After years of waiting, this classic Fallout-inspired RPG is finally getting a sequel, and perhaps even more

While Bethesda has made its position very clear on Fallout game locations (it'll never stray outside of the United States) that doesn't stop people dreaming about exploring irradiated wastelands in other corners of the world. Massive mods like Fallout London make said dreams a playable reality. But if you've ever wondered what a Cold War 'Fallout USSR' would look like, 2018's Atom RPG has long been the place to go. Directly inspired by the early, trimetric Fallouts, this niche, indie apocalypse game was blessed with the Trudograd expansion back in 2020, but a true sequel has been regularly requested for years. Well, after weeks of teasers, it's official - Atom RPG 2 is in the works.

Channeling the gameplay of early CRPGs, the original Atom RPG is all about point-and-click movement, turn-based combat, NPCs (both hostile and friendly) with plenty of stories to tell, and quests that you can complete the way you see fit. Set in Soviet territory in the year 2005 - roughly 20 years after the Cold War took a turn and resulted in widespread destruction with nuclear weapons - you're tasked with investigating mysterious bunkers, exploring long-abandoned corners of the wasteland, and meeting other survivors.

Atom RPG 2 looks to be a continuation of the original and its expansion, and is still deeply entrenched in the USSR. However, even higher stakes may be ahead. "Your choices not only shape a resurrecting civilization, but may also prevent a new apocalypse looming on the horizons," developer Atom Team confirms on the sequel's newly published Steam page. After having teased some of them over recent weeks, there will also be a wide array of side activities and minigames in Atom RPG 2, such as car racing and fishing.

The peeks at these minigames have left fans with one big question - as they are played in first or third-person, is Atom RPG 2 going to mimic the Fallout series' evolution with a change in perspective? However, that won't be the case. "The full 3D camera is used only for racing and other mini-games, which is entirely optional," Atom Team confirms in a post on X. "The main game keeps the classic Atom-style camera, with an added option for an isometric view. Racing does not affect the core CRPG experience."

However, I do wonder if a Fallout 3-style experience is also being cooked up separately by the devs. In another response on X to a fan asking about a change in perspective, the official Atom Team account replies: "Ahem, to be honest, we have something in dev."

Back to Atom RPG 2, though, and the devs have also stated that there will be a richer open world to explore, with "four biomes" to traverse. From what I can make out, at least three of these biomes are shown in the new teaser trailer - we see an urban landscape typical of the first game, as well as a more arid, desert-like location and a snowy mountain area, too.

As for when it'll launch, we don't know just yet - no date or window can be seen at the end of the trailer or in its new Steam page (check it out and wishlist it here, if you want). But given we've only seen a stylized trailer and details are light at this stage, I'm doubtful it'll be this year.

Whether you fondly remember the days of Fallout 1 and 2 or not, it's nice to see developers like Atom Team sticking to their old-school guns and not caving to turn their universes into sprawling first or third-person adventures - with The Witcher 4, Fable, and The Blood of Dawnwalker, and many more or all on the cards, fans are well-catered for in that space. Sometimes, some good ol' fashioned pointing and clicking works just as effectively.