New Fallout Game Confirmed For January Is Already Being Called "Mean" and "Brutal"

Fallout fans are eating well again. Although we’re still waiting for the next main entry in the video game series, the TV show is back and is doing better than ever.

Before Fallout 5 graces us with its eventual presence, we are getting a new game, though, in early 2026. Based on early impressions from sites like Polygon, it’s apparently a pretty mean-spirited game, which could scare away some prospective players.

Fallout: Power Play Is A New Card Game

It’s Out In January

Fallout: Power Play is a new competitive card game from Modiphius Entertainment, and it comes out in late January. Designed for 2-4 players, this brutal tabletop entry has players competing with each other to rule the Wasteland. Given how violent the Power Play quest is in Fallout 4, it makes perfect sense why they went with this moniker.

With four factions at play (Brotherhood of Steel, Enclave, Raiders, Super Mutants), you’ll create tenuous alliances, go on quests, and attempt to take control of everything. To be frank, the setup sounds a lot like what’s going on in the Wasteland on a Tuesday in pretty much every iteration of the property.

Here’s the full rundown from Modiphius themselves: “In this 2-4 player card game, you control one of the infamous Factions from the Fallout universe vying for control of the Wasteland. Each round, players deploy a variety of Agents and Quests into the various locales, complete missions, force each other out of territories, and compete to see who can claim Dominance. To win Power Play you will spend your turns attempting to gain the most Influence in the Locations on the board, winning Victory Points at the end of each Round for each Location you have the most Influence. The first player to gain 10 Victory Points wins!”

On paper, that sounds pretty great, although a co-op experience sounds even better. Thankfully, we already got that with the Atomic Bonds pack for Fantasy Flight Games’ Fallout board game adaptation.

Why Fallout’s New Game is Being Called Mean

It’s Not A Co-Op Game

According to Polygon, Fallout: Power Play is an incredibly reactive game, which typically calls to mind many other “kingmaking” games of its ilk. In other words, you’re constantly trying to one-up people in the short term, which results in a rubber-band-like situation where people keep coming out on top, only to lose it all.

A lot of tabletop enthusiasts thrive in that sort of environment, so I can see how that would be appealing. Some of my favorite tabletop experiences involve that sort of moment-to-moment gameplay, as long as it’s executed correctly. In this case, it sounds like it might be too hectic for its own good, and that craziness overpowers strategic gameplay. There are also concerns about the Enclave being an overpowered faction.

While we wait for more impressions of this new realization of the Fallout universe, you won’t have to wait long to try it out. Just exercise caution before going all-in.