I wouldnt call Fallout 4 an RPG.

I’d say its more of a looter shooter with quests and stats.

What really hurts Fallout 4 roleplaying for me is that you’re railroaded into being a particular type of person in the first 2 acts. You had a perfect married life and care about your son and that part of your journey is non negotiable. You can only resolve the Minutemen quest by either siding with them, or not meeting them. You can only find Kellogg with Dogmeat, so even if you’ve never met him before, he magically teleports to you and you act like you know him (friggin synth dog, I swear).

Unlike even other Bethesda games, the narrative thrust of the story is tied to your character inherently wanting something only because they want it. In non interactive media this would be a good thing, as it makes for an active character, but in an RPG it doesn’t leave room to decide your own wants and goals. It’s a story about a character with a limited range of personalities, and major deviations from those limited options don’t exist. It’s especially painful when you can rename and customize your character’s appearance, but not who they are as a person.