It's been exactly eight years to the day since The Elder Scrolls developer Bethesda officially announced The Elder Scrolls 6 during an extremely short teaser trailer at E3 2018. Since then, we've heard and seen nothing more about the upcoming RPG outside of the fact that it will be a "classic" Bethesda game made with Creation Engine 3, the latest iteration of the engine used for Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Starfield.

Bethesda's game director and executive producer Todd Howard has attempted to assuage concerns about the game's development by commenting that "it's progressing really well" and noting that it's gone smoother than Starfield's did. Still, many have grown frustrated with the overall silence, especially after The Elder Scrolls 6 didn't appear during last weekend's Xbox Games Showcase.

In a new interview with Variety, Xbox's chief content officer Matt Booty took some time to discuss The Elder Scrolls 6, explaining that Microsoft and Xbox don't want to show more of the game "till the right moment" while asserting that what he's seen of it "looks amazing."

"I would say one of the more challenging balancing acts of someone in a job like mine is balancing that you want to go show the world all the cool stuff you’re working on, and you want to get them excited early, but we also know that we want to wait till the right moment," he said. "And when you decide to show it, you want it to be the best you’ve got. And also that when you show the game, you’re also giving them a promise of, 'Hey, it’s coming soon.'"

"So I can tell you, having visited Bethesda and sat with [Todd Howard] and seen [Elder Scrolls 6] playing, it looks amazing, and it’s coming along well," Booty continued. "And we’ll make sure to announce it and really reveal it at the right time."

Unfortunately, Todd Howard noted that The Elder Scrolls 6 is still "a long ways off" in November last year, which strongly suggests it's still a few years out from its long, long-awaited launch.

Between that information and Booty's comment about Xbox trying not to reveal games that aren't coming soon, I'd say it's pretty unlikely we'll see more of Bethesda's open-world RPG until its release date draws closer. That's pretty vexing for a game first announced eight years ago; I imagine Howard regrets confirming its development so early, now.

Still, I am happy to see Booty echoing several of Howard's previous comments that suggest The Elder Scrolls 6 is coming along nicely and "looks amazing," even if I know we wouldn't hear about it if development was rough. I've waited ages and ages for a proper Skyrim sequel already; as long as the project isn't in development hell, I can wait a little longer.

When it comes out, The Elder Scrolls 6 is all-but-guaranteed to be available on Xbox Game Pass across Xbox and PC, as it's a first-party Microsoft game. Whether or not it will be Xbox exclusive remains to be seen; Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is warming up to their return, so I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up missing PS5.

Are you looking forward to The Elder Scrolls 6? Share your thoughts below.

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There's a good chance that, like me, you never even knew that The Elder Scrolls: Blades still existed. There's also a good chance that, like me, you've never actually played it. Which might not necessarily be a bad thing, but it has largely faded into the background since its launch.

Released in 2020 for Android, iOS, and, somewhat surprisingly, Nintendo Switch, The Elder Scrolls: Blades was a free-to-play spin-off designed specifically for mobile devices. The game never really resonated with critics or players, however, and currently sits at a Metacritic score of 42 alongside a user score of 2.7.

The game itself is set to be "permanently shut down on June 30, 2026" (via Reddit). Between now and then, the developers have made everything in the in-game store available for one gem or one sigil, with all players receiving a free bundle of gems and sigils.

I recently covered other games shutting down for Xbox, and in that, I mentioned how important I believe the Stop Killing Games campaign is. The initiative aims to prevent publishers from releasing games only to later shut them down with no way for players to access them again.

It's an issue that continues to affect the industry. Looking at games like Concord and Highguard, even if a game isn't particularly well-received, it's still disappointing when access disappears entirely. There are always players who spent money on the game itself, purchased microtransactions, or simply enjoyed the experience and want to revisit it at some point.

It's hard for me to comment too much on Blades itself being taken down, simply because I've never actually played it. I don't really have any witty anecdotes or personal stories to share about my time with it, because there wasn't one.

Still, I'm generally a big fan of studios branching out and trying new things, even when they don't always land. I look at Halo as a good example. Microsoft released Halo: Spartan Assault and Halo: Spartan Strike for mobile, and while neither was groundbreaking, I thought they were pretty decent for what they were. However, Microsoft is arguably wasting Halo's potential right now.

On that note, it's a little disappointing that we never got more games in that style, especially since they offered something different from the mainline Halo experience. Those are just my thoughts, though.

Let me know what you think about The Elder Scrolls: Blades and its upcoming shutdown. Did you ever play it, or is this the first time you're hearing about it? Be sure to leave a comment and take part in our poll!

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Late last year, Fallout steward Bethesda announced that a next-gen update was coming to its 2018 MMO-lite multiplayer title Fallout 76, promising players on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 systems an elevated version of the game with better visual fidelity.

We haven't heard anything about this update for a while, but in the patch notes for the new Infestations update and the launch of Season 25, we finally got some news about the upcoming patch. Not only have we learned that the next-gen update is coming out this summer and will have public testing in June, but we've also gotten full details about the improvements it's making.

On Xbox Series X|S and PS5 consoles, Bethesda is improving draw distances and shadow quality, with support for 4K resolution on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 Pro and 1440p on PS5. On top of that, all Xbox Series X|S and PS5 versions will also support variable refresh rate (VRR) with compatible displays to prevent screen tearing. The studio is targeting 60 FPS performance for all next-gen (current gen, really) systems.

Certain last-gen consoles will benefit slightly from the update, too. Specifically, Xbox One X will get support for 4K — something that even the PS5 doesn't have — with PS4 Pro getting a bump up to 1440p from 1080p. Notably, Bethesda also left out mention of the Xbox Series S here beyond stating that its targeting 60 FPS performance on the system, which likely means that it's remaining at 1080p.

While PS5 still enjoys a higher framerate — 60 FPS instead of 30 — it is interesting that 2017's Xbox One X is getting support for 4K and Sony's baseline next-gen console isn't, and it shows just how frontloaded the former system's specs are with GPU power. Also, the lack of 1440p support for Xbox Series S is a bit disappointing; evidently Bethesda has chosen to prioritize framerate over fidelity for the more affordable console.

It's unclear when exactly the next-gen update is releasing this summer, or when public testing for it will begin this month. Bethesda says it will announce details as they come on its social channels, though, so keep an eye on those. Note that when they do come, the testing versions of next-gen Fallout 76 will be freely available to all owners of the game on the Xbox and PlayStation marketplaces.

As for the Infestations and Season 25 (dubbed "Appalachia Under Siege") update itself, the patch is live now across Xbox, PC, and PlayStation, and adds combat-focused Infestations activities where you have to "clear out Infestations of challenging enemies for 4-Star Rewards." These rewards include powerful gear, with Season 25's reward path also giving you various outfits, C.A.M.P. items, and other goodies (see those above).

All in all, Infestations and Season 25 seems like a pretty solid update for Fallout 76, though choosing to focus on marketing all the new C.A.M.P. decorations more than its actual gameplay content was certainly a choice. Regardless, it's always nice to see that Bethesda's experimental multiplayer Fallout title is still going strong. You can check out its full patch notes here.

What's your opinion of Fallout 76? Do you plan on checking out the Infestations update? Let me know below.

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One of the most biggest and most impactful updates in Fallout 4 history was scheduled to come to Bethesda's beloved classic 2015 post-apocalyptic RPG last year in November, but ended up getting delayed due to technical issues. For months, it's been relatively silent about it since then outside of a confirmation it's still being worked on — but thanks to a new announcement, we finally know when it's coming.

The update in question is a massive mod storage increase to the amount of space Xbox and PlayStation players can dedicate towards the player-made "Creations" mods you can download and install from Fallout 4's main menu. A new communication from Bethesda confirms it's coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, and PS4 on May 27, which is just a week from now.

"We're excited to share the Fallout 4 Creations storage expansion will arrive for consoles on May 27th. Console players will soon have more space to download content, including larger, more ambitious Creations," the developer wrote in its social media post.

Specifically, the amount of storage available to Xbox Series X|S users will skyrocket from 2GB to 100GB, while those on Xbox One, PS5, and PS4 will jump from 1-2GB to 15GB (last-gen and Sony-imposed limitations mean these systems won't get as much extra space as Xbox Series X|S systems will).

While this update ultimately won't mean anything for players that don't use mods, Fallout 4 is radically changing for those on console that do. Even having 15GB available for mods opens up a ton of possibilities for Xbox and PlayStation players, and Xbox Series X|S users with 100GB of space will be able to put together load orders comparable to what PC players have enjoyed for years.

With that much available storage, console users will be able to use high-quality graphics improvement mods without issue, and will still have plenty of room left over for countless other smaller mods that overhaul gameplay, add new weapons and armors, introduce new quests and storylines, and more. Advanced projects that rely on the PC-exclusive Fallout 4 Script Extender still won't be on the table, but that's it.

As someone who's enjoyed modding Fallout 4 extensively over the years, I'm stoked that my fellow Sole Survivors over on Xbox and PlayStation will finally be able to mod the RPG on a deeper level as I have. Something you need to be aware of, though, is that the update will wipe existing load orders. Thankfully, you can save yours and then restore it after the patch.

Bethesda published an article explaining how to do this, but I'll write out the process here too. In the Fallout 4 Creations menu, go into your Load Order and then select the Load Order Archive button. In the box that opens, select "Save Load Order to Bethesda.net" and let the process complete. Then, after the update, go to the same location and choose "Restore Load Order from Bethesda.net" instead.

It's unfortunate that this update is coming to Fallout 4 six months late, but ultimately, I'm just glad to see it's finally almost here and didn't end up getting scrapped. After the disaster of the Anniversary Edition, the popular Fallout game really needed a win.

Will you take advantage of the mod storage increase patch for Fallout 4? Let me know in the comments, and vote in our poll, too.

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While video game adaptations in film or TV are often quite disappointing, one incredibly enjoyable outlier these past few years has been the Fallout TV show that Amazon's been producing in collaboration with Fallout shepherd Bethesda. Both Season 1 and Season 2 have been a massive hit with longtime fans of the franchise and series newcomers alike, and have brought about not one, but two resurgences for the IP.

Indeed, it's no exaggeration to say that the record-breaking and chart-topping show has had a phenomenal reception — and now, everyone is eagerly awaiting the next chapter of the story that's coming with Season 3. The third season reportedly just began filming and is expected to come near the end of 2027 or the start of 2028.

We've got a bit of a wait ahead of us — and for me, something that's guaranteed it's going to be a painful one is the new announcement that Aaron Paul is joining the Fallout show's already star-studded cast in Season 3. Amazon revealed the news on Monday on social media.

Aaron Paul is one of my favorite actors, and starred as Jesse Pinkman for five years in my favorite TV show Breaking Bad (as well as in its follow-up movie El Camino). You may also know him as Caleb Nichols in the popular HBO drama Westworld, or as the voice of Todd Chavez in BoJack Horseman.

Paul was nothing short of terrific in Breaking Bad and El Camino, to the point where Jesse Pinkman became my favorite character out of all of the incredibly written individuals in that series. I've also loved him in just about everything else I've ever seen him in, so I'm ecstatic to see what role he plays in Fallout.

Some fans speculate that he could play Courier 6, the title of the playable character you control in Obsidian Entertainment's fan-favorite 2010 title Fallout: New Vegas; I personally find this unlikely since the showrunners have stated they don't want to infringe upon player choices with their story, and making Courier 6 a defined character in any way would go against that. Unless the character just makes a short cameo, I don't see it.

In the end, we have no details at all to work off of, so any predictions are pure guesses. Still, I'm sure Paul will do an amazing job in whatever role he's playing, given his talent. I look forward to seeing him in Fallout Season 3, and I can't wait for its arrival in the next year and a half or so.

Oh, and fun fact: Aaron Paul is a huge fan of video games, and has previously discussed his fondness for franchises like Resident Evil and Halo. He also had a lead role in 2025's narrative adventure game Dispatch, and has expressed interest in further gaming roles too.

What do you think about Aaron Paul? Are you a fan of his performances in projects like Breaking Bad and Westworld? Did you like him in Dispatch, if you played that game? Who do you think he'll be in the Fallout TV show? Let me know in the comments, and in our poll.

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For its 2023 space exploration Xbox RPG Starfield, Fallout and The Elder Scrolls developer Bethesda created an upgraded version of the Creation Engine used for Skyrim and Fallout 4 simply called the Creation Engine 2. This updated variant of the studio's proprietary engine vastly improved visual fidelity and optimization, among many other things.

According to former Bethesda senior artist Heather Cerlan — now CEO and head of NEARstudios, the developer making the upcoming multiplayer sandbox RPG Hawthorn — though, the studio had seriously considered making the swap from Creation Engine over to Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) in the midst of Starfield's development.

"There was a lot of pressure internally to push to Unreal [Engine 5], especially when Nanite and Lumen and all these amazing features were coming out," she told Reece Reilly of KIWI TALKZ in a recent episode. "People were like, 'Why don't we just use Unreal?'"

Nanite makes importing extremely high-quality assets into UE5 very easy, while Lumen offers advanced lighting effects and rendering that go a long way in helping to achieve cutting-edge visuals. Both are very desirable features of UE5, which first launched in Early Access in Spring 2021 — two years ahead of Starfield's release.

That would have left Bethesda with a sizable amount of time to transition their existing work on Starfield over to UE5, though doing so likely wouldn't have been easy. Still, the potential was there to reap major benefits from the switch...yet in the end, the developers ultimately chose to stick with Creation Engine 2.

Why? Cerlan says that the decision was largely motivated by the desire to keep Starfield as mod friendly as possible for Bethesda's community.

"The real reason that Bethesda holds onto the Creation Engine is because of all the modding capabilities," she said. "The whole modding community that's built around those tools and those systems, it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense for Bethesda to switch over to any other engine, because they've already built up a whole community that sustains the success of their titles."

Indeed, the modding scene in Bethesda's games has thrived for many years, with countless talented modders having worked with the Creation Engine for upwards of 20 years now. It's not surprising that the developers had no wish to disrupt their creative process with an entirely new engine to learn.

It does seem like there would be upsides to an UE5 switch, of course, but it's important to note that Bethesda is continuing to upgrade and refine the Creation Engine. Recently, studio director Todd Howard confirmed The Elder Scrolls 6 is using a new version called Creation Engine 3 that sports major improvements across the board.

He also said Creation Engine 3 will power projects "beyond" the long-awaited The Elder Scrolls sequel, which likely means Fallout 5 will use it as well. Bad news if you were hoping future Bethesda games would push for maximum graphical quality, perhaps, but good news if you want the studio's titles to be as moddable as the ones that came before it.

Are you glad that Bethesda chose to stick with the Creation Engine in the end, or would you have preferred it to have moved over to Unreal Engine 5? I'm curious to hear your thoughts, so share them in the comments and vote in our poll below.

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Starfield’s reported PS5 sales have surfaced via Alinea Analytics, a firm that often reports on game sales. While its estimates cannot be verified, the figures raise some obvious questions.

According to Alinea, Starfield has sold around 140,000 copies on Sony’s PlayStation 5. If accurate, that is a relatively weak showing for what is supposed to be Bethesda Game Studios' premier RPG and its first real new IP, whatever that actually means.

