The Fallout series has one of the most unique art styles out of any RPG that currently exists. It combines older American 1950's design with a post-apocalyptic setting as an ironic backdrop to the nuclear armageddon that destroyed most of the world.
People try to survive by salvaging parts of the old world to create something new. That sort of style requires a lot of concept art to get right, however. Thankfully, plenty of concept art exists for the Fallout games, most notably including New Vegas. From the notable city itself to more rural locations, here are 10 amazing pieces of concept art of Fallout: New Vegas.
10 New Vegas and Freeside
This stunning concept art depicts a very different Vegas than anything seen in the retail game. Freeside and New Vegas seem to be combined into one major and cluttered city.
It almost gives cyberpunk vibes from the focus on dense buildings and technology lighting the city with the ruined wasteland as the backdrop. It's interesting that the iconic Lucky 38 casino is missing in this image, likely showing how early in concept this was created. Still, it shows the massive ambition Obsidian had for this game, even if the final game has only a few buildings for Freeside and The Strip put together.
9 Big MT
While the concept looks barren, it depicts the Big MT location from the "Old World Blues" DLC for New Vegas so well.
The DLC takes place inside of a massive crater with debris and high technology buildings residing within. You can see how small the player is in this concept compared to their surroundings, which represents the final game's version of the location rather well. It lacks the giant buildings that are in retail, but the overall tone and design of this concept match the game's version incredibly well.
8 Wasteland
The location these settlers are at is unknown, but it paints a great picture to the tone Obsidian was going for with New Vegas.
Half a dozen settlers are roaming the ruins of the Mojave desert as they pass by ruined apartment buildings. There isn't any mythical action or epic creatures to see here. It is just a group of travelers moving towards a group of buildings in the background, which likely resemble New Vegas itself or possibly Primm. It seems similar to the road players go down at the start of New Vegas from Goodsprings to Primm.
7 Hoover Dam
Every faction in New Vegas is fighting for control of this ancient location. Hoover Dam is one of the few locations in the Fallout universe that can produce so much power to light up a city.
The game begins with you searching for the Platinum Chip you lost to Benny, a charismatic deviant that shot you in the head and buried you outside Goodsprings. That chip plays a crucial role in the war over Hoover Dam, however. With how early this concept art seems, it appears Obsidian had this entire story arc planned from the very beginning.
6 Freeside
Freeside is the area that surrounds The Strip itself. This concept art depicts the city surrounding The Strip as a ghetto that has long-since been abandoned.
Similar to the previous concept art of New Vegas, this shows a much more urban environment with plentiful buildings and debris. Of course, the final game only has a dozen buildings for Freeside and a handful of casinos in The Strip itself. The overall feeling of Freeside being a ghetto no one wants to live in is portrayed well in both this concept and the game, which is also thanks to some great side quests.
5 Ceaser's Legion Camp
Ceaser's Legion is one of the core factions fighting over Hoover Dam in New Vegas. While this concept depicts a legionary camp and its citizens, it isn't clear where this camp is exactly.
The main tent on the right side of the concept might be Ceaser's personal tent that he resides in, meaning this could be the Ceaser's Camp players visit in the final game that's across the Colorado River. Regardless of where it is, the look of the Legion soldiers and the brutality present in this piece perfectly capture the ruthless dictatorship that Ceaser has created in the final game.
4 High Road
It might look closer to some Fallout 3 concept art, but this piece is depicting the High Road location present in the "Lonesome Road" DLC than an area in the Mojave.
The "Lonesome Road" DLC takes place in the nuclear Divide, filled with bloodthirsty ghouls and radiation that would make anyone's skin turn green. This concept is well represented in the game, with High Road leading to a ruined skyscraper players must explore to continue the main story. While the DLC is rather linear for a Fallout experience, it offers an interesting narrative that explains your origins as a courier.
3 Sierra Madre
"Dead Money" might be one of the scariest DLCs ever released for a Fallout title. It captures the intense uncertainty of the first two games with the core gameplay of the more modern renditions.
The concept depicts a ruined building that overlooks a street covered in red mist and an eerie figure looking for something. Green eyes contrast the orange sky and red fog that envelops the ground. Those who've played the DLC will know of these figures as Ghost people, insane humans that have been forever changed by the Cloud—the red mist that can be seen in the concept. Few areas in Fallout can feel as eerie and terrifying as the Sierra Madre Villa and Casino.
2 Utah
Continuing the trend of unique styles for DLC, this concept for Zion in "Honest Hearts" depicts Utah in its natural state, devoid of nuclear fallout or mutants.
Nukes might have been detonated over Nevada, but few hit the rural parks of Utah and, more specifically, Zion. The final game does contain mutated bears called Yao Guai that roam the location, but the vegetation and overall location are alive and well. This is where the legendary burned man, otherwise known as Joshua Graham, resides alongside his tribe. It presents a unique take on religion, faith, and revenge in the Fallout universe.
1 Strip Entrance
Out of all of the concept art for Fallout: New Vegas, this concept for The Strip entrance resembles the first two Fallout games the closest.
Dull colors that surround The Strip contrast the rich colors the casino's have that were created hundreds of years ago. The securitron robots are missing in this image, but the overall design of the entrance is close to the final game's version. There isn't a stop sign, but there are multiple robots patrolling the area alongside the bodies of desperate Freeside dwellers trying to sneak their way inside. It gives a great sense of a world long-gone that Fallout is known and loved for.