Summary
- Many Elder Scrolls games expand beyond the main series titles.
- Portable Elder Scrolls games have faced mixed reviews due to technical limitations.
- Recent Elder Scrolls Online expansions introduce new classes & mechanics but may lack overall content.
It's hard to talk about RPGs without mentioning The Elder Scrolls franchise. The way Bethesda has molded the RPG genre with their main Elder Scrolls titles cannot be overstated. Bethesda has always pushed to make immersive experiences, crafting beautiful worlds well before open-world design became the standard.
10 Biggest Traditions In The Elder Scrolls Series
From loot hoarding to meme-worthy guards, these traditions have shaped the Elder Scrolls experience across all games from Arena to Skyrim.
Despite having five main entries, many more Elder Scrolls titles are either spin-offs or entire series in their own right. While Bethesda has settled on making open-world RPGs ever since Morrowind, Zenimax Online Studios and others have made Elder Scrolls games with strange alterations to the franchise for better or worse.
Updated on April 23, 2025 by Mark Sammut: While still early days, Bethesda has just shadow-dropped one of the biggest projects of 2025: Oblivion Remastered. The original is comfortably among the best Elder Scrolls games of all time, and so far, the remaster seems to maintain its predecessor's standard of quality. For now, the title has been added as a special mention since it just came out.
Special Mention: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
- Released
- April 22, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5, PC
- Genre(s)
- Action, RPG, Open-World, Adventure
Due to Oblivion Remastered just coming out, it is way too early to properly rank the game. That said, the project is impressive and a must-play for anyone remotely into the franchise or even RPGs in general. Bethesda's last few years have been a mixed bag, but this release seems to be a home run.
Well, this was a pleasant surprise. After the rumor mill spun its wheel for a couple of weeks, Bethesda dropped a remaster of Oblivion, one that is frankly very close to being a straight-up remake. Seriously, Oblivion Remastered comes with significant changes, beyond the vastly improved visuals that compare well to pretty much any RPG currently on the market. While not extremely far removed from the original version or the system in Skyrim, the combat has been tweaked and improved to provide a more enjoyable experience. The Elder Scrolls has never excelled in combat, but Oblivion Remastered marks a new high point in this area. Combat changes are just the tip of the iceberg as well, as the remaster also overhauls progression, difficulty, stealth, and a lot more.
Oblivion Remastered builds upon two decades of goodwill stemming from the original's debut, one that has amassed an incredibly dedicated community that has played a significant role in keeping this title relevant. Although the classic version and its mods have not been set to pasture, the remaster will likely become the best introductory point to this entry in the franchise, especially since it is available on Game Pass. Going by initial impressions, the game manages to retain the original's charm, all the while implementing modern touches that bring Oblivion into the 2020s.
Here are a couple of useful articles that Oblivion Remastered players might wish to reference, particularly newcomers:
- All Oblivion Remastered Console Commands (& How to Use Them)
- All Attributes In Oblivion Remastered, Explained
- All Birthsigns in Oblivion Remastered Explained
- All Oblivion Remastered Difficulty Levels Explained
- Best Classes For Beginners
- Best Graphics Settings For Oblivion Remastered PC
- How to Increase Health
- How To Level Up
- How To Repair Armor
- How To Switch To 3rd Person Mode
- Where to Get More Spells
- Where To Go First
- Which DLC Should You Play First?
20 The Elder Scrolls Travel Series
The Attempt To Bring Elder Scrolls To Mobile Platforms
The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey
- Released
- November 24, 2004
- Platform(s)
- N-Gage
With the success of Morrowind in 2002 and the growing popularity of different gaming consoles, it’s no surprise that Bethesda wanted to cash in on that portable gaming juice. As Nokia positioned the N-Gage as its attempt to create a gaming phone, The Elder Scrolls Travels was Bethesda’s answer to calls clamouring for an Elder Scrolls experience on mobile platforms. Essentially released as “pocket” experiences set in minor regions of Tamriel, the initial Stormhold, Dawnstar, and Shadowkey titles were full-fledged open-world experiences criticized with a lackluster combat system, basic controls, and short distance made even worse by the N-Gage’s technical limitations.
There was also a canceled Travels: Oblivion that attempted to bring the Oblivion experience to the PlayStation Portable, as well as an actual Oblivion Mobile available for Java-enabled phones that disappointed fans for its level-heavy, isometric experiences.
