the "Mojave Wasteland").
Is It Any Good?
It's good game, though very similar to Fallout 3. Played from a first- or third-person perspective (it's up to you), you'll take on many dozens of missions, pick locks, charm characters, play mini-games (including casino games), and, most importantly, use a variety of weapons to engage in combat against enemies, such as mutant creatures and robots. As with Fallout 3, you can attack baddies in real-time or press the right shoulder button on the controller to enter the V.A.T.S. targeting system for a turn-based approach.
More so than in its predecessor, the choices you make come with consequences and can shape the direction of the story. Along with new weapons, characters, and locations, Fallout: New Vegas"also includes an optional "hardcore mode," which adds an even greater challenge for skilled players. This game is a great pick for fans of the franchise.
Online interaction: The game doesn't support multiplayer matches but players will be able to download additional content over time.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether adult themes are more tolerable in games with a futuristic, post-apocalyptic setting than in those set in contemporary times, such as the Grand Theft Auto series. Does this fictional setting make a difference in terms of age suitability? Or is blood and gore always disturbing, no matter how it is dressed up?
Families can also discuss the depiction of sexuality in games. How do you feel about frank discussions of sex and nudity as opposed to its visual depiction? Should this distinction make a difference in terms of how games are rated?
Game Details
- Platforms : PlayStation 3 , Windows , Xbox 360
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Bethesda Softworks
- Release date : October 19, 2010
- Genre : Role-Playing
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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