Fallout: New Vegas takes place in the year 2281 , which is 204 years after the Great War in the series’ universe.

Quick Scoop: Timeline & Context

  • The in‑game events of Fallout: New Vegas are set in 2281, late 23rd century.
  • Lore places this 204 years after the nuclear war between the US and China known as the Great War.
  • In the broader Fallout timeline, Fallout 3 is in 2277 and Fallout 4 in 2287, so New Vegas sits roughly in the middle of those events.

Where in the Fallout world?

  • The game is set in the Mojave Wasteland region, covering post‑apocalyptic Nevada, parts of California, Arizona, and Utah, with New Vegas (the old Las Vegas) as the central hub.
  • Three major powers are fighting over the region during 2281: the New California Republic, Caesar’s Legion, and Mr. House’s New Vegas.

Why that specific year?

  • Developers positioned New Vegas close to Fallout 2’s timeline so events from Fallout 2 still strongly shape the Mojave, while keeping it slightly after Fallout 3 to fit Bethesda’s preference for moving the series forward.

TL;DR: Fallout: New Vegas takes place in 2281 , about two centuries after the Great War and a few years after Fallout 3 in the series timeline.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.