19 The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The Game That Started It All
The Elder Scrolls: Arena
- Released
- March 25, 1994
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
- Platform(s)
- PC
- How Long To Beat
- 25 Hours
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
The game that started it all, The Elder Scrolls: Arena initially started as a gladiator-style game set in “the Arena” where players can explore Tamriel in between fights, until the game started to breathe life into the very towns players could explore. Now, Tamriel is an “Arena” where players have to strive to survive - complete with 9.6-million km worth of towns as well as procedurally-generated dungeons to explore.
The game is among the first in the industry to feature a full-blown day and night cycle, where merchants appear in the day and hide at night while bandits and thieves roam about. Although infamous for its initial difficulty, players who get around the game’s rather finicky mouse swing-based swordfighting and leveling system, Arena becomes quite the delightful early-90s RPG experience. While certainly not as forgiving and optimized as other Elder Scrolls titles, Arena’s ambition is evident at the onset.
18 The Elder Scrolls: Blades
A Rather Limiting Touch-Screen Experience
The Elder Scrolls: Blades
- Released
- May 12, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
The Elder Scrolls: Blades is Bethesda’s most recent attempt in creating a portable experience for The Elder Scrolls titles, this time developed for the iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch. Taking place after Oblivion and hundreds of years before Skyrim, the story of Blades takes place at a time where the player’s character is a surviving former member of the Blades and is now tasked to protect their hometown from various threats.
Despite the technology available at the time, creating the full-fledged open world experience of The Elder Scrolls titles has yet to be achieved in Blades. Instead of exploring an open world, players explore levels with nigh-unavoidable combat encounters they have to fight using taps, swipes, and other touch-screen mechanics. The player’s town serves as a hub that they upgrade, with the heavy exploration taking place in select levels. With mechanics such as stealing and stealth absent, the apparent linearity of Blades left a bitter taste in the mouths of fans.
17 An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire
A Thorough Dungeon Fighter With Its Limits
An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire
- Released
- December 2, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
- Platform(s)
- PC
- How Long To Beat
- 16 Hours
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
After Arena started to have a niche following and Daggerfall proving The Elder Scrolls as a franchise with potential, An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire is positioned as more of a dungeon-crawler than the open world experience of its predecessors. Set in the battlemage training ground called the Battlespire, players are a mage apprentice who finds themselves fighting a Daedra invasion by Mehrunes Dagon and have to save their companion from the Daedric Prince.
Despite being technically a commercial failure, Battlespire tries to innovate the Elder Scrolls formula by introducing a team-based versus mode, a co-op mode, and a more intuitive character creation system that lets players create their unique playstyle. While its NPCs are absent, all enemies can be spoken to before combat, allowing players to even convince enemies to stand down. Sadly, the game does suffer from game-breaking bugs, inefficient spells, zone-based leveling, and rather difficult combat encounters.
16 The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard
An Attempt To Ride The Times
The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard
- Released
- November 16, 1998
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
- Platform(s)
- PC
- How Long To Beat
- 15 Hours
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Set just after the Third Empire had conquered Hammerfell, The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard puts players in the shoes of the Redguard Cyrus as he goes to the island of Stros M’Kai in Hammerfell to find his missing sister, Iszara. Although technically open world with its option to free roam, Redguard is a surprising departure from the franchise with its action-adventure focus and third-person perspective. Unlike other games, Cyrus being a Redguard also comes with specific skillsets, disallowing players to customize their “own” character.
Although developed during the popularity of the Prince of Persia and Tomb Raider franchises, Redguard fails to capture the interest of gamers not just with its stark departure from Elder Scrolls conventions but also its general limitations as a game itself - buggy and rather stiff gameplay, unremarkable voice-overs, and lack of technical depth.
15 The Elder Scrolls: Castles
A Decent Twist To The Fallout Shelter Concept
The Elder Scrolls: Castles
- Released
- September 10, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
The Elder Scrolls: Castles is the Elder Scrolls take on Fallout Shelter, where this time players take on the role of the new emperor of Tamriel. Taking place in their castle, players are tasked to oversee their subjects, make vital decisions for the kingdom, send their warriors off to missions, and pass their throne to the next generation.
6 Hardest Elder Scrolls Games, Ranked
The Elder Scrolls franchise is filled with incredible stories and wonderful games, but the level of difficulty across them varies a surprising amount.
Gameplay in Castles has players build their castle from the ground up. Player-assigned emperors get to make vital decisions that affect settler satisfaction, which in turn affects their overall performance. When emperors die of old age, they can be replaced by anyone of the player’s choosing. There is also a more complex party-based combat system, where players now have access to special attacks depending on the equipment their characters are wearing.
