Fallout’s most iconic gameplay system was almost cut from Bethesda’s games — “We only just got that working by the time we shipped”

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The Fallout games are huge role-playing adventures built on many different systems, but what really sets them apart – and is probably the most recognizable part of how they’re played – is the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or VATS.

VATS, a feature from earlier Fallout games, is a special ability in your Pip-Boy. When activated, it slows down time – similar to ‘bullet time’ – and lets you target specific body parts on enemies. Your chance of hitting each part is determined by your character’s stats and skills. (In Fallout 76, VATS operates in real time.)

You don’t have to use VATS during fights, but many players enjoy it. It feels great to land critical hits, and targeting specific body parts can slow enemies down or even stop them from attacking, making it a powerful tool if you build your character right.

The ability to target and damage specific body parts has become a defining feature of the Fallout series, appearing in every game. However, surprisingly, this iconic mechanic—like being able to blow off a raider’s head or disable a deathclaw with VATS—almost didn’t make it into Fallout 3, the first game Bethesda developed after taking over the franchise.

According to a recent interview with Edge (reported by GamesRadar), the lead artist on Fallout 3, Istvan Pely, revealed that Bethesda was initially worried players wouldn’t enjoy their 3D version of the VATS system. Pely said the team spent a long time questioning if the feature was fun, worthwhile, or even if anyone would use it.

One major challenge for the development team was the way the camera moved during VATS mode. To prevent it from getting stuck on objects, they had to create an entirely new system for controlling its position. According to Pely, this system took so long to perfect that it wasn’t fully functional until the game was released.

Considering how central the VATS system is to playing Fallout games, it’s surprising to learn that it was almost not finished in time for the release of Fallout 3.

It’s difficult to picture the games without this feature, and I believe Fallout 3 would have suffered without it. While the shooting mechanics feel a bit old now, VATS made the game much more enjoyable.

This raises an interesting question: if Fallout 3 hadn’t included the VATS system, would it have appeared in Fallout: New Vegas (developed by Obsidian Entertainment) or later in Fallout 4? We can’t know for sure, but it’s a compelling thought. It’s likely Fallout 3 would have been seen as awkward without VATS, potentially pushing developers to include and refine the system in subsequent games – as they did with Fallout 4 and 76 to improve how the games felt to play.

There’s no doubt that without VATS, we wouldn’t have that amazing Fallout 4 video of a player targeting an enemy with a Fat Man. The video shows the terrifying moment a nuclear missile slowly heads their way, all while their character clumsily tries to reload, captured by the system’s shaky camera. Luckily, the missile just barely misses!

You can play all the Fallout games on Xbox consoles and Windows PCs with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. However, the original games from the 1990s are only available on PC.

When playing Fallout, do you prefer to use the VATS targeting system, aim your shots yourself, or mix both methods? Share your preferred playstyle in the comments!

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2026-01-09 00:09