It also brings the exclusivity debate back into focus, which remains a constant talking point among Xbox fans and haters alike.

If accurate, 140,000 sales would put Starfield behind the likes of even The Outer Worlds 2 on PlayStation 5, which Alinea estimates has sold 160,000 copies. It would also fall further behind titles like Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and Ninja Gaiden 4, both of which are said to have surpassed 240K copies on PlayStation 5.

With that said though, this is still early days for Starfield's PS5 release, and according to Alinea, the game is currently selling faster than those titles.

I’m not sure whether Alinea’s estimates are accurate or not, and realistically we’ll never know for certain unless Todd Howard descends from the heavens and confirms it himself. If the figures are correct, though, it does, at least to me, raise a bigger question about whether Xbox’s multiplatform strategy has actually been worth it.

It’s great that more players can access these games, and some Xbox titles have performed well, such as Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 5. At the same time, it does raise a valid concern about why someone would even invest in Xbox hardware if those same games are available elsewhere.

I’m not trying to say which approach is right or wrong here. I’ve largely moved to PC myself, but I still enjoy my Series X, especially for its extensive backward compatibility library going all the way back to the original Xbox.

For now though, it feels like Xbox fans are in a bit of a standoff, unsure what direction Xbox might take next. I’m genuinely more excited about the brand than I’ve been in a long time, and whether it commits to exclusives, leans on timed exclusivity, or does something totally different, I’ll be watching closely until we find out.

If you haven’t already, weigh in on the exclusivity debate yourself, and if you have, there’s no harm in doing it again for what is probably the millionth time if you’re anything like me.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll below!

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While the Fallout and The Elder Scrolls developer Bethesda is renowned in the gaming community for its large, content-dense open-world RPG titles, its latest projects — 2018's Fallout 76 and 2023's Xbox game Starfield — were departures from the studio's norm. The former is a multiplayer MMO-lite take on the post-apocalyptic franchise, while the latter has a significantly grander scale than any Bethesda title before it.

The developer getting more experimental in recent years has made many curious about the reasons why, and in a recent interview, Bethesda game director and executive producer Todd Howard explained that Fallout 76 and Starfield were "creatively different" by design, as the studio wanted to play around with different ideas and directions.

"I think it's true that Fallout 76 and Starfield clearly — they're creatively different than what we had done. And we really wanted to do that. When you're doing a certain type of thing for, in my case, 20 years, we want to try some other things and learn from that. We have ideas that we want to get out there," he told GamesRadar+.

Howard is thankful that these two releases have performed well despite the fact that they veer away from Bethesda's usual style, and that the studio as a whole was able to take some risks with its recent creations.

"We're fortunate those games have found, in the scheme of things, giant audiences that let us keep doing things in them," he added. "Even though they're a bit off the core path of the single-player games that we have been doing, we're just fortunate to have the success that we've had with them."

Indeed, Fallout 76 and Starfield both have passionate fanbases, though both games are undeniably more divisive than more traditional Bethesda titles like, say, Fallout 4 or Skyrim. Howard acknowledges this, though ultimately points out that at one point, people felt the same way about The Elder Scrolls and Fallout compared to other competing RPGs or the old-school '90s Fallout games from Interplay Entertainment.

"If you look back at the beginning of Elder Scrolls, beginning of Fallout, they're a little bit the same. And then, you find an audience that loves that," he commented.

In Fallout 76's case, most criticism of the game was centered around performance and bugs at launch, though many were also frustrated by the lack of NPCs in its world. These issues were ironed out with time, though, and it's grown into a fairly popular live-service game that's quite successful, especially after Amazon's Fallout TV show kicked off a series-wide resurgence.

Starfield, I would argue, has deeper problems. The space exploration RPG may have over 1,000 planets to explore across 100 star systems, sure, but tons of them are bland and empty, only sparsely populated with repetitive and reused structures and landmarks. On the whole, it's painfully shallow compared to Bethesda's other single player titles, and neither the Shattered Space expansion or the new Terran Armada DLC change that.

I'll never say a studio shouldn't take risks or try something new, but with Starfield, I think Bethesda got too far away from what makes their games fun. The magic of a well-crafted open world isn't just its size, but also how all that space is used, and what it's filled with for players to discover. Howard mentioned learning from its experimentative titles; I believe valuing handcrafted content over scale is the lesson to take from Starfield.

The game's lack of depth and engaging experiences has me worried about The Elder Scrolls 6, though my concerns have been assuaged somewhat by Howard saying that it will be a "classic" Bethesda game. I like Fallout 76 and I respect the devs for their ambitions with Starfield, but I've been waiting for Skyrim's sequel for 15 years now, and I'm glad it's not trying to change a winning formula.

How do you feel about experimental Bethesda games like Fallout 76 and Starfield? Are you glad The Elder Scrolls 6 will be more of a traditional RPG? Share your thoughts in the comments, and vote which Bethesda franchise is your favorite in our poll, too.

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Pete Hines is the former Head of Publishing at Bethesda, staying with the company from 1999 through to 2023. He left following Microsoft’s acquisition, and in a recent interview with Firezide Chat, he has some strong words to share.

That said, it is not all negative. Hines also reflects positively on his time at Bethesda, including his long-standing relationship with Todd Howard, who he says remains one of his best friends. However, when the interview turns to the period following the acquisition, the tone becomes noticeably more critical. So let’s jump in.

Pete Hines questions Bethesda’s direction under Microsoft

Pete Hines doesn’t hold back in this interview, but it’s worth being clear about the context. Rather than directly targeting Microsoft, his comments seem to reflect his experience during the period after the acquisition.

So instead of padding this out, let’s go straight to what he said in a recent Firezide Gaming interview.

In the interview, Hines states:

It’s a striking take on Bethesda’s current position. While he doesn’t explicitly mention Microsoft here, the timing and broader discussion suggest he is reflecting on the post-acquisition period.

He also explains why he stayed on for a time after the deal, stating:

That sense of frustration continues as he adds:

"When I couldn't protect it, and I saw how it was getting damaged and broken apart and frankly mistreated, abused, whatever word you want to use, I said I am not going to sit here and watch this happen right in front of me."

Hines also states his “mental health was so deplorable” that he ultimately had to leave.

Taken together, the comments point to a broader shift in environment and responsibilities following the acquisition, alongside his declining mental health, rather than a direct, explicit criticism of Microsoft itself, at least that's how I read it anyway.

Now, these aren't exactly kind words from Hines overall, but they do reflect how strongly he feels about Bethesda and the changes he believes took place.

With all that said, let me know your thoughts on what Hines has said by leaving a comment and taking part in our poll below:

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Few individual developers in the gaming industry are as well-known by both players as well as other game devs as well ass Todd Howard is. He's been at The Elder Scrolls and Fallout studio Bethesda for over 30 years, and as its game director and executive producer, has led development on legendary titles like Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Fallout 4, among others.

To say that his influence on the industry is massive is an understatement — but that hardly means he's infallible. It's a point that former Bethesda senior artist Dennis Mejillones, known for his work on Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Xbox's Starfield, made in a recently dug up interview with Kiwi Talkz.

"He's a phenomenal person. Is he perfect? No. Does he call all the shots perfectly? No," Mejillones said of Howard. "I can't tell you how many times I told Todd, 'Oh, that's not a good idea, that's bad, that's not good.' Or, I kind of kept my mouth shut about it. I'm like, 'Eugh, I don't think that's so great,' you know?"

Mejillones went on to explain that in most cases, he would share his criticism of Howard's ideas or strategies with him to provide feedback. According to him, though, many others tend to be "yes men" around him, and don't challenge his direction because they don't want to seem like they're opposing a legendary developer.

"Typically, though, I would communicate if I felt really strongly about it, you know? Me and Todd could at least communicate — a lot of people were afraid to say no to Todd, and I think that hurt him," he said. "It's like George Lucas. I think George Lucas is a genius. I think geniuses come up with terrible ideas too. They're not all gonna be hits, but if you don't have somebody to help you filter through these things and give you an honest assessment because they're afraid to tell you what they really think, it actually does hurt you. And I think that kinda happens to Todd in some regards."

That's quite an interesting take to hear from one of Howard's former colleagues, and considering the fact that Mejillones worked at Bethesda for 11 years from 2009 to 2021, it's safe to say that he's likely seen countless examples of these yes man tendencies from employees at the studio.

Hearing this, I can't help but wonder about Bethesda's recent, more controversial games like Fallout 76 and Starfield, and if their contentious qualities — the arguable lack of satisfying depth in the latter, for example — might have been improved if devs gave more critical feedback of Howard's ideas and drove refinement.

Then again, earlier this year, former Bethesda lore specialist and Skyrim co-lead Kurt Kuhlmann told PC Gamer that Starfield's development suffered when Howard wasn't able to focus on the game, noting that "when he would get pulled away from the game that would really hurt the game."

Ultimately, it sounds like Howard is a "very good project lead" whose presence is very beneficial, even if Bethesda's devs could perhaps stand to give him more constructive feedback instead of just agreeing with him all the time. From the outside looking in, though, it's hard to say anything for sure — especially since these are the views of just two people who've worked at a very large studio.

With all of that said, I do hope Howard's calls are met with a healthy amount of scrutiny moving forward, as without criticism, you risk getting caught in an echo chamber of toxic positivity. Quality, honest feedback is crucial for refining and improving ideas, and I want The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 to be as refined as they can be.

🗨️ Over to you!

The comments from Mejillones in this interview are very interesting, and suggest that Todd Howard's suggestions may not be getting a healthy amount of pushback and constructive feedback from Bethesda's developers. One can't help but wonder how much that may have influenced Fallout 76 and Starfield, as well as if it's actively influencing the creation of The Elder Scrolls 6.

Are you worried that it is? I'd like to hear from you, so share your take in the comments and vote in our poll about Bethesda's various IPs.

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There's no denying that Fallout Season 2 has been a monumental success for Amazon and Microsoft, and now, thanks to The Hollywood Reporter, we have some details on just how successful.

It’s especially notable given Microsoft’s mixed track record with video game adaptations, from the poorly received Halo TV show to the Minecraft movie (which I’d argue was one of the worst movies I’ve personally seen, even if it still found commercial success).

Still, it’s clear audiences are hungry for more Fallout. Season 2 pulled in 83 million viewers, making it Amazon’s second biggest returning show, behind Reacher.

In a report from The Hollywood Reporter, based on first-party data from Prime Video, Fallout Season 2 reached 83 million viewers within its first 13 weeks. That makes it the second biggest returning series on the platform, behind Reacher Season 2.

Season 1 also saw a resurgence during this time, with more than 100 million people globally having watched at least part of the Fallout TV show overall.

Given those numbers, it’s no surprise that Season 3 was greenlit before Season 2 had even aired.

Friedlander also went on to add:

"The show’s performance reaffirms this, with season two now joining season one as two of our top four biggest seasons we’ve ever launched. We’re thrilled to see the franchise continue to grow as we head into season three".

I will admit that despite watching Season 1 and really enjoying it, I haven’t yet gotten around to Season 2.

That said, seeing how successful it has been and how well it’s reviewed, I’ll likely give it a try soon when I get the time.

Let me know your thoughts. Have you seen Fallout Season 2? If so, what did you think? Has it lived up to the hype and stayed faithful to the video games, or were you disappointed by the adaptation?

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Though The Elder Scrolls developer Bethesda Game Studios has served as the shepherd of Fallout ever since the company acquired the series from Interplay Entertainment in 2007, the game often regarded as the best in the franchise is ironically one that wasn't developed by Bethesda at all.

That title is Fallout: New Vegas, the 2010 entry made by the storied RPG studio Obsidian Entertainment during the gap between the 2008 release of Bethesda's Fallout 3 and its direct sequel, 2015's Fallout 4 (between them, it made a little game called Skyrim you may have heard about).

Over the years, many have come to feel that New Vegas is a cut above the rest of the series, with the game's player freedom, narrative depth, complex interconnected quests, and rich RPG systems all winning the hearts of countless players. One Bethesda dev, though, "initially felt a little touchy" about the glowing reputation of Obsidian's take on Fallout because it used the work done for Fallout 3 as a base.

"You always get those guys jumping out of the woodwork to say, 'New Vegas is the best! Bethesda sucks!', and I’m like, 'Okay,'" began character artist Jonah Lobe, speaking on the KIWI TALKZ podcast. "I initially felt a little touchy about it, because I was like, 'We made 90% of the art, we built the engine.'" We did all that stuff [and] we did it in a very limited window of time and they got to just work on the stories."

Indeed, New Vegas utilizes the same version of Bethesda's Gamebryo tech — the predecessor to the Creation Engine and its own variants that would go on to power Skyrim, Fallout 4, Starfield, and the upcoming The Elder Scrolls 6 — that it created for Fallout 3, and also reuses a significant amount of Fallout 3's assets for its textures, in-game items, and more.

But while Lobe says he felt like "it's a little unfair that we were being judged on not having the storylines [that New Vegas had]," he made it clear that he still greatly enjoys and respects New Vegas, believes Obsidian did an excellent job with the RPG, and even wishes Fallout 3's story and writing had similar depth and nuance.

"But with that said ... Obsidian killed it. Like, I think they did a beautiful job, and it did make me feel a little bit sad that our design team could not envision the same kind of — maybe they just didn't have time or bandwidth. Like, they just didn't implement the same scale of really ambitious of 'huge arc, multi-choices' kind of thing."

When Lobe sought out the opinions of some of the other devs present on the podcast, ex-Bethesda artist Nate Purkeypile said he likes New Vegas a lot, but thinks it stumbles some with dungeons and world design.

"I do think Vegas is a really good game, but it also does some things worse. I think its dungeons and world design are not as good," he commented. "So, it's like, from a writing and design perspective I think they did better, but I do not feel the same way about their dungeons."

Lobe, though, raised another valuable point: Obsidian had to develop New Vegas in a very short timeframe of just 18 months. "We should also say they had a limited window of time to work. They were very pressed for time — an unfair amount of time, honestly."

I love New Vegas to pieces, but it's true that Bethesda's work on the foundation Obsidian built it on tends to go unrecognized, and shouldn't. That being said, Fallout 3 was incredibly well-received too.

In the end, both games are fantastic RPGs, which is why I'm stoked to play the upcoming Fallout 3 and New Vegas remasters we know are coming. Haven't checked the games out yet? Every Fallout title is playable on Xbox and PC through Xbox Game Pass.

🗨️ Which Fallout game is your favorite?

It's interesting to hear Bethesda developers that previously worked on Fallout discuss their thoughts on Fallout: New Vegas, and some of the things they think others games in the series do better while acknowledging the impressive narrative depth and design of Obsidian's RPG.

New Vegas is definitely my favorite Fallout game, but I'm curious to hear from you about yours. Give your take in the comments, and vote in our ongoing poll!

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Given that The Elder Scrolls and Fallout developer Bethesda first announced The Elder Scrolls 6 eight years ago now and the fact it still doesn't have a release date, I'd forgive you for thinking that the game has been through a lot of tumultuous development at the studio.

