Players are seemingly killed at the start of the game, but they are able to climb out of their grave, and they embark on a journey across the desert to find their killer. The game put players in control of a Courier in the Mojave Desert instead of a Vault Dweller like most other Fallout games.

The story of Fallout New Vegasand the mechanics were very different from the Fallout games that came before it. As of now, it is considered by many players to be the best game in the Fallout series and there have been many calls for it to get a sequel. The title served as a way to bridge the gap during the long wait between Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, and it also allowed a new studio to lend its vision to the franchise. It launched two years after Bethesda released Fallout 3, and it was developed by Obsidian Entertainment.

Fallout New Vegas was the sixth title in the Fallout franchise, but only the second title since Bethesda transitioned the series to 3D.