The big new reveal trailer for Fallout: Bakersfield makes it look so awesome, you might come away thinking it’s an official new boomer shooter from Bethesda set in its popular post-apocalyptic universe. But nope, this upcoming standalone game, built in a modern version of the classic Doom engine, is in fact a very impressive fan mod that’s been in the making for years.
On July 21, modder and developer Saur X shared a 4-minute trailer for their upcoming project, Fallout: Bakersfield. The modder describes the game as a “non-commercial Doom 1993 total conversion” mode built using GZDoom, a modern and updated version of the classic engine that powered id’s OG shooter. This is the same engine behind 2024's excellent FPS Selaco.
Here’s the trailer for Fallout: Bakersfield. You can skip to the 1:50 mark to see gameplay.
In the above trailer, Bakersfield perfectly captures the vibes of the older Fallout games, while providing players with a more modern 3D-like view of the world. It’s honestly a perfect combo. Pairing the chunky gameplay and visuals of the Doom engine with the somber, dreary post-apocalyptic vibes of the classic Fallout games is so smart that I’m shocked Bethesda hasn’t commissioned a studio to make this game already.
Impressively, this isn’t just a straight-up boomer shooter either. In the trailer, we see RPG-like systems and mechanics including status effects, dialogue, and what appears to be a basic inventory system.
Two years ago, we got our first peek at Fallout: Bakersfield, and it looks like it’s advanced quite a bit since then. No release date was shared for the total conversion mod yet, but in the trailer, it does seem to flash 2027 for a split second before showing a more vague 202?. I don’t mind waiting because it seems like Bakersfield will be worth it.
.