Vault 21

Vaults & Shelters · Source: Fallout: New Vegas (2010), Obsidian Entertainment — in-game world, terminals, and dialogue

Overview

Vault 21 is a Las Vegas vault built around a gambling experiment, featured in Fallout: New Vegas. Rather than combat or deprivation, Vault-Tec designed it to test how a society based entirely on games of chance would function.

History & Background

The vault's residents were encouraged to gamble for everything — housing, possessions, even roles — and the experiment consumed the community until Mr. House claimed the vault as collateral for his debts, evicting the residents and converting much of it into support facilities for the Lucky 38. By 2281 the vault is open to visitors, with the former dweller Sarah Weintraub guiding tours and the lower levels sealed off by House.

Geography & Layout

Vault 21 sits beneath the New Vegas Strip, its casino-style interior now a hotel and museum; the sealed lower levels hold the remnants of the original experiment, including living quarters staked on games of chance.

Wasteland Significance

Vault 21 is a lighthearted but telling example of Vault-Tec's absurd experiments, and its fate demonstrates how New Vegas' powers — especially Mr. House — absorb and repurpose the pre-war world.

Notable Appearances

Fallout: New Vegas (2010).

Tags: vault-21, gambling-experiment, new-vegas, mr-house, sarah-weintraub, lucky-38, las-vegas, social-experiment, hotel, fallout-new-vegas