The desolate desert landscapes of New Vegas featured in Season 2 of the Amazon series “Fallout” were not filmed in the actual Nevada city, but rather in a long-abandoned shopping mall in Los Angeles.
Production designer Howard Cummings told The Hollywood Reporter that the goal for Season 2 was to depict Las Vegas before the nuclear bombing of 2077, describing the vision as "retro-futuristic Vegas." To achieve this, the team transformed the Valley Plaza Mall, which had been closed for over a decade since its opening in 1951, into the show's version of New Vegas.
Cummings and his team repurposed the mall's former Regal Theater building, rebranding it as the Gomorrah Hotel and Casino. They also constructed a 27-foot replica of the iconic Lucky 38 sign on set. "Most people think this is all CG and they just did a greenscreen," Cummings noted, emphasizing that the sets were practical, with digital enhancements used primarily for backgrounds.
The production employed a multi-stage approach. Pre-war flashback scenes were filmed first, depicting the city as it was before the apocalypse. Following these, the sets were intentionally "trashed" to represent the post-nuclear landscape. "All the palm trees look good at the beginning, and then they’re all dead. The brand-new cars [were] rusted and destroyed," Cummings explained.
Further locations for the "New Vegas" setting were found in an Old West-themed town in Santa Clarita, California. This site, previously used for HBO's “Westworld,” was re-faced to match the architectural style of the game. Additional digital work was incorporated, including the addition of signs like the Wrangler Casino and Silver Rush, and an overpass that was added in post-production.
The Valley Plaza Mall, which has served as a filming location for numerous productions including “Magnolia,” “Pineapple Express,” and “Captain Marvel,” is slated for demolition. Los Angeles city commissioners have approved a plan to tear down the mall, with demolition scheduled to begin in October 2025. This means “Fallout” will likely be one of the last productions to utilize the site.
Amazon renewed “Fallout” for a third season in May 2025, although the start date for production has not yet been announced.