Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics are free, courtesy of GoG.com

Fans anxiously awaiting the first official word on the next “Fallout” game may want to take a trip back to the past, as computer game service and distribution website GoG.com is offering the first two Fallout games and the spinoff title “Fallout Tactics” free of charge this holiday season.

As part of their winter sale promotion, all three games are available for $0.00, or absolutely free.

All you have to do is sign up to the service, or if you’re already a longtime user, just click away and download the games, which are all readily available for both PC and Mac OSX users.

There is a catch, however, as the promo only lasts until December 14 Saturday, ending at exactly 1:59 GMT.

First released in 1997, the original “Fallout” was created by Interplay Entertainment, and is an alternate history open world role-playing game set in Southern California, where much of the world has been devastated thanks to nuclear war.

Set in the 22nd Century, the player is a resident of one of many protective shelters known as “Vaults,” and has to embark on a quest to save his community from water shortage by finding the “Water Chip” somewhere in the wasteland. The game incorporated turn-based gameplay and holds many RPG elements, allowing players to customize and create their characters traits and skills based on their preferences thanks to the “SPECIAL” system.

The next game, “Fallout 2” was released in 1998, developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay.

Taking place 80 years after the first “Fallout,” the player takes control of the descendant of the hero from the first game, who must embark on a dangerous quest to save the tribe he or she is staying with from starvation by locating the “GECK” or “Garden of Eden Creation Kit.” Using the same 2D graphics and turn-based gameplay as its predecessor, “Fallout 2” introduced a new open-world environment for the player to explore, filled with all kinds of enemies and mutations brought about by the Wasteland.

The spinoff game, “Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel,” was released in 2001 and takes place in the same Fallout Universe as the first two games, but does not continue the story of any of the two.

Instead, players are introduced to a team from the fictional “Brotherhood of Steel,” a dedicated group that follows and worships Pre-War technology and knowledge, who are engaged in a war with several factions.

Unlike the main games, the game focuses more on strategy and combat, and has different exploration methods and interaction with the apocalyptic world around them. — VC, GMA News