Rad New World Demo : The CRPG That Gives Fallout Veterans Goosebumps

A Post-Apocalyptic CRPG Built for Wasteland Veterans

This Sunday, we are talking about a game that goes straight to the heart of Fallout 1 and 2 veterans. Rad New World is a post-apocalyptic CRPG developed and published by Frontline: Games Series, a solo developer who spent his career producing World War II turn-based wargames after working for companies like Slitherine, Shenandoah, 88mmGames, or BitFoundry. He is best known for the Frontline series, whose early entries, Road to Moscow and The Longest Day, date back to 2014. This marks his very first major genre pivot : after a dozen hexagonal strategy titles (and a first post-apocalyptic attempt, Old Future: Post-Apocalyptic Times), he is tackling the RPG genre. While the game still needs improvements and a solid background, it already clearly shows the direction it wants to take. Settle comfortably into your fallout shelter, grab your best iguana-on-a-stick : we are taking a complete tour of the project !

The Project and Its Creator

From Hexagonal Strategy to the Wasteland

To put things into perspective : the game's Steam page has been online since August 25, 2026, and I had spotted a few screenshots and animations on social media. Being myself an ultra-fan of the Fallout series, and more specifically of the first two games, Fallout 1 (1997) and Fallout 2 (1998), naturally, I took an interest in the project. And a few days ago, the news dropped : playable demo available since October 21 ! Without missing a beat, I installed the demo, and it went live on the LBC Gaming Twitch channel.

A quick factual point before diving into the core subject : the complete game is announced as coming soon on Steam in Early Access, for an estimated duration of about one year. The price has not been communicated for now. The title is developed using Unity, exclusively on PC (Windows), and is currently available only in English.

The Scenario : First Steps in the Wasteland

A Starting Hub, Factions, and Plenty of Promise

For now, regarding the lore, we must admit we do not have much information. We do not really know where we are, nor in what direction the game wants to go over the long term. We start in a small trading hub, with a few raiders, a couple of shops, a casino... and we pick up quests to see how things unfold. We hear about raider gangs, couriers running routes between multiple locations who constantly get attacked. We will find several radioactive items (food, batteries...) that immediately set the Fallout mood.

Mutated animals also make an appearance : giant rats, roaches, mutant dogs... The beginning of a bestiary that seems to hint at what comes next. We will also encounter more imposing characters, akin to the gorillas guarding the doors of New Reno casinos, along with a few ghouls. To summarize : for now, we are right on track.

Atmosphere, Graphics, and AI

A Coherent Art Direction, A Current Debate

Regarding the atmosphere and graphics, I feel the author understood almost everything : a few simple musical notes here and there, American-style guitar on the menu, we are never overwhelmed by music. If we want a bit more ambiance, we have a radio, on which we can change frequencies at will. 1950s style music, and news broadcasts about what is happening in the wasteland : it is immersive, and it is exactly what is needed for this kind of game. Hearing rumors, intriguing tidbits that captivate us and make us want to go investigate in person to see if what is said is true... that is top-tier.

As for graphics, we notice heavy use of generative AI. I am going to address the elephant in the room because it is a very current topic : if AI serves passion and is used well, then it is a true asset, and we should not only allow it, but use it. Many assets and mini-videos are currently generated by AI, and I think it will stay that way throughout development. Note that the developer is completely transparent about this : his Steam page indicates that AI is used to expand, create, and refine scenery and environmental elements derived from his own 3D assets, and that certain voices are AI-generated, with replacements planned by real voice actors for the final version.

If you precisely define what you want to achieve to an AI, you can reach a very specific goal, highly faithful to your ideas, while saving time or even bypassing skills you might lack. This is precisely why today we see more and more games created by solo developers. While many of these games are rushed, ugly, and uninteresting, some truly stand out from the crowd. And let us remember we are looking at a very early version of the game : as development progresses, the developer will very likely refine all of this, or even smooth out certain aspects of the AI. In any case, that is the feedback I passed along after finishing the demo.

To conclude on this point : the choice of art direction is well executed. Coherence prevails and everything works rather well, both for environments (the map, details on cars, junkyards, sand covering certain elements, the dilapidated casino...) and characters (punk style, mohawks, worn and torn clothes, metal augmentations). The tone is right, we are perfectly in Fallout territory, and the slight character animations give a more lively aspect than the games we played 30 years ago.

