RPG
Fallout 4
The first 3 hours are a test
Gets good by 3h almost every game dips in hours 2–3
Reach the ending 22% of players who started
Started playing 83% of owners
Steam reviews 81% positive of 430,067
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours 1 in 2 reviews are negative (48%); after 20h it's 1 in 6 (18%).
- The opening is criticised more than in 75% of games we track.
- 22% of players who start reach the ending.
- The biggest drop-off is between “When Freedom Calls” and “Unlikely Valentine”: from 79% to 52% of starters.
- 83% of owners got the first achievement.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 431,068 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 298 reviews: 49.4h for positive, 80.2h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (83.3% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- War Never Changes Enter The Wasteland 100%
- When Freedom Calls Complete "When Freedom Calls" 79% −21
- Unlikely Valentine Complete "Unlikely Valentine" Most players quit here 52% −26
- Reunions Complete "Reunions" 46% −6
- Dangerous Minds Complete "Dangerous Minds" 43% −3
- Hunter/Hunted Complete "Hunter/Hunted" 37% −6
- The Molecular Level Complete "The Molecular Level" 32% −5
- Institutionalized Complete "Institutionalized" 31% −1
- Prepared for the Future Decide the Fate of the Commonwealth 22% −9
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (84)
story milestone ending side
- War Never Changes Enter The Wasteland 100%
- Born Survivor Reach Level 5 79%
- When Freedom Calls Complete "When Freedom Calls" 79%
- Commonwealth Citizen Reach Level 10 65%
- Future Retro Play a Holotape Game 64%
- The First Step Join the Minutemen 60%
- Sanctuary Complete "Sanctuary" 56%
- Touchdown! Get a Touchdown 54%
- Scavver Gather 1000 Resources Used For Crafting 53%
- Unlikely Valentine Complete "Unlikely Valentine" 52%
- Fix-Er-Upper Build 100 Workshop Items 50%
- Unstoppable Wanderer Reach Level 25 49%
- Semper Invicta Join the Brotherhood of Steel 48%
- Community Organizer Ally with 3 Settlements 47%
- Reunions Complete "Reunions" 46%
- Ranger Corps Discover 100 Locations 45%
- Animal Control Kill 300 Creatures 44%
- Dangerous Minds Complete "Dangerous Minds" 43%
- What's Yours Is Mine Pick 50 Locks 42%
- Taking Independence Complete "Taking Independence" 41%
- Masshole Kill 300 People 38%
- Gun-For-Hire Complete 10 Side Quests 37%
- Hunter/Hunted Complete "Hunter/Hunted" 37%
- Never Go It Alone Recruit 5 Separate Companions 36%
- Old Guns Complete "Old Guns" 35%
- Print's Not Dead Read 20 Magazines 34%
- The Molecular Level Complete "The Molecular Level" 32%
- Institutionalized Complete "Institutionalized" 31%
- Tradecraft Join the Railroad 30%
- Lovable Reach Maximum Relationship Level with a Companion 29%
- Legend Of The Wastes Reach Level 50 28%
- Armed and Dangerous Create 50 Weapon Mods 27%
- Mechanical Menace Complete "Mechanical Menace" 25%
- Wasteland D.I.Y. Craft 100 Items 25%
- Prepared for the Future Decide the Fate of the Commonwealth 22%
- Mankind-Redefined Complete "Mankind-Redefined" 20%
- Robot Hunter Unlock 10 Robot Mods 19%
- Far From Home Complete the quest "Far From Home" 18%
- …The Harder They Fall Kill 5 Giant Creatures 18%
- RobCo's Worst Nightmare Hack 50 Terminals 18%
- Headhunting Complete "Headhunting" 18%
- The Nuclear Option Complete "The Nuclear Option" 17%
- Restoring Order Complete "Restoring Order" 16%
- The Most Toys Build 10 Robot Mods 16%
- Powering Up Complete "Powering Up" 15%
- They're Not Dolls… Collect 10 Vault-Tec Bobbleheads 15%
- Where You Belong Complete the quest "Where You Belong" 15%
- Taken for a Ride Complete "Taken for a Ride" 15%
- Blind Betrayal Complete "Blind Betrayal" 14%
- Better Living Underground Unlock all build areas of Vault 88 13%
- Mercenary Complete 50 Misc. Objectives 13%
- Nuclear Family Complete "Nuclear Family" 12%
- The Way Life Should Be Complete the quest "The Way Life Should Be" 12%
- New England Vacationer Discover 20 Far Harbor Locations 12%
- Push Back The Fog Unlock 3 Far Harbor Workshop Locations 12%
- Close To Home Complete the quest "Close to Home" 11%
- Just Add Saltwater Cook One of the New Far Harbor Recipes 11%
- Ad Victoriam Complete "Ad Victoriam" 11%
- Cleansing The Land Complete the quest "Cleansing the Land" 11%
- Vault Dweller Equip Vault 88 suit and Pip-boy on a settler 9.6%
- Oversight Become Overseer 8.3%
- The Grand Tour Complete "The Grand Tour" 8.3%
- Underground Undercover Complete "Underground Undercover" 7.7%
- Rockets' Red Glare Complete "Rockets' Red Glare" 7.3%
- Homerun! Get a Homerun 7.2%
- …They're Action Figures Collect 20 Vault-Tec Bobbleheads 6.8%
- Hooked Defeat 30 Far Harbor Sea Creatures 6.8%
- Power Play Complete "Power Play" 4.9%
- Prankster's Return Placed A Grenade Or Mine While Pickpocketing 4.8%
- Show Off Display a weapon on a weapon rack, armor on an armor rack, and power armor in a power armor display 4.7%
- Home Sweet Home Complete "Home Sweet Home" 4.7%
- Time Out Assign a settler to a pillory 4.4%
- Benevolent Leader Reach Maximum Happiness in a Large Settlement 4.0%
- Mass Production Produce 100 objects from your builders 3.6%
- The Islander's Almanac Collect all issues of "The Islander's Almanac" magazine 3.0%
- Diebrarian Collect every issue of Scav! Magazine 3.0%
- Hostile Takeover Establish 8 Raider Camps in the Commonwealth 2.6%
- Trapper Build One of Every Cage Type 2.4%
- Eyes on the Prize Redeem 100,000 tickets at the Nuka-Cade 2.3%
- Raiding for a Living Complete 12 quests for any Nuka-World Raider Gangs 2.2%
- Docile Have 5 Tamed Creatures in a Settlement 2.0%
- Instigator Start a Spectated Arena Fight in a Settlement 2.0%
- Beverageer Create 20 different flavors of Nuka-Cola 1.9%
- All Sugared Up Defeat 40 Nuka-World Creatures while under the effect of any Nuka-Mix flavor 1.8%
Steam page Updated: 2026-10-21.