Fallout TV show didn't need to use CGI to create the Wasteland because it found the perfect real-life location

Fallout
(Image credit: Prime Video)

Prime Video's live-action TV adaptation of Fallout is visually stunning – and those wild desert sets are real.

Rather than throw some sand under a green screen, The Wasteland was shot in Namibia on the Skeleton Coast. This particular part of the desert is home to Kolmanskop, a ghost town filled with the ruins of once beautiful houses – much like the one Lucy walks into in episode two. The Namib Desert's dry climate keep not only the ruins of these houses, but their decorations and furniture intact. The former mining town, located in a part of the desert known as "the forbidden zone," was completely abandoned by 1956, with a private ghost tour company turning it into a tourist attraction in 2002.

"We were transported, truly, to a desolate set. It became our set, the sands of Namibia. That first feeling – I remember walking out and doing the scene," star Aaron Moten tells 12DOVE. "It took away a lot of the work you sometimes have to do as an actor. I obviously believe where we are. It felt like I got to reinvest in my scene partners and really dig deep into the story."

The Wasteland is the name given to what's left of Earth post-nuclear disaster, with season 1 taking place in a ruined Los Angeles known as New California. We may very well see the Mojave Wasteland should season 2 adapt a certain fan-favorite game as its central location...

Fallout season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video. For more, check out the rest of our coverage on:

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for 12DOVE currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.