However, according to Bethesda's game director and executive producer Todd Howard, the process of creating the next big Tamriel-based fantasy adventure has actually gone quite a bit smoother than development of the studio's latest title, 2023's Xbox and PC space exploration RPG Starfield (also on Xbox Game Pass, and coming soon to PS5 as well).

Specifically, while speaking with IGN in a new interview, Howard explained that Bethesda's move from Creation Engine 2 — Starfield's engine, and an upgraded version of the one used for Skyrim and Fallout 4 in its own right — to Creation Engine 3, the latest iteration of its proprietary tech, has proven to be a major boon for the company's workflow.

"But the one thing I'd say is really in the tech as we're going to Creation Engine 3. Again, the team has done a really incredible job at not just pushing what it is, but how it's integrated into our development cycle," said Howard, when asked about lessons learned from Starfield that Bethesda is applying to The Elder Scrolls 6. "So, you don't feel [issues in] what we're doing on a day-to-day basis, like when the game goes down. So, we're in a fortunate position where the builds of the game are really consistently working every day. Well, not every day, but we've had more days than we've ever had where the build is good, there's new stuff in it, and we can play it."

"And when you're making those kinds of technical changes as we talked about, often you're pulling the rug out from under the team who's making content. [You don't want] to be like, ‘Okay, that doesn't work for this period of time, you're going to have to wait until we get that working again.’ And we've done a really good job of managing that on this game," he added. "And with Starfield, we struggled there for a number of years in terms of when we went through the engine change."

But why, then, have we seen or heard next to nothing of The Elder Scrolls 6 for upwards of a decade after it was first announced at E3 2018? Well, many forget that Bethesda also revealed Starfield at the same time, and overall, it seems clear that the studio simply wanted to confirm the next The Elder Scrolls game would eventually come.

In the end, though, it seems all these years later, Howard actually regrets doing so. "Just pretend we didn't announce it. Doesn't exist," he said dismissively, of the reveal. "Nothing. I've never heard of it," he later jokingly added on the topic of the game itself.

Regardless, it's good to hear that the improvements made with Creation Engine 3 have made it easier for Bethesda to build the highly anticipated title without its developers stepping on each other's toes, which sounds like an issue it dealt with while making Starfield.

It's the first update on The Elder Scrolls 6's development we've gotten since Howard said "It's progressing really well" in December, and that "the majority of the studio's on VI." In November, he commented that it's still "a long ways off," so even though Bethesda is pleased with how things are coming along, you still shouldn't expect the game any time soon.

Notably, Howard's comments come on the same day as Xbox and Bethesda announced Starfield is getting a new Free Lanes update as well as a $10 Terran Armada story DLC (it's included in the Deluxe Edition, if you have it). Both are coming out on April 7, which is also the same time Starfield is arriving on PS5 (this was previously leaked, and is now confirmed).

🗨️ Are you hyped for The Elder Scrolls 6?

Hearing that Creation Engine 3 has made developing The Elder Scrolls 6 easier for Bethesda makes me more excited to eventually get my hands on it, even if it's still a long ways away.

How about you, though? Are you hyped to play The Elder Scrolls 6? Share your thoughts in the comments, and vote in our poll!

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Elder Scrolls Online is one of the few genuinely strong MMOs still thriving today, alongside RuneScape, World of Warcraft, and a handful of others. Unlike those PC-only giants, though, Elder Scrolls Online is also available on console.

That wider availability has always been a strength, but one thing that has frustrated Xbox players for years is the lack of Xbox Play Anywhere support. The feature would allow players to carry their saves and achievements across console and PC using the same Xbox account.

For those unaware of what ESO is, the game lets you team up with friends or explore solo in a massive shared world, featuring regions from across the Elder Scrolls series. The story takes place before the events of Skyrim, giving players a chance to explore Tamriel in an earlier era.

A long-requested feature finally set to arrive, just not quite yet

TrueAchievements actually spotted this before us, so credit where it’s due.

Over on Reddit, ZeniMax Community Manager u/ZOS_JessicaFolsom cross-posted from the ESO forums confirming that the team plans to roll out Xbox Play Anywhere later this year and join Xbox Game Pass. That means the feature is not live yet, even though it briefly appeared on the game’s Xbox app page.

The Community Manager stated: “Later this year, ESO for Xbox will be available as an Xbox Play Anywhere title, including PC support.”

“Later this year” could mean any time in the coming months, but it is still encouraging to see the feature officially on the way.

It is also worth noting that the game is coming to Game Pass. For a buy-to-play MMO, being included in the service is a significant addition and helps strengthen Game Pass overall.

There is one important caveat, though. This is not an account merge or transfer system.

Players will log into their Xbox account through the Xbox app on PC and play on the Xbox servers. Existing PC accounts will remain separate and continue running on the PC servers.

I have not played the game in quite some time, so I was not even aware that the servers were separated like this.

It is also worth mentioning that ZeniMax Online Studios has confirmed that full cross-play between Xbox, PlayStation, and PC is in development. However, there is no release window yet, and it is described as a technically complex process.

Passing it over to you!

Are you planning to try ESO on PC once Xbox Play Anywhere support goes live, or are you sticking to console? Let us know in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:

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While the first season of Amazon's acclaimed Fallout TV show was set in California around the ruins of Los Angeles and Season 2 prominently featured the Mojave Wasteland and the city of New Vegas, it's been revealed that at originally, its writers wanted to do New Vegas from the get go.

That revelation comes from Todd Howard, executive producer and game director at Fallout developer Bethesda Game Studios. Howard says he told the showrunners to hold off on going to New Vegas until "the base" of the series' story was established, as the setting — the primary location that Fallout: New Vegas took place in — is "tricky" and a "minefield" due to all the events that previously happened there, and because Obsidian Entertainment's 2010 entry is widely considered the best Fallout game.

"The writers really wanted to go to New Vegas. They actually wanted to go there in the early early pitches of Season 1, and I said, 'I would save that. That's such an iconic thing for Fallout — let's establish the base, and then we can go to New Vegas,'" he explained in a new Kinda Funny Games interview.

"And I thought they did a really really good job in taking it there because it's tricky. You have an iconic area, a beloved game, particular storylines [that] end in different ways, really strong characters...and there's a million ways to f**ck that up. And so it can be a bit of a minefield, right? And I thought they did a great job," he continued.

Howard then went on to note that Amazon and Bethesda approached the narrative of Season 2 very carefully, aiming to not "refute" any of Fallout: New Vegas' potential endings while simultaneously focusing on parts of the story that they felt it would be appropriate to "push forward." This is the "fog of war" approach that the showrunners have talked about previously.

"We spent a lot of time saying, like, 'let's not refute anything that happened in the games, but let's see if there's some areas that the writers really wanna push forward' ... I thought they did a fabulous job," he said. "And, you know, you do kinda worry about sophomore slump, you see it in some other things that you all love in entertainment, [but] fortunately people loved it, and we're on to Season 3."

Indeed, people did love it; long before the entirety of Season 2 and its New Vegas-centric story aired, it was already breaking Rotten Tomatoes records, and it's currently the highest-rated Season 2 of any live-action video game adaptation. The Fallout show overall is also now the highest rated live-action video game adaptation, beating out HBO's The Last of Us and others.

Notably, like Season 1 did back in Spring 2024, Season 2 gave the Fallout games it's based on a huge player count boost, kicking off a resurgence for the legendary RPG franchise. Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and Fallout: New Vegas benefitted the most from this renaissance, though all of the games did to varying degrees.

Its popularity reinforces my belief that Bethesda and Todd Howard ultimately made the right call in saving New Vegas for Season 2, as first establishing the show's core narrative and taking time to figure out how to carry the conflicts of New Vegas forward in a fitting way undoubtedly helped the showrunners safely navigate the "minefield."

If you haven't played New Vegas yourself yet, I can't recommend it enough — both because it provides significant context for the Fallout show, and because it's a terrific game. Like all the other Fallout titles, it's playable through Xbox Game Pass on Xbox and PC.

Did Todd Howard make the right call?

Do you believe Bethesda and Todd Howard were right to tell the Fallout TV showrunners to wait until Season 2 to do New Vegas? Are you a big fan of the show? How about of the Fallout RPGs? Let me know in the comments.

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The Elder Scrolls and Fallout developer Bethesda may be full steam ahead on The Elder Scrolls 6 right now, but that doesn't mean it's stopped working on its Xbox and PC space exploration RPG Starfield. In fact, the studio is gearing up to talk about its next big content update for the game soon, according to its game director Todd Howard.

Early last year, Bethesda teased big things for Starfield before going dark, with only a few more hints coming later in 2025. Then, amid reports of special preview event that showed attendees what's next for Starfield, rumors began to circulate that it would get something of a "Cyberpunk 2.0" moment in 2026, with some comparing it to the way the Phantom Liberty DLC massively overhauled Cyberpunk 2077.

Now, speaking with Kinda Funny Games in a new interview, Howard has revealed that more news about what Bethesda has in store for Starfield fans is "coming soon" — and that it's not "Starfield 2.0" in terms of overall scope.

"I can tell everybody we're gonna be talking about it really soon. We're moving into a phase where we're ready to talk about Starfield, and really show that in the right way, and what's coming to the game. We've been doing a lot of work that we like a lot," he said. "It is not 'Starfield 2.0' — you know, I've seen some of that ... for expectation setting, I think it's the kind of thing where if you love Starfield, we think you're gonna love this. It's updates that change the game not in an isolated way, but sort of, you know, meta, using outer space and things in ways that we haven't."

"But look, if Starfield's something that didn't connect with you right away, or you bounced off it, or found it boring in places, I don't think this is gonna change that fundamentally, but if you're someone who loves Starfield ... we're really happy with it, we like it a lot," he continued.

When asked how close Bethesda is to unveiling what it's been working on, Howard confirmed that "It's soonish, it is soonish. I don't wanna spoil the day, but it's coming soon, yep."

The news that Starfield isn't getting a big game-wide revamp will certainly disappoint some. It definitely disappoints me; I very much did not like Starfield and how bland and empty it felt compared to Bethesda's other RPGs (thankfully, Howard said The Elder Scrolls 6 will be a "classic" Bethesda game).

If you enjoyed Starfield more than I did, though, it sounds like you'll enjoy what Bethesda is announcing soon, too. Whatever it is, Howard's comments reveal it's going to utilize outer space in some new ways.

As for what it is exactly, the most likely answer is Starfield's next DLC expansion, which has been confirmed to be in development. The first one, Shattered Space, was met with a pretty lukewarm reception, so hopefully the next one does more to impress and move the needle. I also expect that Bethesda will continue supporting Starfield with free updates.

As always, only time will tell — but Howard's comments suggest the wait won't be long at all. Perhaps we'll finally get to see what's next for Starfield in March, which is notably the same month Bethesda began to tease what's coming last year.

Note that in addition to being available for direct purchase on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC (it's just $38.59 at Loaded thanks to a nice deal), Starfield is also accessible with an active Xbox Game Pass membership.

What's your opinion of Starfield? How about Bethesda's other games, like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout? Would a new DLC expansion motivate you to come back to Starfield, or check it out if you haven't yet? Hit me with your take in the comments.

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Though Xbox and Bethesda Game Studios are still working on more updates and content for Starfield and Fallout 76, the majority of the developer's staff are focused on the long-awaited The Elder Scrolls 6 that was announced over seven years ago in 2018.

Extremely little is known about the highly anticipated fantasy RPG and Skyrim sequel right now, though we just learned some major new details about the game from a Kinda Funny Games interview with Bethesda's executive producer and game director, Todd Howard.

Specifically, Howard revealed that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be more of a "classic" Bethesda game compared to more experimental titles like Fallout 76 and Starfield. Additionally, he also confirmed that it will use "Creation Engine 3," the latest iteration of the proprietary software it's used to build its RPGs since 2002's Morrowind.

"We do have a certain style that we like and our fans like that we want to get better and better at. I think in many ways, Fallout 76 and Starfield are a little bit of a creative detour from that classic Elder Scrolls, Fallout ... where you're exploring a world in a certain way," Howard told Kinda Funny host Greg Miller when asked if Bethesda plans to stick to its approach to RPG design, and its Creation Engine. "And you know, as we come back to Elder Scrolls 6 that we're doing now, we're coming back to that kind of classic style that we've missed, that we know really really well."

"We have a style of game that we really really like that I think people expect from us, and there's a lot of innovation to be done there still, so that when you step into a world you feel like you're experiencing it for the first time, a game like that, and we're happy with where it's headed right now. That's what I can say," he continued.

And on the Creation Engine: "We spent the last several years bringing Creation Engine 2 — which powers Starfield — up to Creation Engine 3; that's gonna power Elder Scrolls 6 and beyond," Howard announced. "And you know, obviously we do all the rendering things, we're really happy with the new stuff that we're doing, but also world systems, loading, how we bring things into the world, how we get that detail close to the camera immediately."

Though Bethesda continuing to upgrade and use their in-house engine for The Elder Scrolls 6 and other upcoming titles (Fallout 5, perhaps?) was expected, it wasn't officially confirmed until now. Some are worried about this since Creation is notorious for bugginess and its reliance on loading screens; hopefully Bethesda's improvements address these issues effectively.

I have mixed feelings about the Creation Engine, but what I'm definitely happy about is that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be more of a traditional Bethesda game. I wasn't really a fan of Starfield and found it to be as wide as an ocean but as shallow as a puddle, so I'm glad it sounds like the upcoming RPG will be denser and richer with things to do, even if that means it'll also be smaller.

Previously, Howard has commented that The Elder Scrolls 6 is "progressing really well," though it's still "a long ways off." Ultimately, we still don't know when it's coming out, but when it does, it'll be playable on Xbox and PC, and through Xbox Game Pass.

Are you looking forward to The Elder Scrolls 6? Are you glad it's going to be more of a classic Bethesda game, or would you have preferred for the studio to try something experimental? Let me know in the comments.

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Bethesda's long-running 2018 MMO-lite RPG Fallout 76 is still going strong, with the experimental multiplayer spinoff of the beloved post-apocalyptic franchise maintaining a healthy community of players through regular content updates. The latest of these was the Burning Springs expansion that prominently features The Ghoul from the Fallout TV show; another very notable release was the Gleaming Depths update that came in late 2024.

Gleaming Depths featured a special four-player endgame raid of the same name, and challenged a squad of Vault Dwellers to progress through an arduous, lengthy dungeon that requires communication and ends with a climactic boss battle. Compared to everything else in Fallout 76, Gleaming Depths was a huge step up both in terms of difficulty and rewards, with players able to walk away from completions with 4-star Legendary gear, unique crafting blueprints, tons of XP and materials, and more.

In several ways, it's reminiscent of a raid from Bungie's Destiny 2, one of Fallout 76's live-service rivals — and it got a strong reception from fans, prompting Bethesda to consider how it might improve the experience if a second raid was to come. One idea is "encouraging players to play through the whole raid, or maybe dispersing the rewards across bosses a little more evenly, so it's not so concentrated on one boss or another," creative director Jon Rush told PCGamesN in a recent interview.

