Summary
- Oblivion Remastered is the biggest Xbox Game Pass hit of 2025, with impressive sales success.
- The game had over 100,000 Steam players in 24 hours and became the third-best selling game of the year.
- Oblivion Remastered surpassed all recent Xbox Game Pass titles, becoming the most popular debut of the year.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has become the biggest debut hit of 2025 so far on Xbox Game Pass. A new look at how Xbox Game Pass games have been performing reveals that Oblivion Remastered has left some remarkable titles in its dust, despite being a remaster of a game nearly two decades old.
Oblivion Remastered has already had tremendous sales success, with over 100,000 gamers on Steam settling in to explore Cyrodiil within 24 hours of its release. Bethesda celebrated reaching four million players within three days, and by early May, Oblivion Remastered had already become the third-best selling game of the year. However, its Xbox Game Pass success is what's now being looked at.
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According to data from Game Trends (via True Achievements), Oblivion Remastered has left everything in its dust on Xbox Game Pass with regard to titles that have launched recently. When looking at games that launched in April on the service, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered took the top spot, beating new titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and South of Midnight. Oblivion Remastered reportedly had 153.4% more players than the second-place game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The publisher of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 said the Oblivion Remastered release hasn't harmed the game, but it seems that, at the very least, more Xbox Game Pass members are checking out Oblivion Remastered.
Oblivion Remastered Takes Over 2025 (So Far)
Most Popular Xbox Game Pass Debuts (2025)
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
- Avowed
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Atomfall
- Sniper Elite: Resistance
- Ninja Gaiden 2 Black
- Crime Scene Cleaner
- South of Midnight
- Balatro
- EA Sports UFC 5
If that weren't impressive enough, Oblivion Remastered has already become the most popular Xbox Game Pass debut of the entire year thus far. It's followed by Avowed and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which launched in February and April, respectively. Oblivion Remastered has reportedly had 59.9% more players on Xbox Game Pass than new IP Avowed. It's also beaten games that have had a few months to gain numbers, like Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, EA Sports UFC 5, and Balatro, with the first two launching in January and Balatro joining the service in February.
While these numbers are extremely impressive, they may not surprise fans who are familiar with the impact Elder Scrolls has on the gaming industry. Elder Scrolls releases have been hugely exciting moments in the past, with many players having planned time off in advance of Skyrim's release to fully immerse themselves in the game. It's clear that gamers still love The Elder Scrolls and are more than happy to dive back into a classic.
However, that also underscores a concern that some game developers have voiced regarding shadow-dropping massive titles like Oblivion Remastered. Game studios are reportedly already nervously watching Grand Theft Auto 6 to avoid releasing around the same timeframe, and suddenly launching a hugely popular game like Oblivion Remastered gives devs and publishers no warning to reschedule their own launches. While some industry members aren't thrilled about games like Oblivion Remastered suddenly releasing, it certainly seems to have worked out for Bethesda and Virtuos.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- April 22, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Action, RPG, Open-World, Adventure