Interface, Inventory, and Combat

Familiar Mechanics, Improved Ergonomics

Regarding the interface, items, and quests, you will not feel lost. Everything is fairly similar. We do notice, however, that the inventory is organized here in 3 columns (remember in Fallout 1 and 2 how everything was in a single column, and you sometimes had to click endlessly to reach the bottom... ?). It brings a bit more simplicity to find what you are looking for, but once again, this will need improvement with a sorting system. Bargaining with NPC merchants works just the same as well.

For character creation, it is almost a copy-paste : perks, attribute points to distribute, proficiency improvements for melee weapons, pistols, rifles... it is up to you to make your choices. For the demo, I focused on pistol and light submachine gun combat, because putting points elsewhere would not have made much sense with only a single playable character.

I do not know if we will be able to have companions later on, but if I had to bet, I think so : it would be faithful to the older games, plus, we start the game with a 4-seater car equipped with a trunk-inventory. The nod to the Fallout 2 Highwayman is obvious.

Bugs in the Demo

Genre Classics... Some Reminding You of Old Memories

Which brings me to the few bugs still present for now. If you put items in the car trunk, they can disappear. And honestly, that gave me a good laugh because the exact same bug was in Fallout 2 ! I encountered the following case myself : I completed a quest for Slab, so he left his post, allowing me to search crates he was supposed to guard. Inside was plenty of great loot : weapons, ammunition, medical supplies, etc.

I then went to complete a quest for Twitch (a punk with a mohawk), and after that, he and another NPC attacked me, even though it was not supposed to happen that way. So I reloaded my previous save, went back to complete the quest for Slab, but this time, the crates behind him were hopelessly empty. Impossible, even by changing saves, to retrieve that loot : I had to restart my playthrough from scratch. Honestly, it did not change much on a demo, and as beta testers, we are here for that : running into these bugs and reporting them !

Identity Sheet

The Official Trailer

The Complete Demo VOD (In 5 Parts)

Want to watch the entire demo in action? I streamed the full game across 5 parts on the LBC Gaming YouTube channel. Catch it right here, with a new part dropping every day at 5 PM!

Our Score

The Final Word

There you have it folks... I must say I was quite hyped before getting my hands on the game, and after finishing the demo, even though work remains, I am just as hyped. And that is not always the case ! Yes, there is work to do, yes, there is AI involved, yes, some things are a bit clunky and tricky, but this game has a future, and potentially a bright future. I think the developer would benefit from surrounding himself with a staff, one way or another, to enrich the lore, make faster progress on debugging, and on creating new maps, stories, and characters.

Because crafting a Fallout that looks great is doable; but crafting a Fallout people will still talk about 30 years later... is an entirely different story. Tackling a world as vast and complete as this one while flying solo could take years and years, risking seeing the hype burn out. In any case, hats off to him for this early work, and I wish him the absolute best for the future, because desolate worlds like this are tough to create, and you need to masterfully balance violence, dark humor, simplicity, and background lore so that the wasteland makes you want to live in it.

And you, have you tested the demo yet ? Share your thoughts in the comments !

Rad New World FAQ

Is the Rad New World demo available for free ?

Yes, a free demo is downloadable on Steam since October 21, 2026. The full game will release soon in Early Access, but the price has not been announced yet. A price increase is planned between Early Access and the final v1.0 release.

Is Rad New World available on consoles ?

No, the game is developed exclusively on PC (Windows), via Steam. No console or Mac versions are announced at this time. The interface, audio, and subtitles are exclusively in English.

Does Rad New World really feel like the early Fallout games ?

The inspiration is obvious and fully embraced : isometric view, character creation with perks, multi-column inventory, personal vehicle, ambient radio... The author himself describes his game as a love letter to the first three Fallout titles, including Fallout Tactics.

Does the use of AI in the game pose a problem ?

The developer is completely transparent about this on his Steam page. AI is used for scenery, environments, and certain voices, with replacements planned by real voice actors for the final version. For an early access release by a passionate solo developer, it is an assumed and well-mastered tool.

Are there bugs in the demo ?

A few bugs are present in this early version : item disappearance in the car trunk, unpredictable NPC behavior, loot wiping after reloading. That is the exact purpose of a demo : reporting these bugs to the developer via his Steam page.