But ultimately, what matters most to Rush is that any new raid content is challenging, drives players to team up and work together, and sufficiently rewards them for the effort required to properly gear up for, learn, and successfully complete encounters. "As long as players are challenged, and they're encouraged to play with their friends or in a group, and that they are greatly rewarded for being successful," he said.

Notably, one thing Bethesda wants to avoid is having too much of a meta for the raid, and specific types of builds feeling required in order for you to efficiently make progress. "I'd hate to set something up where it's like, you have to be this [build], or else you'll just fall flat on your face. I'd rather let people see a new problem or something they need to overcome and let them choose how they want to do it," Rush explained.

That desire for many different kinds of setups to be viable, however, shines light on one of Fallout 76's biggest issues: the amount of time you have to spend in menus if you want to swap your build. Though the RPG is actually the first in Fallout history to support full and unlimited respecs, there's no way to quickly switch between loadouts. Thankfully, Bethesda is exploring ways to address this.

"We also want to figure out ways to make changing out loadouts — and changing full loadouts, meaning armor and things like that — a little bit easier for players, so you can do that without the time sink that is required for it," lead producer Bill LaCoste commented. "I really do want people to have multiple loadouts and outfits that go along with the content they're trying to engage in."

"We need to make it a little bit easier and make some adjustments, either on the job board side, or maybe some other tools that we can add for players too," he continued. The studio's overall goal is "to give people more time playing the game rather than dealing with their inventory," because the developer is "very much against 'playing the UI,' we want to play the game."

Be that as it may, though, it's important to note that Bethesda may still explore nudging people towards trying out new setups or tweaking their builds with future gameplay obstacles. "With that said, you know, hypothetically, if there was another raid, maybe the challenges would be skewed a bit differently so that people would need to think of other ways to play through it or gear up for it, you know?" Rush added.

Whether you're interested in new Fallout 76 raids or not, it's great to hear that the developers want to make changing builds easier. A system they should look to to try and emulate, in my opinion, is Destiny 2's Loadout mechanic; it allows you to save and swap between builds with the click of a button, automatically changing everything from your chosen subclass abilities and modifiers to your gear and all the mods you've equipped on them.

Are you a fan of Fallout 76? Would you be excited to see another raid similar to Gleaming Depths come to Bethesda's multiplayer RPG? Let me know in the comments.

Starfield, Bethesda’s newest IP, launched in 2023 as an Xbox and PC exclusive. Since release, it has been widely rumored to be heading to PS5, especially since the shift in strategy at Xbox.

Now, popular insider Shinobi602, who has a strong track record with industry information, has suggested on Resetera that a PS5 reveal could happen soon. According to the insider, the announcement may also include details about the game’s next expansion.

That expansion has been rumored for some time. Reports suggest it could introduce major improvements, potentially addressing some of the quirks and issues players have raised since launch.

A second chance to win players back?

Starfield, Bethesda’s space-set RPG, includes much of what players have come to expect from the studio. Despite that, it has been a point of contention among fans, with some feeling it did not fully meet expectations.

Here at Windows Central, however, it reviewed strongly. Jez Corden scored the game a 4.5 out of 5, praising its scope and ambition.

It has become popular online to highlight the so-called “jank” often associated with Bethesda titles. Even so, Starfield is not a bad game by any reasonable measure. A PS5 release alongside a substantial update could help shift the conversation and give it renewed attention.

This also is not the first time we have heard rumors of a PS5 port or a major update. Back in December, we reported on similar claims, but without a concrete timeline on when it would release along with an expected Nintendo Switch 2 version being in the works. Though Shinobi also believes that release has been pushed out or might not even come at all.

Now, according to Shinobi602, there is a clearer timeline. The insider suggests Bethesda could reveal more as soon as next month, potentially placing the announcement of the PS5 version and the next update in March 2026, with reports pointing to an April 2026 release for PS5.

Xbox is no stranger to porting their games to PlayStation and it’s very much expected as part of its strategy going forward, with Avowed being the latest to make the move. However, despite releasing games across multiple platforms, some titles are struggling to sell, with The Outer Worlds 2 being a recent example of this, despite reviewing well.

Do you think a PS5 release and major update could change the conversation around Starfield? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:

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Xbox and Bethesda's beloved post-apocalyptic RPG franchise Fallout is all the rage right now, with Season 2 of the TV show doubling its player counts on Steam, several free DLC add-ons hitting Fallout 4 recently, and more. Indeed, the last few months have been a great time to be a fan of the series — and in the days leading up to Season 2's finale episode, Bethesda has a treat for those who may not have played one of its biggest games.

From now until February 4 — one day after the finale of Season 2 of the Fallout TV show — you can play Fallout 76 for free across all of its platforms, including Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC (Steam, Xbox on PC), PS5, and PS4. Any characters and progress you make in the game will carry forward if you choose to purchase it after the free-to-play period ends (it's only $7.99 right now; it's usually $39.99).

Fallout 76 is one of the largest modern Fallout titles you can play right now, both in terms of available content and in terms of player count. As recent SteamDB data shows, the game has had, on average, around 20K-30K players on Valve's PC gaming platform at any given time.

That's not quite as large as Fallout 4's 30K-50K average, but it's above Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. Ultimately, these are healthy, respectable numbers — and they're in addition to all the players on Xbox and PlayStation consoles that can't be tracked due to the lack of publicly available metrics.

As the first multiplayer RPG in the series with live-service patches and MMO-like elements, Fallout 76 was (and for some, still is) quite controversial, and got off to an extremely rocky start in late 2018. Bethesda stuck with it and has routinely improved it with major content updates, though, transforming it into a game that many love and play regularly. Burning Springs, its latest expansion, is its largest in years, and features The Ghoul from the TV show.

Fallout 76 becoming free to play for a week is pretty awesome, though the way Bethesda chose to announce and advertise that is a little...odd. The studio revealed the news alongside a new commercial for its Fallout games that stars Michael Grzesiek, AKA Shroud, one of the biggest streamers on Twitch and a competitive FPS player that used to compete in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (now Counter-Strike 2).

Getting a former pro player that specializes in PvP games to advertise your mostly singleplayer RPG franchise is certainly a choice, but I suppose he's still a very recognizable figure in gaming and may drive some PvP players to give Fallout a shot. Plus, Shroud says he's a huge fan of the series.

"Honestly still shocked I got to be apart of this commercial," he wrote in a post on social media. "As you all know fallout is one of my favorite video game franchises and to see myself in this video is incredibly heartwarming!!"

The commercial itself features Shroud clad in an up-armored Vault suit as he and several "Dogmeat" friends — referencing the canine companions you can find in most of the Fallout games — investigate a gas station for treasure, with a few amusing references to Fallout 4 thrown in. "Have any of you guys seen my son?" he asks the dogs.

Note that while Fallout 76 is the only game that's free to play for a limited time, all of the Fallout games are available to play across Xbox and PC with Xbox Game Pass. They're accessible through Xbox Cloud Gaming as well, with Fallout 4 also supporting Xbox Play Anywhere cross-save.

Do you plan on checking out Fallout 76 while it's free to play? If you've already played it, how do you like it compared to the mainstream singleplayer Fallout titles? Hit me with your take in the comments.

Bethesda's legendary post-apocalyptic sci-fi RPG franchise Fallout was propelled into the spotlight when the Fallout TV show debuted in Spring 2024, kicking off a renaissance for the fan-favorite games. Now, two years later, Season 2 of the show is sparking further renewed interest in the series — and if you're playing Fallout 4, Bethesda has released several pieces of free DLC content you can enjoy now.

These come in the form of community-made Creations mods paid for and curated by the developer. Typically, these cost money, but four that Bethesda has released for Fallout 4 recently are completely free to download and play across the Xbox, Windows PC, and PlayStation versions of the RPG shooter. None of them got any real marketing; that's a shame, because they're quite substantial and add many hours of content.

They include the following: The Varmint Rifle by Neeher, The Tale of the Beast Hunter by Hobgoblin Studios, Brotherhood of Steel T60 Pistol by Volodymyr Bondarchuk (Painter2099) and Armando Neto (NetoElite), and Revenge of the Van Graffs by the same creators. You'll find all of them in the Creations Store within Fallout 4.

Notably, the Varmint Rifle is a returning weapon from Fallout: New Vegas, and both The Tale of the Beast Hunter and Revenge of the Van Graffs feature or reference factions and gear that's either from or inspired by Obsidian's beloved entry in the franchise. The T60 Pistol add-on, meanwhile, brings the faction's powerful hand cannon from the TV show into Fallout 4.

That makes all four of these Creations especially worth checking out if you're a big fan of New Vegas and/or Amazon's TV series, which I'd wager most Fallout fans are. After all, the TV show is a record-breaking success, and New Vegas is widely regarded by many as the best Fallout game.

The Varmint Rifle features a bespoke, rather unique dungeon found by traveling west from Cambridge Polymer Labs along the nearby river, where you'll find a raider trying to enter a sewer through a manhole. Inside you'll find a variety of quest-markerless puzzles to work your way through, with the Varmint Rifle itself serving as your reward.

Tale of the Beast Hunter, meanwhile, sees you go through a "7-part holotape adventure" to "uncover the legend of the Beast Hunter." The Creation includes a unique outfit with two styles inspired by the iconic NCR Veteran Rangers and New Vegas' Lucky 38, along with a new Revolver Shotgun weapon called "Judge" and a "The Bar" player home fashioned after the look of The Strip in New Vegas.

The T60 Pistol is a smaller DLC that adds the weapon to Brotherhood of Steel inventories and to a few select locations like the Cambridge Police Station and Elder Maxson's room in the Prydwen. Revenge of the Van Graffs, though, is similar to Tale of the Beast Hunter in terms of scope.

Once you hit Level 15, you'll pick up an SOS signal on the radio that ropes you into a questline about mercenaries in dark black armor running amok in the Commonwealth, who New Vegas fans will recognize as the infamous gang of arms dealers in Freeside. By the end of it, you'll find yourself with both the Laser RCW and the Plasma Defender from New Vegas, with these weapons added to leveled lists as well.

I haven't played through these add-ons myself yet, but I have watched a few different walkthroughs and showcases, and overall, all the included quests and gear is great, with impressive voice acting, quality writing, and excellent visuals and animations. Thus, you should definitely check these free Creations out; after the disaster of the Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition, they're a nice win for the 2015 RPG.

Note that Fallout 4, along with every other Fallout game, is available to play on Xbox and PC through Xbox Game Pass.

What do you think of the four new Creations that Bethesda has given Fallout 4 players for free? Are you going to jump into the RPG to check them out soon? Let me know in the comments.

Will Bethesda's faraway upcoming post-apocalyptic RPG sequel Fallout 5 use the same Creation Engine that the studio's used for all of its other recent games? It's unclear right now, but Dean Carter — the project lead of the incredible game-sized Fallout: London mod for Fallout 4 from Team FOLON — really hopes that it won't, or that it will at least be substantially upgraded.

The DNA of the Creation Engine has been at the heart of Bethesda's games for over 20 years, with its predecessor, Gamebryo, used for The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, and Fallout 3 (as well as Obsidian's New Vegas), with Creation utilized for The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. It was then used for Starfield, too, with a creatively named Creation Engine 2 upgrade.

There's a lot to love about the Creation Engine — the physics-based interactivity it enables is particularly great — but it also has some major shortcomings that has Carter wishing Bethesda would either move on or significantly improve it.

"I’m really worried that they’re gonna keep going with the Creation Engine," he told Esports.net. "I understand that it is proprietary. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of pluses to it. I’m not just someone that’s going to sit there and lie and say it’s a terrible engine. It could be better, yes, but it’s not a bad engine but I do think it started to show its age. It needs to be overhauled somewhat."

"Load screens and optimization, without a doubt," he continued when asked what the biggest issues with the Creation Engine are. "That was our biggest complaint, rightly so from the public, that our game wasn’t optimized, and that’s because ... we as gamers did not want load screens. So we built things like the East Minster, which ... is notoriously one of the more unstable areas in the mod, and we were just trying to literally slap down walls on anything to optimize it by the end."

"If they have to upgrade it, that’s what they need to solve: get rid of the load screens and allow better optimization."

Indeed, Carter's comments echo a sentiment I frequently see from players of Bethesda's games, which is that they have far too many loading screens and have major performance problems in dense "cells" — AKA, the different zones Bethesda's maps are broken up into.

Games like Skyrim and Fallout feature large outdoor cells, along with numerous detailed interior cells that you have to load into and out of. Because of this, exploring the map requires dealing with frequent, arguably immersion-breaking loading screens.

Interior cells are used because without them, having lots of locations explorable as part of a larger outdoor cell causes framerate dips and stutters; Fallout 4's Boston area is infamous for these issues, and as Carter explains, Fallout: London's developers struggled to contend with them while sticking to its vision of having as few loading screens as possible.

With most open-world games now seamless and without any loading screens at all, Creation Engine titles and their reliance on them feel increasingly dated. It's something I've really come to hate about them, honestly, so I'm in full agreement with Carter that the engine needs an overhaul to address these limitations.

And hey, maybe some upgrades will bring fun stuff, too. "If they can overhaul it, then there’s no reason why they couldn’t push its limits and start adding things like drivable cars, maybe even metro systems like what we built in Fallout: London," Carter added. "Riders would be a great one. We have horses in Skyrim. I don’t see why they couldn’t get something like that in Fallout 5, too."

How do you feel about Bethesda games and the Creation Engine? Do their frequent loading screens bother you a lot, or do you ultimately not mind them much? Share your thoughts.

While all of the Fallout games that developer Bethesda Game Studios has made after acquiring the RPG series from creator Interplay Entertainment in 2007 — Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Fallout Shelter, and Fallout 76 — have proven to be popular with players, they've also always been rather contentious. Many didn't like the more lighthearted, comic tone of Fallout 4 and 76 in particular, and don't like that it carried over into Amazon's ongoing Fallout TV show, now in its second season.

What Fallout's former developers think of the RPG's current direction has always been a bit of a mystery, though a new comment from a designer that worked on 1998's Fallout 2 and served as a senior designer for Obsidian Entertainment's 2010 Fallout: New Vegas and its DLCs reveals his thoughts on The Elder Scrolls studio's work with the franchise.

The designer in question is Chris Avellone, known for his writing and design work on the aforementioned titles as well as other famed RPGs like Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords, Divinity: Original Sin 2, and Wasteland 3. When a fan asked what he thought about the speculation that Bethesda hates Fallout (referring to how it used to be), he had this to say:

"I don’t think Bethesda hates Fallout, they just don’t fully understand its roots and arguably, don’t care — they own the franchise, and they just want to do their spin on Fallout and make that the norm," he replied. "This usually translates into a colorful, shallow theme park (with some interesting DLC exceptions, like Far Harbor, Point Lookout — and I was one of the ones who liked The Pitt) — still, theme parks are fun for some folks, so if people enjoy it, that’s fine with me."

"As for me, I don’t hate Bethesda, there are things they do well (open world exploration), and there are things they do badly (telling linear stories in open world games and their inability to understand how to use the Speech skill)," he continued. "But every developer has their pros and cons."

