Here’s everything we know about The Elder Scrolls 6 so far, including news, rumors and when we expect the new Elder Scrolls to release.
If you’re excited about The Elder Scrolls 6, trust us, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most highly-anticipated games there is and while we know it’s in development, much about it is currently a mystery, including its release date. The Elder Scrolls 6 has been public knowledge since its reveal in 2018 but Bethesda has said it’s currently prioritizing its sci-fi RPG epic, Starfield, which is set to release later this year for PC and Xbox as a console exclusive. The Elder Scrolls 6, on the other hand, was described as being in a “design phase” in mid-2021, so we think we still have a while to wait before we learn about our next adventure in Tamriel in any great detail. It could be after 2022 before we get anything really juicy. With so much to learn about The Elder Scrolls 6 (including whether it will definitely be an Xbox exclusive, which looks increasingly likely) we’ve scoured the web to find the latest news and rumors about the game and collected everything here in this handy guide so that you can stay up to date. We’ll be updating regularly as news comes in so make sure you keep checking back. Don’t hold your breath for The Elder Scrolls 6 release date – you won’t be exploring its dungeons any time soon. Despite being announced at Bethesda’s E3 2018 conference, little more than a logo was revealed. We don’t even have a subtitle or a release year. Todd Howard said that the game will be coming after Starfield, the company’s next big IP, while Xbox Head Phil Spencer has said it won’t release until after Fable 4. Given Starfield is set to release in November 2022, and Fable doesn’t even have a release date yet, the wait for Elder Scrolls 6 is set to be a very long one. Bethesda Games Studios director Todd Howard supported this in a 2021 interview with The Telegraph, stating: «It’s good to think of The Elder Scrolls 6 as still being in a design [phase]… but we’re checking the tech: ‘Is this going to handle the things we want to do in that game?’ Every game will have some new suites of technology so Elder Scrolls 6 will have some additions on to Creation Engine 2 that game is going to require.» As such, tentatively expect The Elder Scrolls 6 to release in 2024 at the earliest, after Bethesda has given Starfield at least a couple of years in the spotlight. The only footage we have of Elder Scrolls 6 is a very short clip of the game’s logo. Other than that, you might be waiting a while to see more. Here’s the announcement trailer: Bethesda wants to take its time to get it right The Elder Scrolls 6 is probably still a few years away yet but that’s not because Bethesda is deliberately dragging its heels. In an interview with IGN, when discussing the gap between Skyrim and its follow up, Howard said “Would you plan to have the kind of gap we’re having between Skyrim and the follow-up? I can’t say that’s a good thing. Do I wish I could wave a wand and the game we wanted to make […] just came out? Absolutely.” According to Howard, however, the time felt right for Bethesda to try something new with Starfield and the Elder Scrolls Online meant that the Elder Scrolls franchise was in a relatively good place. “That being said,” he added, “everything takes longer than we would like as well, but we want to make sure that we get it right. Hopefully Elder Scrolls 6, you don’t want to say hey, that it’s worth that kind of wait, but that it does stand up to the series as it has been in a really big, impactful way for when it comes out.” Xbox exclusivity wouldn’t be about «punishing» PS5 players, says Xbox boss While The Elder Scrolls 6’s console exclusivity still hasn’t been confirmed, Xbox boss Phil Spencer mentioned in an interview with GQ that if the game were to be exclusive, it wouldn’t be to punish fans looking to play on PS5. «It’s not about punishing any other platform, like I fundamentally believe all of the platforms can continue to grow,» said Spencer. «But in order to be on Xbox, I want us to be able to bring the full complete package of what we have. And that would be true when I think about Elder Scrolls 6. That would be true when I think about any of our franchises.» Todd Howard wants The Elder Scrolls 6 to be a «decade game» In the same interview with GQ, linked above, Bethesda game director Todd Howard spoke on following up the legacy of Skyrim, which has enjoyed a decade of re-releases, upgrades and no shortage of fan-created mods on both PC and consoles. Seemingly thinking ahead about The Elder Scrolls 6’s longevity, Howard said: «I think that would drive me crazy to try to say, ‘Okay, this is the thing you have to top,'» in reference to Skyrim. «But then you realise, like, The Elder Scrolls 6 has got to be a ‘decade game.’ How do you make a game where you go into it, like, ‘people have to play it for a decade?'» The adage of «if you build it, they will come» has almost always applied to The Elder Scrolls franchise, at least since the series exploded in popularity with the release of the third entry, Morrowind. To this day, fans are still creating mods and total conversions for Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim, so we think Howard shouldn’t be all that concerned with how to make the next entry a ‘decade game,’ as it will likely naturally become that through the modding scene, as well as with official support from Bethesda. Reportedly an Xbox exclusive like Starfield has been confirmed as an Xbox exclusive but for many question marks still remain around The Elder Scrolls 6 as nothing has been explicitly confirmed by Bethesda or Microsoft just yet. Well, according to GamesBeat reporter Jeff Grubb, The Elder Scrolls 6 is also “planned” as an Xbox exclusive. Grubb tweeted this in response to a user who suggested that Starfield and other Bethesda games could still have a chance of a PS5 release: «Very different» to Avowed Upcoming Xbox exclusive Avowed has drawn some comparisons with the Elder Scrolls series in terms of its appearance but Phil Spencer has said there are “distinct differences” between the games. When asked on a recent IGN podcast if Avowed will play an Elder Scrolls role for Xbox, given the Elder Scrolls 6 is quite a while off yet, Spencer responded, “I think the games are very different, so maybe I struggle a little bit to say that’s our version of this, just knowing what [Obsidian studio head Feargus Urquhart] and the team are going off to do. But when I think about our lineup, and I think about that more core fantasy RPG setting, I think Avowed is gonna be an awesome entrance there.” You’ll play Fable 4 first Speaking during a recent IGN podcast, Phil Spencer intimated that we’ll probably play the next Fable game before we play Elder Scrolls 6. Speaking about the tone of Fable, Spencer said, “Fable’s always been a little more light-hearted and a little more British, I think I could say, and I think Playground will keep it there,” adding, “Elder Scrolls 6 is further out, and when that comes out I think it’s going to be incredible.” Still in the early stages We could still be waiting quite a while before we get the chance to play Elder Scrolls 6, as Bethesda Games Studios director, Todd Howard, has confirmed that the next chapter in the open-world fantasy saga is still in the early stages of development. Howard told the Telegraph that: “It’s good to think of The Elder Scrolls 6 as still being in a design [phase]… but we’re checking the tech: ‘Is this going to handle the things we want to do in that game?’ Every game will have some new suites of technology so Elder Scrolls 6 will have some additions on to Creation Engine 2 that game is going to require.” If we take Howard at face value, it seems unlikely that we’ll see Elder Scrolls 6 any time soon, with the game still being in the conceptual stages, and the team at Bethesda Game Studios still getting to grips with the new Creation Engine 2. The Elder Scrolls 6 may not come to PS5 Xbox boss Phil Spencer has confirmed that future Bethesda games will be exclusive to «platforms where Game Pass exists», meaning PS5 players will miss out. During the » Bethesda Joins Xbox» roundtable on March 11, Spencer addressed speculation around whether the acquisition will see future Bethesda titles, such as Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6, becoming Xbox exclusives following Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media. «If you’re an Xbox customer, the thing I want you to know is that this is about delivering great exclusive games for you that ship on platforms where Game Pass exists,» Spencer explained. «That’s our goal, that’s why we’re doing this, that’s the root of this partnership that we’re building. However, games under contractual obligations from before the acquisition, such as Deathloop, will still land on PS5 – while games that currently exist on other platforms will continue to be supported. «Obviously I can’t sit here and say every Bethesda game is exclusive, because we know that’s not true,» Spencer said.
