Topic: Fallout 3 Normal & GOTY editions not running

I was going through my messages on my phone today and I saw a notification for the pre-orders for the fallout s.p.e.c.i.a.l edition (7 fallout games)coming to PC. My HUGE HUGE HUGE freaking problem with it is that both fallout 3 normal and GOTY editions DO NOT RUN AT ALL on modern PC/laptop systems (anything running windows 8 or later).

Now I know there used to be a workaround where you would download a windows software that allowed certain games and applications to run on an emulated version of win vista or 7. Through this emulation you could in theory run fallout 3 (would still crash randomly sometimes on launch sometimes two hours into gameplay and everywhere in-between) the problem is that Microsoft/windows no longer has that program available for download. When installing fallout 3 steam would tell you that fallout 3 needed a special software that would allow fallout 3 to launch, then steam would link you to a download page from Microsoft that would download and install said software, but that link stopped working around two years ago and around 8 months ago when I figured I'd try fallout 3 again steam no longer provided that software link.

Fallout New Vegas doesn't do much better on PC, yeah it will launch using win 8 or later, but 75% of the time it crashes upon choosing start game option.

The thing that really grinds my gears about this is that both Bethesda and steam (who I assume would be where you download the games from) both know that fallout 3 won't launch without the aforementioned special software that doesn't exist anymore for download and New Vegas crashes so often on modern PCs, yet they are selling to unsuspecting players a game package that has 2 I know for sure don't work and maybe others who won't either (Among the other 5 fallout games are brotherhood of steel and fallout tactics who were both made long before even fallout 3) so what would we be getting for over a hundred dollars fallout 4, 76, and another fallout game?;
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@AppleroseGrace Have you tried the GOG versions?

Ah that is likely because that is just the Fallout Anthology that came out like a decade ago. I have the original but maintain a copy of win 7 (for older games actually) on my game rig. If I see anything that can help you I will let you know. But I will bet they are just rebranding and reselling old product. So yea and no. It worked fine when it originally came out. But yeah not so much now. Does compatibility mode work? (I have very few games installed on windows 11 so forgive me if this is a dumb question).

While I haven't played the Fallout games on Steam, I would second GOG. GOG specializes in getting classic games to run on modern Windows systems. GOG even lists Fallout 3 as Windows 7, 8, 10 in its requirements, while Steam still has the old XP/Vista requirements.

Again, these are the standalone versions, not the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. edition of the games. Unless this is a Steam-only offer.

The main problem with New Vegas is that it runs as a 32 bit application and is very close to the memory limit, so forcing it to unload data that it doesn't need can stave off the crashes. I managed to play it to a finish a few years back with only frequent saving and reloading, but there are mods you can get that'll assist in that now. It is not a game that you want to be running for several hours at a time without saving though, and that's unfortunate.

@Ryu_Niiyama nothing works to get fallout 3 running using Windows 11. I have tried everything that I have looked up to solve the problem except uninstalling win 11 and installing an earlier build of windows (way to much time and effort just to play a single game no matter how good it may me) and finding a torrent of that old Windows software I was referring to in original post, that by the way would have a really good chance of also installing a virus of some sort onto my laptop (never gonna happen)

@AppleroseGrace Hey, just letting you know I've changed your thread title. Let's not call people idiots here please

The new title does make more sense now. Having a quick look at the original title I though they had a fallout with their girlfriend called Beth as they called them an idiot for buying a special edition game or something.

@DreamlandGem thanks for doing that I appreciate it. However the new title doesn't express my discomfort or well rage at Bethesda seemingly intentionally releasing and planning to sell to unsuspecting consumers games that they (Bethesda) know will not run on modern PC/laptop systems without some sort of outside programming or system alterations if any ways to make those games operate correctly at all.

I kinda mean the point of the topic wasn't that fallout 3,New Vegas, or whatever games don't work, the point was that a game company (Bethesda) was doing something that it would seem is really really shady and dishonest.

Now who knows perhaps the game codes that are on the backs of the 7 S.P.E.C.I.A.L. cards that will be in the Fallout special edition collection are all new builds for modern PC/laptop systems and my entire rant was for naught. But then again this is Bethesda a company that in recent years has a track record of dubious practices when selling games. I don't remember what they are but have something to do with power armor helmets, nuka cola bottles and stuff.

Again I appreciate you correcting my well rudeness.

And they say pc gaming is better.

@CharlieZee Each to their own, but you're not running any of those seven Fallout games on the Switch, let alone the two troublesome ones.

@Matt_Barber since the switch can run the sniper elite games and even the legendary crysis trilogy just fine, it'll have no issue with any of those seven fallout games, let alone the two troublesome ones.

@CharlieZee I think the comment was about that none of the Fallout games are on the Switch and I doubt that they will port them anyway.

So, you can play ALL Fallout games on PC.
3 of them on Xbox One/Series.
1 of them on PS4/5.
2 of them on 360/PS3 generation.
And Brotherhood of steel on PS2/Xbox Original.

@Zuljaras Yeah, it all boils down to the same thing. You've got problems playing New Vegas and Fallout 3 on modern PCs because Bethesda can't get around to updating them, and you can't play them on Switch because they've never been ported.

In neither case are there any pressing technical issues as to why they couldn't do it. They've just been left as they were for entirely commercial reasons.

For what it's worth, you can play the Xbox 360 versions on the Xbox 1 and Series X via backwards compatibility and indeed that's probably the best way to play them unless you're prepared to get your hands dirty with modding.