It's interesting to see what one of Fallout's oldest developers thinks about the direction Bethesda has taken the post-apocalyptic RPG in throughout the modern era of gaming, and overall, I find myself agreeing with his opinion on the matter. For me, Fallout is always at its best when its humorous elements accentuate its darker political satire themes, but they've been placed front-and-center in recent entries and the TV show.

I thought Fallout 3 struck a great balance that was reminiscent of the vibe of Interplay's original CRPGs, but Fallout 4 swung hard in the colorful and comedic direction, with Fallout 76 and the TV show largely following suit. I still enjoy it, mind, but I do wish the series took itself a bit more seriously these days.

Avellone also hit the nail on the head in regards to his criticisms about Bethesda's linear narratives and poor dialogue options. The developer's tendency to write tight, mostly on-rails stories with minimal branching paths feels antithetical to the RPG's roots, and it's one of the only things I've truly hated about its Fallout games.

Both tonally and structurally, New Vegas is much closer to the classic Fallout experience than any of Bethesda's titles have ever been, complete with incredible player freedom, a deeply open-ended story, and a more serious approach to world design that ensures comedy takes a backseat to more earnest narrative themes.

It's for that reason that I believe it's widely considered to be the best game in the franchise, and I really hope that Fallout 5 is much closer to it than Fallout 4 when it eventually releases. But hey, even if it's not, at least we're getting a Fallout: New Vegas (and Fallout 3) remaster at some point.

Note that all the Fallout games across Xbox and PC are currently playable through Xbox Game Pass, with the old-school CRPGs limited to PC since they never got console ports.

What do you think of what Bethesda has done with the Fallout IP? Would you prefer if the studio styled their games after the old-school RPGs, or do you prefer its newer direction? Share your thoughts in the comments.

The Fallout games are massive RPGs strung together with a variety of different systems and mechanics, but the one that's unique to the franchise — and arguably its most iconic gameplay feature — is the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or VATS.

VATS carried over from the original isometric Fallout games, and is a special function of your Pip-Boy. When used, it slows time bullet time-style (it works in real time in Fallout 76) and allows you to lock onto an foe's individual body parts, with a chance-to-hit percentage on each calculated by your character's stats and skills.

While you don't need to use VATS in combat, many love to because of how satisfying it is — and because critically wounding different limbs can disable certain enemy attacks or hamper their movement speed, it's a very deadly and effective mechanic with the right build.

Thus, it's become a staple of the franchise, and has been in every one of its games. But while it's hard to imagine a Fallout title that doesn't let you pop a raider's head off or cripple a deathclaw leg with VATS, it turns out the mechanic almost didn't make it into Bethesda's first game after acquiring the series, Fallout 3.

Per an interview with Edge (thanks, GamesRadar), Fallout 3 art lead Istvan Pely notes that for a time, Bethesda wasn't sure if anyone was going to like how it adapted VATS to a three-dimensional space. "There was a long period where it was like, 'is this even fun? Is this worth doing at all? Is anyone even going to use this?'"

A big issue for the studio was how VATS' camera positioning worked, and "to make sure it didn't get stuck behind an object," it coded a completely new logic algorithm. This system took "so much time" to refine and finish that "we only just got that working by the time we shipped," Pely said.

With how big of a role VATS plays in Fallout's moment-to-moment gameplay, it's rather shocking to hear that the mechanic just barely got over the finish line before Fallout 3's launch.

Again, it's hard to imagine the games without it, and I'd argue Fallout 3 would have been worse with its absence; its gunplay feels quite dated, but VATS did a lot to make it tolerable.

This also begs the question: if Fallout 3 didn't get VATS, would we have seen it come to Obsidian Entertainment's 2010 RPG Fallout: New Vegas, or Bethesda's next entry Fallout 4? It's impossible to say, but it sure is interesting to think about. I do think Fallout 3 would have been criticized for feeling too clunky without VATS, perhaps driving developers to make sure the system was present in future releases (and improve gameplay feel, as they did with Fallout 4 and 76).

One thing's for certain: without VATS, we wouldn't have one of the best videos on the internet in which a Fallout 4 player uses it to target a Fat Man-wielding baddie, watches in horror as a nuke slowly whistles towards them while their character awkwardly reloads with the system's shaky action cam, and then subsequently lucks out as the projectile misses by a whisker.

Note that all the Fallout games are playable on Xbox systems and Windows PC with Xbox Game Pass (though the old-school '90s titles are PC-only).

Do you use VATS a lot when you play Fallout games, do you aim manually instead, or do you use a combination of both approaches? Let me know what your playstyle is like in the comments.

One of the longer-running games in the Bethesda Softworks umbrella is getting a major shake-up, with The Elder Scrolls Online fully embracing a shift into a seasonal model. While the team at ZeniMax Online Studios was already experimenting with this shift last year, it's now being fully embraced, with regular seasons and a complete rethink of how new quests, zones, and more are added to the game.

During a recent Q&A ahead of Wednesday's livestream, I had the chance to listen to game director Nick Giacomini and executive producer Susan Kath discuss how The Elder Scrolls Online is changing across 2026.

First up, Kath indicates that most new playable content will now be free for all players who own the base game or are playing through a subscription like Xbox Game Pass.
Prior expansions will be folded into the base experience for The Elder Scrolls Online as the Seasons progress.

Per Giacomini, the team is focused on "resilience and transformation," and is trying to provide a far more transparent approach to updates and planning than has been given to players in the past. Each season will last for three months, with Season 0 kicking off in the spring and adding the Dark Brotherhood, Imperial City, Orsinium, and Thieves Guild to the main game.

Season 0 brings a limited-time event called the Night Market, which may stick around for longer if it's well-received by players. This is described as a group event zone, with differing factions to aid in exchange for special rewards, including a new house.

Promised reworks are also being included, starting with Season 0, with the Dragonknight class. The Two-Handed skill lines and the Werewolf are all getting a significant rebalance and visual refresh.

Looking ahead, Season 1 will bring new story quests and Thieves Guild-related content, as well as a new quest involving Sheogorath. Meanwhile, Season 2 will see the Greymoor expansion (which added the province of Skyrim) added to the main game. Additional rebalancing and visual reworks will be spread throughout these seasons and beyond.

A team at ZeniMax Online Studios is also hard at work on cross-play, though players shouldn't expect this to arrive anytime soon.

For players interested in earning more special stuff, The Elder Scrolls Online is getting a battle pass-esque system called Tamriel Tomes. Completing weekly and seasonal challenges unlocks new pages with new rewards. Seals of Endevaour, armor, weapon styles, and more will be included.

The Elder Scrolls Online is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Mac. It's also included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Developer ZeniMax Online Studios shared a barrage of information on Wednesday for The Elder Scrolls Online, detailing what players can expect as the long-running title fully shifts to a seasonal model and changes a fair bit over the coming year.

Ahead of today’s news, I attended a Q&A with some members of ZeniMax Online Studios. In addition to a roadmap of more immediate improvements across 2026, executive producer Susan Kath confirmed that, at long last, cross-play is in the works for The Elder Scrolls Online, stating that there is a dedicated team working on the feature.

While players have been asking for cross-play for a long time, it’s still going to be a while before it’s ready, and there is no current release date or even a vague window for when to expect the functionality to arrive.

The Elder Scrolls Online first kicked off all the way back in 2014 on PC, with console versions arriving later in 2015. As a result, it was never designed around cross-play, and Kath freely admits that figuring it all out is a “difficult” process. In addition to just figuring out the technical side of the feature, there’s also the community aspect to handle.

With players limited by platform, The Elder Scrolls Online has various communities and Guilds split across Xbox, PlayStation, and PC/Mac.

A challenge worth tackling

I don’t envy the developers at ZeniMax Online Studios as they try to figure out how cross-play will work, but ultimately, it’s a huge feature that the game will be better off having.

Cross-play and cross-progression are fundamental features in multiplayer titles now, with players (myself included) chafing at restrictions or being unable to take characters and progress wherever they go.

There are a lot of changes coming to The Elder Scrolls Online, and I’m excited to see how the game grows and adapts over the next several months.

The Elder Scrolls Online is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Mac. It’s also included in Xbox Game Pass.

Season 2 of Amazon's fan-favorite Fallout TV show recently kicked off, and you know what that means: excitement for and interest in the legendary post-nuclear RPG series is flaring up just as it did when the first season debuted in 2024.

Notably, all that hype has come at the perfect time for those who haven't bought the games yet, as the entire franchise is currently on sale for some of the lowest-ever prices I've ever seen its titles sell for. Indeed, with how steep the markdowns are — especially on PC, though Xbox has some killer deals, too — there's never been a better time to jump into the Fallout games than right now.

You'll find great discounts on platforms like Steam and GOG, but the best ones available (except for Fallout 76) are on codes from retailers like GreenManGaming and Loaded. For example, the complete editions of Fallout 3 and New Vegas with all their DLC expansions are normally $20, but the former is just $5.61 at GMG and the latter is going for only $6.69 at Loaded.

Get every Fallout game for dirt cheap right now

Now that Season 2 of the Fallout TV show is in full swing and new episodes are releasing weekly every Wednesday, it's a good idea to play the games it's based on and adapting so you have a greater understanding of the world of Fallout and the events that have unfolded throughout the history of its post-apocalyptic wastelands. And thanks to these deals, you can do so for a rock-bottom price.

Fallout: New Vegas in particular is the title I'd recommend playing the most right now. Not only is it generally considered to be the best Fallout game for its top-notch writing, excellent worldbuilding, rich and "crunchy" RPG systems, and its abundance of player freedom and choice, but many of its characters and locations directly tie into Season 2 of the show.

Really, though, I recommend playing all of them (except Tactics, which I'd argue you can skip and not miss out on much). I can understand bouncing off of 1 and 2 since their dated control schemes make them a bit tough to get into, but you should still give them a shot. Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 are far more modern, with Fallout 76 offering MMO-style multiplayer gameplay that uses Fallout 4 as a foundation.

Bethesda is largely focused on The Elder Scrolls 6, so it will be a long, long time until we see Fallout 5 — a game that will be directly affected by the events of the TV show. Even so, there's no reason why you shouldn't go back and experience all the awesome games that the show is an adaptation of, especially while they're this cheap.

FAQ

With Season 2 of the Fallout TV series now here, many players are likely wondering how (or even if) the events of the uber-popular show will tie into developer Bethesda Game Studios' next entry in the universe of Fallout role-playing games (RPGs).

"In short, yes," says Todd Howard, executive producer and director at Bethesda Game Studios, speaking with BBC on all things Fallout in the wake of the season's debut.

"Fallout 5 will be existing in a world where the stories and events of the show happened or are happening," Howard says. "We are taking that into account."

This makes sense, as it's worth noting for those who haven't yet watched it that the Fallout TV series isn't a direct adaptation of the events of one of the games. Instead, it's treated as another entry in the universe altogether, and is in fact the latest sequence of events in the Fallout timeline.

With that in mind, of course, the team at Bethesda Game Studios would take care to note and possibly reference the events of the series in Fallout 5.

Of course, the elephant in the room here is that Fallout 5 isn't close. Bethesda Game Studios has grown since its parent company, ZeniMax Media, was acquired by Microsoft, but the developer is divided into multiple teams, with some continuing to work on updates and a new expansion for the 2023 science-fiction RPG Starfield, while others continue to work on Fallout 76.

By far the largest team at Bethesda Game Studios is the one working on The Elder Scrolls 6, which is the studio's next mainline game. It's still a ways away, but production is underway.

In the meantime, the second season of the Fallout TV series has premiered, and is currently exclusively available through Prime Video.

As the year draws to a close, another Microsoft-owned game studio is organizing, with Texan developer id Software voting to unionize on Friday, per the Communication Workers of America (CWA). The CWA notes that a "strong majority" of the studio's staff voted in favor of unionization, with 165 workers now joining a wall-to-wall union. Like with prior studio organizational efforts, Microsoft has voluntarily recognized the union.

“The wall-to-wall organizing effort at id Software was much needed; it’s incredibly important that developers across the industry unite to push back on all the unilateral workplace changes that are being handed down from industry executives,” said id Software producer Andrew Willis.

“The union is a way for us, the developers, to take back control of the industry we love and to ensure that it delivers high-quality products from high-quality workers who have health benefits and longevity beyond quarterly profits.”

id Software is an iconic studio, well-known for its work on games such as the DOOM and Quake franchises. Earlier this year, id Software launched its latest game, DOOM: The Dark Ages, which was well-received and went on win the Innovation in Accessibility award at Game Awards 2025.

Notably, with this undertaking, every North American game studio under ZeniMax Media is now unionized, with Bethesda Game Studios and ZeniMax Online Studios having organized last year.

Over 3,600 game developers under Microsoft are part of a union, with several additional unions across Activision and Blizzard Entertainment.

“Remote work isn’t a perk. It’s a necessity for our health, our families, and our access needs. RTO policies should not be handed down from executives with no consideration for accessibility or our well-being,” says id Software lead services programmer Chris Hays. “With a union, we will have the opportunity to make sure that everyone has a voice in the things that matter most to us.”

This comes as layoffs have been rampant in the gaming industry across the past couple of years, including at Microsoft, with multiple studios being shuttered and numerous employees being laid off.

The weekly Xbox releases show no sign of slowing down, with another large batch of games launching this week, including the widely-anticipated DOOM: The Dark Ages.

This fantasy-infused shooter from id Software and Bethesda Softworks is the latest in a long line of Xbox first-party launches in 2025, bringing a prequel to DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that radically shakes up the gameplay formula with new ideas.

I loved the changes, so much so that I awarded the game a rare perfect score in my review of DOOM: The Dark Ages. Naturally, as a first-party game, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subcribers will be able to hop in and play at no extra cost. As a reminder, Premium Edition buyers can start playing two days early.

If you missed them before, be sure to check out all the Xbox games that launched last week, including Revenge of the Savage Planet. Now, here's everything coming to the Xbox store next week:

May 13, 2025

• CyberCorp (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC): "Brutal, fast-paced isometric co-op Loot Shooter in a Cyberpunk world. Master equipment-based combos. Discover exotic weapons and armor. Easy to start, hard to master. Play solo or team up with friends in multiplayer."
• Gore Doctor (Xbox Series X|S): "Gore Doctor is an immersive horror game packed with spine-chilling thrills. You wake up inside the twisted institute of a desperate doctor who’s broken all the rules to save his wife, Scarlett, from a deadly illness. As Scarlett succumbs to her fate, the doctor descends into madness and becomes convinced that death is the only respite. Players must navigate the nightmarish corridors of the doctor’s institute, confronting grotesque horrors, uncovering dark secrets, and striving to escape with their lives intact. Can you survive the twisted labyrinth and unravel the haunting mysteries within?"
• Labyrinth of the Demon King (Xbox Series X|S): "Labyrinth of the Demon King is a challenging first-person dungeon crawler with survival horror elements, set against the backdrop of a mythical feudal Japan besieged by demons. As a lone foot soldier, embark on a quest to track down and slay the Demon King who killed your Lord. But will you have the skill, resources and stamina needed to survive through all the horrors this brutal world will throw at you?"
• Palia (Xbox Series X|S): "Discover a welcoming world in Palia, a free-to-play fantasy life sim adventure where you can craft, explore, and create the life and home of your dreams. With nearly endless ways to make Palia your home, you’ll find relaxation and joy in every corner of this vibrant, heartwarming world."
• The Precinct (Xbox Series X|S): "You are Officer Nick Cordell Jr. As a rookie beat cop fresh out of the Academy, you’re on the front line of defence for Averno’s citizens. Dive into a world of thrilling car chases, sandbox crimes, and a healthy dose of 1980s noir as you protect the populace and solve the mystery of your father’s murder in the line of duty."

