Fallout Chicago is a new mod based on the best game in the series, and you can play now

Fallout New Vegas is comfortably my favorite Fallout game. Aside from the iconic setting, Obsidian perfected the first-person formula and Bethesda has never risen to the gauntlet it so valiantly put down. From Caesar's Legion to the difficult roleplaying decisions it forces you to make, New Vegas might not only be my favorite Fallout game, but one of my favorite RPGs full stop. If Fallout Chicago, a new mod that adds a "DLC-sized expansion" to the game, can echo any of that roleplaying goodness, we're in for a great time.

Fallout: Chicago is set, unsurprisingly, in Chicago. According to the Fallout mod's official description on Nexus Mods, you can solve pre-war mysteries, dabble in post-war politics between four brand new factions including the Union Mob and Midwest Brotherhood, and weather a storm of betrayal as you make your way through the post-apocalyptic Windy City.

In even better news, Fallout: Chicago has a free demo available now, so you can check it out. The developers caution that this is an alpha version so there "may be some bugs," but I think anyone can forgive that in a passion project such as this. To begin the pseudo-DLC, simply load up Fallout New Vegas and head to the Atomic Wrangler. You'll soon find your way to Chicago and the story's first act.

There's already a monumental amount of stuff in the game, even at this early stage. In addition to the start of the mod's story, you can play through three side quests, engage in some drug deals, and own a business and two homes. Not content with that, one of these homes is a functional train. What else could a humble courier ask for?

Of course, the world is now set in Chicago, which will have required an enormous amount of work, and the dozens of new weapons, armor pieces, and enemies aren't to be sniffed at, either. If that wasn't enough, there's a new companion, hirable caravans, and a functioning bank. May I remind you that this is only an alpha demo?

Fallout Chicago may not rival the likes of Fallout London in terms of size, but it seems the team behind it is focused on bringing as much depth to the Windy City as it can. Despite the jokes about modern-day Chicago already looking like a post-apocalyptic wasteland, an inordinate amount of work has gone into this mod, and the passionate fans behind it deserve plaudits aplenty.

If you haven't played Obsidian's masterpiece before, first of all, what are you doing? Secondly, you're in luck because Fallout New Vegas is currently on sale for just $0.99 / £0.89 on Steam. You can buy it here, and download the Fallout Chicago mod from Nexus Mods here.

The developers promise second and third acts of the story in the future, as well as more faction quests. The interiors of buildings will be finished, every NPC will have full voice acting, and you'll be able to check out more businesses, more quests, and bounty hunting. The devs have produced a roadmap showing that they hope for the mod to be complete by the end of 2027, but the demo alone is worth a look, if only to revisit New Vegas with a fresh coat of rusty paint. It doesn't seem like we'll be getting a new Fallout game from Bethesda for quite some time - The Elder Scrolls 6 is still years away, and Fallout will surely start development after that - so this is the next best thing.