The Fallout VATS system was inspired by Burnout's crash mode of all things or, as Todd Howard puts it, 'imagine the car parts are, like, eyeballs and guts!'

Bethesda's lead designer Emil Pagliarulo revealed that Fallout 3's VATS system originated from a practical constraint: the studio lacked the time and expertise to create real-time gun combat competitive with Call of Duty or Battlefield. VATS—the Vault-Tec Automated Targeting System—evolved from inspiration including Burnout's crash mode, allowing players to pause combat and select targets. The system also echoed the original Fallout games' turn-based roots, letting players make calculated decisions in real-time action.

Appeared in 2026-02-11.