May 14, 2025

• Anima Flux (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "Anima Flux is a co-op metroidvania with two genetically enhanced soldiers, special agents of a theocratic dictatorial regime. Fight your way through swarms of mutants through a desolate, dystopian space city and save humanity's last stronghold, if, of course, anyone is still alive..."
• Hidden Kittens: Kingdom of Cats (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "Purrr! Prepare for a delightful mission in a fantasy landscape – many cats can be found across this magical realm… Every corner hides a fluffy surprise just waiting to be discovered – over 350 of them, to be somewhat precise… Pick your favourite colours for your game’s look and feel, and keep your eyes peeled for any balls of joy that wait to be pet!~"
• Kaiju Big Battel: Fighto Fantasy (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "Kaiju Big Battel: Fighto Fantasy is a 16-bit styled RPG featuring turn-based combat, a large cast of characters, and tons of hilarious dialogue! This is an officially licensed game based on the live-action monster wrestling group Kaiju Big Battel, who have been performing their Godzilla-meets-WWE act for over 20 years."
• Recycle Bin Battle (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "Recycle Bin Battle is a unique and amazing game with lot of fun, original video and "proust madeleine" Reycle Bin Battle is an arcade puzzle game based on 3 differents gameplay. 1- Catch Rubishes tumbling down a machine and arrange them in type and color to make them disappear and make ball for second part. 2- Use ball to break invaders defenses and get energy in a breakout-like. 3- Use energy to shoot Kaiju and save humanity."
• Super Engine GT Turbo SPEC (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC): "Burn up the track in old-school arcade style as you climb through the ranks and earn new rides! Get ready for adrenaline-fueled racing fun as you climb your way through the motorsports ranks in pure arcade style! Super Engine GT Turbo SPEC is all about speed and pushing your driving skills to the limit. Choose from Novice, Junior, Senior and Pro event series, select from 8 unique venues and a variety of touring cars, then burn up the asphalt as you race from the back of the pack all the way to podium position!"

May 15, 2025

• American Arcadia (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "Welcome to Arcadia! A 70’s retro-futuristic metropolis where all its citizens enjoy a life of luxury and comfort… unaware that they’re being broadcast live 24/7! Arcadia is not an ordinary city, but the most watched reality show on the planet - where a drop in popularity ratings comes at the highest cost: death."
• City Bus Manager (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "Build your own depot from scratch and create your personal bus routes in City Bus Manager. Play in your own hometown or any famous city in the world. Recreate the official bus network or change it completely to your preference. Did you ever think your local bus schedule sucks? This is your chance to show that you can step it up. Connect all the Points of Interest and see your passenger numbers grow. Buy new buses and hire staff to make sure you can keep up with your schedule."
• DOOM: The Dark Ages (Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC): "BECOME THE SLAYER IN A MEDIEVAL WAR AGAINST HELL DOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells an epic cinematic story worthy of the DOOM Slayer’s legend. In this third installment of the modern DOOM series, players will step into the blood-stained boots of the DOOM Slayer, in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell."
• Forgotten Fields (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "Sid is a writer struggling with writer's block, attempting to recapture the feelings of inspiration he felt when he was younger. In order to pay the bills, he needs to think up a story and apply for a grant - the deadline is today - a lazy Sunday in the middle of summer."
• Garten of Banban 0 (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "What is this place? Who are you? You’ll have to discover the answers on your journey through the facility. Piece together the truth to uncover what’s really going on here."
• Hunt and Fight: Action RPG (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "After your ship was caught in a terrifyingly powerful storm and wrecked, you found yourself on the shore of an unknown island full of monsters, undead, and bandits. Explore the island, upgrade your weapons and armor, improve your fighting skills, and defeat the most dangerous monsters on this island. Don't forget that your main goal is to find a way to get home."
• Into the Restless Ruins (Xbox Series X|S): "Into the Restless Ruins is a roguelike deckbuilder. Use your deck of cards, representing rooms and corridors, to grow the labyrinth of the ruins. Then auto-battle your way through them, harvesting as much Glimour as you can from the cursed residents before darkness overcomes your torch. Earn favours from the Harvest Maiden, find Relics to trade with the Hen Wife, Wulver and other characters from Scottish folk lore to upgrade and curate your deck, and hope you are strong enough to face The Warden when you can finally reach it."
• Preserve (Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC): "Preserve is a puzzle nature-building game that takes players on a journey into a harmonious ecosystem. The objective is to foster and sustain a thriving and diverse biomes, where each component coexists in a symbiotic harmony. By utilizing strategic thinking and a keen eye for balance, players are granted the power to position a wide array of plants and animals, curating an environment that caters to their preferences and aspirations."
• Shovel Knight Dig (Xbox Series X|S): "When Drill Knight and his dastardly digging crew blast apart Shovel Knight’s peaceful campsite and steal his loot, he grabs his trusty Shovel Blade and starts tunneling after them! Meet new friends and foes, visit strange lands, and outfit yourself in your quest to keep the entire land from collapsing underfoot! Jump, slash, and dig your way down an ever-changing chasm of mystery in Shovel Knight Dig, an all-new Shovel Knight adventure!"
• Stunt Flyer (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "Stunt Flyer is a vibrant flying adventure led by sibling duo Jimmy and Sophie. Take to the skies in a world filled with wild inventions and fantastical flying machines. From UFOs and gyrocopters to nimble jets, each aircraft is unique—and fully customizable with a variety of gadgets and gear."
• Wings of Endless (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "An epic 2D ARPG adventure awaits in the world of Wings of Endless! Discover the secret of a forgotten war in Wings of Endless, a platforming Action-RPG with a captivating Pixelart style that will draw you in from start to finish. Step into the role of Hariku, a brash bounty hunter who boasts of being the best at his craft."

May 16, 2025

• Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "Capcom's new fighting collection hits the stage! Choose from fan-favorite games like Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001 and Project Justice to 3D action games like Power Stone and Power Stone 2 in this collection of eight classic fighting games! Each game in the collection can be played online or co-op! Get back in the ring and duke it out in battles that everyone rumored, but no one believed! Whether it's with a rival new or old, give it your all and strive for victory!"
• Death Park: 4k Remaster (Xbox Series X|S): "In this scary game you should explore a huge abandoned amusement park with a creepy circus. Are you ready to face the true evil - the scary killer clown? Will you be able to solve all the puzzles that are waiting for you on the path to escape in these horror stories? You will have to play hide and seek with that monster and go through all the hard quests in order to survive throughout the night!"
• Hannah's Day (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "Hannah loves three things more than anything - singing, friends and her skateboard. But her parents are not supportive of Hannah's decision to tie her life to music. None of this matters. Music and imagination will get Hannah through the challenges!"
• Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo (Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC): "Use your wits, kindness, and maybe a good whack to gather clues, items, and evidence that will help the residents of Limbo move on. Untangling an afterlife is no easy feat, especially when you don’t have feet! Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo is a papercraft adventure game where you’ll meet the many good and not-so-good folks of Limbo, a place where souls with deep regrets are cursed into repeating the same day on a loop."
• Meowsterpiece Museum (Xbox Series X|S): "Great painters love cats and hid them in their masterpieces. Your mission is to find them and make the paintings even more beautiful."
• Neon Apex: Beyond the Limit (Xbox Series X|S): "Welcome to the Neon Apex  Open only to the most elite racers, both human and other, prove that you can handle breakneck speeds and perilous racecourses to win it all."
• Plumber Hero (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "Plumber Hero is an exciting way to test your creativity. There are 3 main stages, 40 levels each, so there’s no shortage of content for you to enjoy. Each one gets increasingly difficult, so you have to use all your skills and work hard to pass them all."
• SYNESTHESIA (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One): "The year is 2029. The Huntley Scientific Research Institute has opened its doors to a select few—young individuals gifted with extraordinary mental powers and mysterious abilities. Among them is Ziek, a university student with a rare form of “synesthesia”—a perception that allows him to see the hidden significance of objects through vibrant splashes of color"

DOOM: The Dark Ages is almost here, with the next entry in id Software's iconic shooter series launching in less than a week.

The reviews are in, with the majority of critics praising what the team has put together, with bulkier combat that makes the Slayer feel slower, heavier, and stronger. I also had a blast with the game, so much so that I awarded it a rare perfect score in my review.

As you read or watch different reviews and we head into the weekend, I'm curious, are you planning to play DOOM: The Dark Ages at launch?

DOOM: The Dark Ages is slated to launch on May 15, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5. PC players can choose between Steam, the Xbox App, or Battle.net.

Seeing as it's an Xbox first-party game, it's also launching day one into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. For anyone who buys the Premium Edition (or any Game Pass players who buy the Premium Upgrade), you can start playing early on May 13, 2025.

Every DOOM game is different from the others, and I strongly suspect the split between DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal is about to become a three-way camp with The Dark Ages in the mix.

Personally, I've appreciated each game for what it did, but I overall preferred Eternal to DOOM (2016), which is why I'm surprised the radical shift in gameplay has worked so well for me here.

The sheer spectacle is incredible, and making the levels bigger than ever (without becoming overwhelming) is awesome.

Windows Central readers, share your thoughts!

So, I want to hear from you! Are you planning to hop in and play DOOM: The Dark Ages when it arrives, or are you holding off for some particular reason? I'm curious either way!

• Are you going to play DOOM: The Dark Ages when it launches?
• If you are, are you dropping something else in order to play immediately?
• If not, are you just not interested, or are you trying to finish another game first?
• Are you a longtime DOOM fan?
• If you've played the other games, which DOOM title is your favorite?
• What's your favorite game so far this year?

If there's something I didn't bring up, or if you've got a question you'd like me to answer, feel free to bring that up too!

It's been an incredible year for new games so far in 2025, with everything from expansive RPGs like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to creative new indie projects such as Blue Prince out there for players to discover and enjoy. Now, though, Xbox and id Software have come out with what very well could be one of the year's biggest Game of the Year contenders in DOOM: The Dark Ages. A prequel to DOOM 2016 and DOOM Eternal, The Dark Ages completes the narrative trilogy while introducing various new gameplay mechanics and other additions.

DOOM is arguably the most influential FPS franchise ever made, and the two modern titles that came before The Dark Ages are widely regarded as some of the best shooters in recent history. Because of that, many are curious to see what critics have to say about it — and now they don't have to wait any longer to find out. Ahead of its May 14 release date, reviews for The Dark Ages have gone up, with the game achieving a "Generally Favorable" score of 86/100 on Metacritic based on 47 evaluations across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5. Here are some quotes and scores to give you an idea of the range of opinions:

• TrueAchievements (100/100): "Doom: The Dark Ages might be a prequel, but it feels like an evolution for the franchise. Packed into a tightly crafted campaign that ramps up the stakes at every turn, it's without a doubt the most bloodthirsty and satisfying Doom to date. With fresh additions like the Shield Saw, Atlan, and Cyberdragon, there is a ton of variety to keep you engaged and hooked to the very end. Another fantastic win for Xbox and Bethesda."
• Shacknews (90/100): "After Doom Eternal proved somewhat divisive among fans, Doom: The Dark Ages should be a Doom game everyone can appreciate. It’s fast and hard hitting, featuring robust combat systems that make learning their ins and outs fun and empowering. I daresay it’s even better than Doom 2016, and is a must-play title for everyone interested in Doom, first-person shooters, and action games as a whole."
• VG247 (80/100): "Doom The Dark Ages will get your blood pressure up. It will test your reflexes, your problem-solving skills, your aim, and your ability to solve problems on the fly. It’ll probably test your patience a little, too, when the chugging, uninspired, padded-out sections in the middle start to wear a bit thin. But when it does manage to get your adrenaline pumping, you’ll be champing at the bit and thumbing shells into your shotgun so fast that the princes of hell themselves shaking in their boots."
• TechRadar (80/100): "Doom: The Dark Ages is a good shooter at its core, but as a follow-up to two of the best FPS games ever made, it falls a little flat. The new defensive combat feels like a step back, with movement getting a significant nerf, and, while Doom Slayer is still an exciting character, the story focus feels out of place."
• GamesRadar+ (70/100): "While Doom: The Dark Ages is a solid game, the ways it differs from previous titles are largely to its detriment. Most of what's praiseworthy about the Slayer's 2025 adventures are what's translated from older entries, while new features like the melee focus and mech sequences feel like fumbled missteps the series would be well-advised to forget going forward. Still, the joy of blasting cacodemons with a shotgun is never truly lost, and the over-the-top aesthetic will always elevate the experience."
• Dexerto (60/100): "Above all else, Doom: The Dark Ages has utterly fantastic combat. Moment-to-moment action is among the best in series history. But ultimately, in a desire to expand on a winning formula, id Software has fallen short of the high bar it set with Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal."

• DEAL: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 1-month memberships are $18.79 at CDKeys, giving you access to Microsoft's service for a cool discount

Overall, the scores for DOOM: The Dark Ages are very positive, with most reviewers greatly enjoying the medieval theming of the prequel and praising the way the it envisions the Doom Slayer as more of a heavy (but still fast) juggernaut tank instead of a nimble fighter jet that constantly zips around at breakneck speeds. Indeed, its combat appears to be the weightiest and most brutal of any DOOM yet, with defensive mechanics like parrying as well as segments with colossal Atlan mechs and a mecha dragon mount spicing up the otherwise beloved, yet familiar gameplay formula.

In terms of visuals and sound, The Dark Ages is also a triumph, with its hellish environments, armies of demons, and the carnage of combat all brought to life with gorgeous fidelity and audio.

With that said, id Software's new title also doesn't sound like it's without problems. Several reviewers feel that the new Atlan mech and dragon-riding sections feel out of place in a DOOM game and distract from the core bombastic shooter gameplay, and some argue that elements of the slower, weightier combat feel clunky and awkward. The story has also received some criticisms, as has the metal soundtrack (to a lesser extent).

We reviewed DOOM: The Dark Ages ourselves, also, with my colleague Samuel Tolbert awarding the highly anticipated shooter a perfect 5/5 score. "With DOOM: The Dark Ages, id Software proves it can still reinvent the wheel, shaking up numerous aspects of gameplay, exchanging elaborate platforming for brutal on-the-ground action, as well as the ability to soar on a dragon's back or stomp around in a giant mech," he wrote. "The story is silly, but it fits the over-the-top tone of the Slayer's war against demons. It's still just as fun to rip and tear as it always has been."