14 The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall
One Of The Most Expansive Elder Scrolls Games
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
- Released
- September 20, 1996
WHERE TO PLAY
While released just two years after Arena, Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall is quite the ambitious sequel. Players are on a mission to help the ghost of King Lysandus and would have to track down the letter he’s sent to the former queen of Daggerfall. Although players are now limited to travelling between Hammerfell and High Rock, the game boasts almost twice the map size of Arena - covering 15,000 dungeons, villages, and towns - and is by far the largest map of any Elder Scrolls game.
The Elder Scrolls: Most Ambitious Content Mods In The Series
These ambitious Elder Scrolls mods add new lands, quests, and adventures to Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim, ever-expanding the playtime for fans.
There is a vast number of new features in Daggerfall, such as a robust spell-creation system when they join the Mages Guild, building reputation when joining other Guilds, and even the option to become a Vampire or a Werewolf. Daggerfall maintains the more convoluted mouse swing-based combat system of its predecessor, but its difficulty added to the thrill of the overall title. Despite being unimpressive in terms of its presentation today, Daggerfall at the time of its release was Bethesda’s biggest success - having won many Best CRPG/RPG Awards and only being bested by Diablo in some competitions.
13 The Elder Scrolls Online
The MMO Experience People Were Waiting For
The Elder Scrolls Online
- Released
- April 4, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- ZeniMax Online Studios
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- How Long To Beat
- 160+ Hours
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
Bethesda finally answered the call to provide a multiplayer Elder Scrolls experience with The Elder Scrolls Online. Released in 2014, The Elder Scrolls Online is technically a far-off prequel to the series, taking place around the time of the Second Era. This chaotic time has three factions fighting over the Ruby Throne to rule Tamriel. Although numerous customization options exist for characters, The Elder Scrolls Online now features a class system with unique passives, spells, and attacks that encourage characters to stick to particular setups.
Although it received mixed reception upon its 2014 release, its subsequent re-release and annual content started to win players back due to its depth. The base game gives players access to specific areas of Tamriel, while its Chapters and Crown Store DLCs are positioned to offer access to different areas with their own stories. In 2025, The Elder Scrolls Online will cancel its yearly chapter releases in favor of seasonal content consistent with other MMOs to guarantee the release of more frequent content for players.
12 The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor
Explore Vampires And Werewolves In Tamriel
|
OpenCritic Score |
74 |
|---|---|
|
Release Date |
May 26, 2020 |
Vampires and Werewolves remain an exciting part of Elder Scrolls lore, and The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor takes a crack at converting these mechanics into the MMO. Despite Greymoor being one of Skyrim’s more “boring” marshy regions, the 2020 update manages to showcase impressive graphics appropriate to the expansion’s brooding tone - especially with its story involving witches, vampires, werewolves, and a conspiracy to break the region from the inside. Much of Greymoor seems like a celebration of Skyrim’s Dawnguard expansion, complete with a vampire companion (Fennorian).
The DLC itself comes packed with content, such as Harrowstorms that turn inhabitants into either zombies or corpses, a new archaeology-focused Antiquities system, six soloable dungeons (Delves), six World Bosses, and a 20-hour raid (Trial). Despite the wealth of content, however, Greymoor’s lackluster storyline and grindy Antiquities make the new additions less interesting and more of a drag - appropriate for a lifetime as a vampire.
11 The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road
Introduces The Interest Scribing Mechanic
|
OpenCritic Score |
80 |
|---|---|
|
Release Date |
June 3, 2024 |
Serving as a continuation of the “Shadow Over Morrowind” multi-year storyline, The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road takes a surprising reveal at the end of Necrom and continues the story in the West Weald, bringing players back to a slice of Cyrodiil that will leave hardcore Oblivion fans enjoying the nostalgia trip. Playing under the premise of a higher-stakes story will leave players of Gold Road feeling like they’re in the middle of a crisis similar to Morrowind’s all over again, this time with the trappings of the high fantasy setup of Cyrodiil.
Gold Road satisfies players with a compelling story with equally interesting side quests, although a lot of filler might turn some off in between. This is the same sentiment toward scribing, the new gameplay mechanic allowing players to modify their skills in interesting ways. However, the tedious grind to unlocking Scribing’s many effects can turn the gameplay element into a less than satisfying part of Gold Road’s gameplay.