Well, Bethesda has announced it Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas accepting remasters. That's ultimately good news, as both games are masterpieces in their own right. However, these projects must include much more than just the minimum requirements for a remaster. A visual upgrade is far from enough, and Fallout 3 need serious quality of life adjustments.
Consoles are a different story, but these games have absurdly robust PC modding scenes filled with passionate fans who have long since fixed any issues and remade the vanilla versions. “Tale of Two Wastelands” combines both Fallout 3 and New Vegasessentially acting as a remaster for both, the “Fallout 3 Wanderers Edition” gives the game a fantastic overhaul.
Bethesda needs to bring its A-game.
I'm not going to cover everything, as it would take all day. Let's list just a couple of the most must-include QOL improvements. There are mods that address basically everything, so I'll include an example for each QOL request.
The iron sights aim
Take away what Fallout 3 originally did for both third and first person shooting
Fallout 3 is first and foremost an RPG, but that doesn't mean the shooting mechanics have to be clunky, unsatisfying and frustrating. The original game relies heavily on VATS to make gunplay remotely manageable, to the point where real-time shooting almost feels discouraged. That perspective is mainly inspired by Fallout 3s aiming system, which is incredibly awkward in both third and first person.
Rather than an iron sight, a mechanic already established in 2008, Fallout 3s aim zooms the field of view forward while keeping the weapon model hidden at at the bottom right of the screen. You're basically still shooting from the hip, and there's no actual mechanical aiming with the gun's physical sight. It makes the gunplay feel oddly disconnected.
This change is almost too obvious, but Bethesda simply needs to add a traditional iron sight. Fallout 4 and Starfield both included this mechanic, so clearly the developer realized it Fallout 3 the method didn't really work.
A sprint button… Please, a sprint button
Let's run around in the wasteland
Here we have another simple QOL tweak so basic it feels silly to even mention: a sprint button. I know it seems pointless to get anywhere in a post-apocalyptic hellscape like the Capital Wasteland, but the Lone Wanderer should be able to muster the strength to move a little faster than just a leisurely jog when being chased by a Super Mutant Behemoth.
The lack of a sprint option makes traversing feel a bit more boring than it really needs to be, especially since Fallout 3 isn't exactly filled with beautiful views that really require you to slow down. Bethesda fixed this issue with Fallout 4allowing the Sole Survivor to run laps around the Lone Wanderer.
Remove this beat killer
Each Fall-out the game prioritizes clearing; in fact, we could argue that collecting resources and junk is the core of the game. Consequently, this process must be as smooth and seamless as possible, which is indeed the case in Fallout 4 and Fallout 76… but not Fallout 3.
When you want to check what's in a mailbox or on a dead Raider, Fallout 3 stops the game flat and unleashes a full-screen UI menu with the inventory list, completely killing any momentum. As previously mentioned, Fall-out involves looting corpses and dumpsters, so you do this all the time during a playthrough. Honestly, I'd say a mod that adds a Loot Menu is a must for one Fallout 3 runs in 2026, so it can't be left out of a remaster.
Fallout 3 needs better companion management
Just add New Vegas's Companion Wheel
Fallout 3 nails its followers for the most part, with the likes of Fawkes and Dogmeat being iconic. But the game makes interacting and managing your companions more awkward than it needs to be. You have to physically interact with them and then work your way through a dialogue tree, only to eventually give them a new weapon or open their inventory.
Obsidian solved this problem by introducing a Companion Wheel that appears when you interact with a follower, making it very easy to perform any changes you want. Fallout 4s included commands further streamlined the process of ordering NPCs, though I personally prefer it New Vegass wheel over F4direction dialog menu.
A weapon wheel will greatly improve combat
It's fine to copy another playbook if the plan simply works
A reflection of its RPG-first mentality, Fallout 3 makes it awkward to switch weapons, relying on a static hotkey system (D-Pad on consoles and numeric keys on PC). It gets the job done, but it also requires you to remember exactly which button holds each weapon, which isn't the easiest thing to do in the middle of a firefight. Alternatively, you can freeze the action and pull up the Pip-Boy.
A weapon wheel would simplify everything, and is standard practice these days (and has been for over a decade). Holding a single button to bring up a visual wheel in your arsenal allows for lightning-fast tactical adjustments without ruining the momentum of a firefight.