The slightly slower, yet weightier feel of The Dark Age's combat sounds like a huge upside for me personally, as I found both DOOM 2016 and DOOM Eternal to be too fast for my taste. I also have a major weak spot for medieval and dark fantasy aesthetics, so on the whole, this game is pretty much right up my alley; as soon as it's out on May 14, I'll be jumping in on Xbox Game Pass. Alternatively, you can pick the Steam version of the game up for $64 at CDKeys or the Xbox one for $67 at CDKeys to save a few dollars on a full copy.

Yesterday, AMD updated its "Adrenaline Edition" driver for Radeon desktop and laptop graphics hardware to version 25.5.1 — now available for download directly from AMD.com.

As expected, it includes new graphics support for two big PC game releases dropping this month: the perfectly-scored DOOM: The Dark Ages (May 15) and the next racing entry in F1 25 (May 30), alongside an expansion to its list of titles with FSR 4 (FidelityFX Super Resolution 4) upscaling tech supported by Radeon RX 9070 graphics cards.

FSR 4 means titles like the recently updated survival city builder, Frostpunk 2, can render at a lower internal resolution and have the final image upscaled with sophisticated techniques that retain sharp edges and clean textures.

It essentially reduces the rendering stress when playing at 4K+ resolutions on any compatible RDNA 4 Radeon GPU like the $599 Radeon RX 9070 XT.

More FSR 4 and HYPR-RX support for Team Red

I'm always happy to see more PC games benefit from AMD's FSR 4 upscaling tech as it continues to fight for relevance against NVIDIA's DLSS 4 and Intel's XeSS 2, and I'm a particular fan of any graphics card manufacturer that makes its more affordable models more capable of running the most graphically intensive games.

The high-selling samurai adventure blockbuster, Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, is among the list of newly-supported games with FSR 4, so if you were previously put off by its demanding GPU requirements, then a $549 RX 9070 RDNA 4 GPU could be the answer (yeah, it's not the cheapest answer, but it's "future proof", right?)

Otherwise, more titles like the successful multiplayer shooter Marvel Rivals now have per-game "HYPR-Tune" support for AMD's HYPR-RX suite, which combines input latency reduction with FSR 4 and more component tweaks designed to squeeze the maximum performance potential out of your gaming PC or laptop.

Patch notes

Highlights

• New game support
  • DOOM: The Dark Ages
  • F1 25
• New game support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4)
  • Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR'S CUT
  • Frostpunk 2
  • EVERSPACE 2
  • Fort Solis
  • Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
  • THE FINALS
  • InFlux Redux
• Expanded HYPR-RX support
  • HYPR-Tune support
    • Marvel's Spider-Man 2
    • Marvel Rivals
    • Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced
    • Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
    • Path of Exile 2
• Expanded Vulkan Extension Support
  • Vulkan 1.4 Support
  • VK_EXT_shader_replicated_composites
  • VK_KHR_maintenance8
  • VK_EXT_image_2d_view_of_3d
  • Click HERE  for more information about other Vulkan extension support.
• Fixed Issues and Improvements
  • Failure to detect integrated camera may be observed after driver installation using factory reset option on some Ryzen™ AI Max and Max+ series products.
  • Installation progress may persistently display 0% while installing AMD Chat within the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition user interface after upgrading to AMD Radeon RX 9000 Series graphics products.
  • System crash may be observed due to a memory leak when using SteamVR on some AMD Radeon™ Graphics Products, such as the Radeon™ RX 9000 series. Users experiencing this issue are recommended to turn off Motion Smoothing in SteamVR settings.
  • Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while playing Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition.
  • Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while loading Civilization VII with Anti-Lag enabled.
  • Intermittent failure to launch may be observed when AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition user interface is launched from desktop context menu or system tray.

Known issues

• Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while playing The Last of Us Part 2.
• Stutter may be observed while playing games with some VR headsets at 80Hz or 90Hz refresh rate on some AMD Radeon Graphics Products such as the Radeon RX 7000 series. Users experiencing this issue are recommended to change the refresh rate as a temporary workaround.
• Intermittent system or application crash may be observed while playing Cyberpunk 2077
• Failure to launch may be observed for Battlefield 1 on Radeon RX 9000 series graphics products with Ryzen 9 9950X integrated graphics. Users experiencing these issues are recommended to disable integrated graphics (iGPU) in system BIOS as a temporary workaround.
• Intermittent application crash or driver timeout may be observed while playing Monster Hunter Wilds with Radeon Anti-Lag and Instant Replay enabled.
• Artifacts or corruption may appear while playing BattleField on Radeon RX 7000 series graphics products.
• Quality and Performance selections may be reversed in the user interface for AMD Radeon Boost.
• Stutter may be observed while playing Call of Duty: Warzone Season 03 Verdansk map on some AMD Graphics Products.

I throw my shield into a Mancubus. I dodge, then parry a Pinky Rider's attack before smashing the armor of a Dread Knight with my flail. A weakened Komodo falls after two more blasts from the Super Shotgun.

So goes another round against the forces of Hell in DOOM: The Dark Ages, the latest first-person shooter in the long-running DOOM series.

While every DOOM game tries new things, DOOM: The Dark Ages is a radical departure from what came before, re-envisioning the Slayer as a bulky, implacable tank instead of a barrel-rolling fighter jet. You're still fast, but there's a new weight to everything. Every movement counts more than ever, and every attack must be more brutal than ever before.

It's a significant change, but it's one that works wildly, resulting in a campaign that's super fun to play, providing more weapons and tools to play around with as you smash through thousands of demons.

I've loved my time with DOOM: The Dark Ages, and it's a highlight for me in a year that's already stacked with fantastic games so far.

This review was made possible thanks to a review code provided by Bethesda Softworks. The company did not see the contents of this review before publishing.

What is DOOM: The Dark Ages?

• DOOM: The Dark Ages is a single-player first-person shooter.
• The game is developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks.
• It is a prequel to the company's prior titles DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is a first-person shooter developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks.

Much like in DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal, players take control of the iconic Slayer, whose hatred for demons keeps him going again and again.

While you'll start off a bit limited, you gain more weapons and tools as you go, increasing your overall firepower and giving you options for how you want to tackle your foes.

Killing specific "Leader" demons will provide rewards, increasing the Slayer's health, armor, and maximum ammo.

DOOM: The Dark Ages will take around 14 or so hours for the average player, with more or less time depending on the difficulty settings chosen, as well as how much you want to explore in search of the game's myriad secrets.

• Back to the top ⤴

DOOM: The Dark Ages review — Story and characters

• DOOM: The Dark Ages takes place before the events of DOOM (2016).
• The story revolves around the threat of Prince Ahzrak, who leads the demons against the Night Sentinels.
• The Slayer is under the control of the Makyrs and used to aid the Night Sentinels.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is a prequel, telling the story of the long war between the Slayer and the Night Sentinels against the forces of Hell, the latter of which are being led by Prince Ahzrak.

The Slayer starts out under the control of the powerful Makyrs, deployed as a weapon where needed. He's a one-man army, but there may be more going on than is first apparent. If you've played the other games, you'll have a very rough idea of where things could be headed, but if not, this is the perfect point to jump in and come along for the ride.

The story is all carried with the tone of an M-rated Saturday morning cartoon. That's not a bad thing at all, as it perfectly suits the nature of DOOM, but it is a bit simple in nature, even though the lavish cutscenes look fantastic.

DOOM: The Dark Ages review — Gameplay and features

• DOOM: The Dark Ages slows down the overall game speed compared to Eternal.
• There's a huge focus on blocking and parrying, with mostly new weapons.
• Atlan Mech and Dragonback gameplay help break up the pacing.

DOOM: The Dark Ages makes some radical changes to the flow of gameplay. It's still "rip and tear," but with a much greater emphasis on trading heavy blows and standing fast on the battlefield.

The Slayer has been slowed down, with the double-jump removed. In its place is the Shield Saw, a multipurpose weapon that can be used to throw through lower-ranked demons, weaken larger foes, and block enemy attacks, with the option to parry certain key attacks. Attacks that can be parried glow green by default, though you can change the color if you'd prefer.

It's a deep-seated change to the overall game design, but it's one that works. Heavyset weapons complement that change, with an arsenal that includes plasma rifles, heavy spike throwers, and my personal favorite, Skullcrushers that chew up runed skulls and spew the sharp fragments into the forces of Hell.

While The Dark Ages is slower-paced than Eternal, you can ramp up the action if you find it a bit too slow. Personally, I opted to set the game speed to 120%, making it faster without losing the heavyset pace.

Battlefields are designed similarly to DOOM (2016), though with some larger maps that have more to explore. There are secrets everywhere, with collectible toys, pages of lore, and more to find, if you're so inclined.

Carefully exploring the map, solving puzzles, and completing mission-specific challenges will also reward you with Gold, Rubies, and Wraithstones, which are used to upgrade the Slayer's arsenal. The standard shotgun is already nice, but with a boost, it sets enemies on fire, making them drop armor fragments.

There are a lot of options here, making The Dark Ages feel far more flexible than the unyielding (if hyper-polished) combat loop present in Eternal. You may want to lean one way or another, but there's usually no one tool you must use, outside of the aforementioned blocking and parrying.

While these "standard" levels make up the majority of the 22-mission campaign, The Dark Ages further breaks up the pacing by letting you soar on the back of your dragon, Serrat, as well as climbing into a Pacific Rim-style combat mech called an Atlan.

These sections are fun, if a bit simple, with the dragon focused on racing across the skies, dodging enemy attacks to empower its chaingun before blasting demonic fighters to bits, or pouncing on a Titan and ripping its head off.

The Atlan is similarly simple, with a gameplay loop focused on punching and dodging enemy Titans before blasting them to bits with various oversized weapons. Both sections do a fantastic job of selling the Kaiju-like scale at hand, as looking carefully reveals tiny versions of the demons you're normally fighting on foot.

DOOM: The Dark Ages review — Visuals and audio

• DOOM: The Dark Ages looks fantastic, with great graphical detail.
• It runs at a steady 60 FPS without any issues and loads near-instantly on Xbox Series X.
• The soundtrack is solid with some great metal, though a hair below prior DOOM soundtracks.

Running on id Software's in-house idTech 8 engine, DOOM: The Dark Ages looks fantastic. Demons and environments alike are rendered in gorgeous detail, with ruins and gore given equal attention, while ray tracing is used to enhance overall image quality.

The game also has extensive HDR support, with tons of settings to tweak and higher potential brightness (depending on your screen) than I've seen in most other games, going all the way up to 10,000 nits.

While playing on Xbox Series X, the game always looked great, with beautiful skyboxes across medieval fortresses, lava flows in Hell, and even tentacled cosmic horrors. I also never noticed any framerate drops, even when destroying dozens of demons at a time.

I also noticed there are a ton of physical items to destroy or interact with, such as chairs, huge artillery shells, wood pallets, and other objects are knocked around whenever you sprint into them or shoot them.

DOOM games don't just have to look good; they have to sound good as well, and DOOM: The Dark Ages sounds excellent.

Playing with headphones, the thud of the Slayer landing three stories down after a jump was always wonderful, as are the various weapons, with crisp sound design making it clear when you've landed a parry or smashed a demon's armor into pieces.

Plasma weapons crackle with energy, grenades thump as they bounce, and other sweet sounds contribute to the overall feedback loop of an encounter.

The recent DOOM games also have a history of excellent soundtracks, with the tracks for The Dark Ages composed by Finishing Move, filled with heavy metal that suits the brutal tone, but it does feel like the one area where the game has stepped down.

I want to be very clear, I think it's a good soundtrack, with a couple of particularly stand-out pieces, but it comes on the back of the excellent, genre-defining work done by Mick Gordon for DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal, as well as Andrew Hulshult's contributions with The Ancient Gods Part 1 and Part 2.

DOOM: The Dark Ages review — Accessibility and approachability

• DOOM: The Dark Ages features numerous accessibility options.
• Of particular note is the "Magnify" option, which enlarges selected text.
• Players can also adjust several other aspects, including overall game speed.

There are a large number of accessibility options present in DOOM: The Dark Ages, easily eclipsing what was available in the prior games. In addition to many of the standard options seen in other games, such as adjustable font sizes, I really want to draw attention to the "Magnify" option this game uses.

With Magnify enabled, players can drastically blow up any message in the menus so that it nearly fills the screen, making it extremely easy to read any in-game text. This is an excellent option that really helps anyone who has trouble reading text, even with larger fonts, and I hope we'll see other games copy this feature.

As previously touched on, it's also extremely noteworthy that you can adjust the game speed and parry windows independently of the actual difficulty. This is a great way to tweak the experience to your liking, and I highly encourage anyone playing to spend a minute or two fiddling with these options in order to dial it in just right.

All of these features mean I can easily recommend DOOM: The Dark Ages to newcomers. The nature of the game as a prequel means you don't need extensive knowledge to hop in, and it's easily the most accessible game id Software has ever developed.

• Back to the top ⤴

DOOM: The Dark Ages review — My final thoughts

✅You should buy this if ...

• You enjoy single-player first-person shooters.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is a fully single-player game, with a campaign that takes a bit to finish and is packed with secrets to unlock on replays. If you enjoy single-player first-person shooters that have a huge focus on great-looking visuals as well as great gameplay, then you're going to have a lot of fun.

• You've liked the prior DOOM games

While DOOM: The Dark Ages takes some big swings by changing up parts of how the formula works, it's still the same "rip-and-tear" core that's been in action since DOOM (2016). If you enjoyed those games, there's no reason to expect you won't have fun here as well.

❌You should not buy this if ...

• You prefer multiplayer games over single-player campaigns.

While DOOM (2016) had more traditional multiplayer and DOOM Eternal had a Battlemode pitting one Slayer against two Demons, DOOM: The Dark Ages is completely devoid of any multiplayer elements, with the team instead focusing on a single-player campaign. If you only play games with multiplayer, then you'll likely find that focus to be off-putting.

Every DOOM game has evolved, offering something different. It's a refreshing take for a series, as there's a familiar backdrop behind it all, but each entry is allowed to stand on its own and figure out what it is.

To that end, DOOM: The Dark Ages understands exactly what it is. It's an action-packed romp in the vein of prior games, but with an infusion of dark fantasy and cosmic horror. The pace has been slowed down, and many of the tools have changed, providing a fresh take on the experience, but it's still DOOM.

As it turns out, that's more than enough. DOOM: The Dark Ages is pure fun, even if it's a bit silly at times, and I'm seriously looking forward to what the team at id Software cooks up for the promised campaign DLC. Hitting a demon with a flail or watching as a dragon rips apart a Titan doesn't get old.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is slated to launch on May 15, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (via Battle.net, Steam, and the Xbox App), and PlayStation 5. Premium Edition buyers get two-day early access. The standard edition of the game is included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

• Back to the top ⤴

The highly anticipated DOOM: The Dark Ages medieval first-person shooter that serves as a prequel to DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal is already on sale ahead of its May 15, 2025 release date.

While the Standard Edition usually sells for $69.99, PC players can get the Steam version of it for $58.09 at Fanatical while this deal lasts.

The Premium Edition, which grants 2-day early access on May 12, is also on sale, bringing the price down from $99.99 to $82.99 at GMG or at Fanatical. These are the best deals I've found yet for the PC versions.

