Fallout 3 takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, which includes the ruins of Washington, D.C. itself and parts of the surrounding countryside in Maryland and Virginia. This region is collectively known in the game as the Capital Wasteland
. The game setting also extends into parts of Pennsylvania as indicated by its add-ons, but the main game world is centered around Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia
. The story is set in the year 2277, about 200 years after a nuclear war known as the Great War devastated the United States and much of the world. The player character originates from Vault 101, an underground shelter near Washington, D.C., and ventures out into the Capital Wasteland to find their missing father and engage with the remnants of society in this devastated region