We can't wait to dive into this gritty new medieval DOOM

DOOM: The Dark Ages is one of the most anticipated Xbox and PC games of 2025, not only because it is the latest DOOM game, but because id Software has given it a unique medieval aesthetic and weaponry.

It certainly stands out from other games in the series.

Our own Samuel Tolbert has been very excited for this latest entry ever since it was first announced. He is currently playing DOOM: The Dark Ages and his review will go live on May 9, 2025, so check in later for that.

If you're interested in learning more about the game ahead of its release, you can head over to Samuel's guide — Everything you need to know about DOOM: The Dark Ages.

While I highlighted deals for two editions of DOOM: The Dark Ages, there are actually three editions total: Standard Edition, Premium Edition, and Collector's Bundle.

You can learn more about the differences between these editions at our DOOM: The Dark Ages buying guide.

Suffice it to say, players who pay more for the Premium Edition get a few extra goodies, including 2-Day early access. Meanwhile, those who spring for the Collector's Bundle, which sells for $199.99 at Microsoft, get a sweet 12-inch DOOM Slayer statue in addition to everything in the Premium Edition.

There aren't any deals for the Collector's Bundle, but you can definitely rip and tear into savings when you purchase either the Standard Edition or the Premium Edition.

DOOM: The Dark Ages releases on May 15, 2025 for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. It will also be available day one on Xbox Game Pass. Those who pay for the Premium Edition or the Collector's Bundle gain 2-day early access on May 12, 2025.

More games are headed to Xbox Game Pass, with id Software's DOOM: The Dark Ages one of many titles coming this month, as shared via Xbox Wire on Tuesday.

In addition to yet another first-party game, May is seeing a few games that previously launched in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate filter down to the Standard tier, such as last year's underrated RPG, Dungeons of Hinterberg.

It's also worth noting that co-op title Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is returning to the service. The Vermintide games are developed by Fatshark, the same team behind Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.

If you missed them, be sure to check out the games that were added to Xbox Game Pass in the back half of April. Here are all the games headed to different tiers of Xbox Game Pass in the coming weeks:

May 6, 2025

• Dredge (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, Standard, PC

May 7, 2025

• Dungeons of Hinterberg (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One) - Standard
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, Standard, PC
• Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One) - Standard
• Metal Slug Tactics (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One) - Standard

May 8, 2025

• Revenge of the Savage Planet (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, PC
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, Standard, PC

May 13, 2025

• Warhammer: Vermintide 2 (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming) - Ultimate, Standard

May 15, 2025

• DOOM: The Dark Ages (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, PC

May 16, 2025

• Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, PC

May 20, 2025

• Firefighting Simulator: The Squad (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, Standard, PC
• Police Simulator: Patrol Officers (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, Standard, PC

What's leaving Xbox Game Pass on May 15, 2025?

As usual, a handful of games are departing the subscription service at the halfway point for the month. Notably, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and Chants of Sennaar are both well worth playing. I'm also fond of Dune: Spice Wars, so if you want to keep playing any of those games, you'll need to buy them.

Remember, you get a discount buying any games currently in Xbox Game Pass, so act fast and you'll save some money.

• Brothers A Tale of Two Sons
• Chants of Sennaar
• Dune: Spice Wars
• Hauntii
• The Big Con

The first-party train keeps rolling

There's a decent bit of variety over the next couple of weeks, as well as a few great games that previously launched in Ultimate and PC tiers now filtering down to Standard subscribers as well.

Still, the highlight is clearly DOOM: The Dark Ages, which I'm currently playing for review. You can look forward to my review here on Windows Central on May 9!

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, Minecraft, and Forza Horizon 5, some of Xbox Series X|S's most popular titles, have been topping the sales charts on its competitor, the PlayStation 5.

This news comes from Sony itself, which has announced that the top three best-selling games for the PlayStation 5 during April were Oblivion Remastered at No.1, Minecraft at No.2, and Forza Horizon 5 at No.3 in the US.

Meanwhile, in Europe, Forza Horizon 5 is at No.1, Oblivion Remastered is at No.2, and Minecraft is at No.3 on the PlayStation 5 games sales chart.

It's easy to see why these games have been selling out like crazy, as they are all high-quality titles that have proven themselves worthy of this accolade.

Oblivion Remastered is an expertly polished remaster of Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion that has breathed new life into this classic RPG with gorgeous graphical upgrades, welcome quality-of-life features, and gameplay refinements to make it more enjoyable than ever.

Oblivion Remastered's been getting glowing reviews across the internet, and it's even earned a 4.5/5 review score from us here at Windows Central.

Forza Horizon 5 is the latest entry in Playground's award-winning racing series that was originally an Xbox and PC exclusive. However, Forza Horizon 5 has recently been released on PlayStation 5 Pro, making it the first title in the series to be featured on a PlayStation console.

As seen in the sales charts, PlayStation fans have been buying Forza Horizon 5 in droves as it's one of the best entries in the whole series. We even gave this game a perfect 5/5 review score for its insanely detailed graphics, top-notch performance, massive world to race in, multiple modes of online play, and its gigantic roster of customizable cars to drive.

Minecraft, of course, needs no introduction. It's one of the most popular videogame franchises on the planet that has captured the hearts of kids and adults around the world for its creative survival/crafting gameplay, cute retro-style graphics, and boundless ways to craft whatever you want.

Minecraft was released on PlayStation 5 in October 2024. However, the sales for Minecraft have been going crazy, no doubt due to the release of the Minecraft Movie, which has introduced millions of new fans to this iconic franchise.

While the Minecraft Movie has been getting less than favorable reviews from movie critics, it's been a box office hit, grossing over $816 million worldwide.

Xbox titles are topping the sales charts on its rival console.

Some Xbox fans have been critical of Microsoft releasing Xbox games on Nintendo and PlayStation consoles, questioning the viability of investing in the platform, especially since Xbox hardware sales have been devastated as a result.

However, going multi-platform seems to be working out for Microsoft financially, according to Sony's PlayStation 5 April sales. That's on top of the previous reports that Microsoft's gaming revenue has increased by 5% year-over-year, and that PC Game Pass grew by 45% on PlayStation, a feat which helped Microsoft become the "biggest publisher" on PlayStation.

With this in mind, Microsoft is no doubt going to continue releasing more games on PlayStation 5. It's even announced that the recently revealed Gears of War: Reloaded is going to be released on PlayStation 5, bringing Xbox's iconic Gears of War franchise to the PlayStation for the first time. Doubtless that will hit hard on the PS5 charts as well.

However, will this strategy pay off in the long-run for Microsoft? Especially in these strange times of rising costs of consoles and games, tariff wars, and other economic uncertainties where anything can happen? Only time will tell.

Following the surprise shadow drop of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered last week on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5 by Bethesda and its partners at Virtuos Games, the fan-made project that's been on the minds of many is Skyblivion — a colossal reimagining of the classic 2006 RPG being built within the engine of Skyrim Special Edition. At first, fans were worried that The Elder Scrolls' developer had eaten the mod team's lunch by launching the Unreal Engine 5 remaster.

However, the Skyblivion crew assuaged fears by explaining why the project is more of a from-the-ground-up remake than a remaster, and now, Bethesda has given the mod an official shoutout in the latest video on its YouTube channel.

The video in question is a developer spotlight of Dan Lee, the development lead on Bethesda's Creations (curated DLC mods) program and the art director of Oblivion Remastered. In the video, Lee explains that he's been working at the studio for over 20 years now, first starting as an intern on the original Oblivion before getting hired by coming up with an innovative way to landscape a waterfall in the Gamebryo Engine (the predecessor to the Creation Engine used in games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Starfield).

Lee then details his full work history at the storied developer, the highlights of which include animating Liberty Prime in Fallout 3, creating many of the visual effects used in Fallout 4's intro sequence, art reviewing in Fallout 76 and Starfield, and overseeing the Creation Club program (now just Creations). It's a great interview that also touches on the best Skyrim Creations and technical challenges Bethesda and Virtuos had to overcome while making Oblivion Remastered, and I highly recommend giving it a watch using the link above or the embed below.

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Towards the end of the spotlight, Lee took a few moments to call out Skyblivion — noting that even though he helped develop Oblivion Remastered, he's still very excited to see what the team behind it has worked to create.

"Even though I worked on Oblivion Remastered, I'm still excited for Skyblivion," he said, as footage taken directly from a few of the project's trailers was shown. "I think what they're doing is very special, and I am excited to see their interpretation of what we've done in the past. And I think it's a great year for Oblivion fans."

It's a lovely little shoutout, and one that the Skyblivion devs took a moment to respond to on social media: "Dan, we're just as excited to get Skyblivion into your hands this year as you are to play it! Thanks for the shoutout and kind words. You said it best: It is a great year for Oblivion fans."

When you consider that other publishers and developers might send modders a cease and desist notice for working on a project like this, it's great to see Bethesda — a studio famous for its mod support — encouraging and hyping up the hard work and creativity of its community. Notably, it also recently sent the entire Skyblivion team game keys for Oblivion Remastered, which is awesome.

I'm also in full agreement with Lee that Skyblivion is absolutely worth being excited for even though Oblivion Remastered has been released. Whereas the official remaster is more of a simpler glow-up that preserves the original gameplay experience and world design while drastically overhauling the visuals and implementing quality-of-life changes (such as a third-person mode that isn't awful), Skyblivion is a full-fledged remake that's been in the works since 2012.

Indeed, the mod is going to be incredibly transformative, with its creators planning to completely revamp many in-game locations based on concept art and lore, add and/or rework tons of Oblivion's systems and enemies, restore cut content that didn't make it into the original game, diversify Cyrodiil with new biomes, and more. For a full overview, check out the article I linked towards the start of this one.

Skyblivion is scheduled to release at some point later in 2025, and when it does, I have no doubt whatsoever that it will instantly stand tall as one of the best Skyrim mods ever made. Note that it's sadly PC only, and will require owning both Skyrim Special Edition and the original Oblivion GOTY Deluxe Edition; in the meantime, you can jump into Oblivion Remastered (normally $50) for just $41.49 at Fanatical, or you can play through Xbox Game Pass on Xbox and PC.

It has been several days since The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered's shadow-drop release on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5, and it has been taking the internet by storm.

Oblivion Remastered has been garnering hundreds of thousands of concurrent players on Steam, and very positive reviews from critics. As of this writing, Elder Scrolls Oblivion has a "Generally Favorable" 83 review score on Metacritic and an 83/100 review score on OpenCritic.

Both of these scores are drawn from over a dozen reviews. You can find quotes for some of these reviews down below:

• XboxEra (90/100): "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is about as good a remaster as you could hope for. It doesn’t look to reinvent the gameplay, instead focusing on smart tweaks where possible."
• Game Rant (90/100): "Oblivion Remastered delivers a breathtaking open world full of engaging quests and characters, and makes smart gameplay improvements to bring the 2006 classic to modern standards."
• Xbox Achievements (85/100): "Still crazy after all these years, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered takes the 2006 classic and burnishes it with meaningful visual upgrades, refined combat, and other modern touches. And it retains all of its original charm, that unique eccentric spirit left entirely intact."
• IGN (80/100): "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is an awesome nostalgic adventure that recaptures most of what I loved about the 2006 original, while sanding down many of its roughest edges."
• GameSpot (80/100): "Virtuous seem to understand that trademark Oblivion "charm" because the remaster keeps the best of the Bethesda jank intact while gently reworking some of Oblivion's more dated mechanics."

Elder Scrolls Oblivion has once again captured the hearts of the gaming community

I'm personally not a fan of The Elder Scrolls series as its setting doesn't interest me that much, but I cannot deny the insane impact it's had on the gaming industry, specifically Elder Scrolls Oblivion.

This 2006 classic enraptured gamers and critics worldwide for its grand epic story, massive fantasy world filled with secrets to uncover, boundless customization options for role-playing, and other features that would lay the groundwork for its legendary successor, Skyrim.

Judging from the reviews, Oblivion Remastered appears to have retained what made the original game so beloved while ironing out its rough edges with many quality-of-life improvements, gameplay refinements, and impressive graphical overhauls by Virtuos.

Even my colleague, Samuel Talbert, gave Oblivion Remastered a glowing 9/10 review score, stating that "The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is an excellent return to Cyrodiil, with new graphics, voice recordings, and tweaks to combat that enhance Bethesda Game Studios' 2006 fantasy role-playing game."

While I'm personally more invested in the excellent Clair Obsur: Expedition 33 at the moment (especially how it's utterly destroying Square Enix's gaslighting over turn-based combat), perhaps I'll finally Elder Scrolls Oblivion a chance once I'm finished and see why many consider this game one of Bethesda's best Xbox games and PC games.

Daedra stalk the land. Assassins wield daggers in the dark. Magic stirs in ruins and forest. Mudcrabs leave no river unthreatened.

So goes Oblivion Remastered, an extensive revisit of Bethesda Game Studios' original 2006 role-playing game (RPG).

With new visuals developed by Virtuos, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is updated to suit modern gaming hardware, with tweaks to the gameplay systems that enhance (but don't replace) the experience the original Oblivion provides.

I've had an absolute blast revisiting Cyrodiil, and while a few tweaks would be nice, Oblivion Remastered sets a high bar for what it means to remaster a studio's prior efforts and keeps everything that made it special preserved.

This review was made possible thanks to an Xbox review code provided by Bethesda Softworks, as well as a Steam copy I purchased. The company did not see the contents of this review before publishing.

What is The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered?

• The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is a single-player RPG.
• The original game was developed by Bethesda Game Studios.
• The remastered game's development has been led by Virtuos.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is a single-player RPG developed by Virtuos with support from Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks.

As the name suggests, it's a remaster of Bethesda Game Studios' original 2006 game, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.

In classic Elder Scrolls fashion, players can craft the character they want, from a human race like the Bretons, Nords, or Redguards, as well as the more strange species like Orcs, cat-like Khajiit, and lizard-esque Argonians.

While there is a main quest, players have freedom to engage in other quests as well, joining various Guilds to focus on combat, magic, thievery, or even assassination.

Oblivion Remastered opens with the player's character (later known as the Hero of Kvatch) in prison, as the Emperor of Tamriel, Uriel Septim VII, realizes his doom is upon him as his Blades bodyguards attempt to prevent his assassination.

Demonic forces known as Daedra invade from the realm of the titular realm of Oblivion, threatening the province of Cyrodiil and soon, the entirety of Tamriel.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered review: Story and characters

• Oblivion Remastered features the exact same story as the original.
• The original voice acting has been kept intact.
• The main quest is fun, setting the stage for serious repercussions across Tamriel.

Following the Hero of Kvatch's escape from prison, they seek out the rest of the Blades, as well as Martin Septim, the illegitimate son of the Emperor, and a possible way to combat the evil consuming the land.

If you've played the original Oblivion, you know what to expect from the rest. If you're new and you somehow have managed to remain unspoiled after all these years, I won't be the one to break that.

Suffice it to say, the Hero of Kvatch and the Blades fight back against the threat of Oblivion, and the consequences of this crisis are what set the stage for so much of the conflict in Skyrim.

If you are a newcomer, especially one who has previously played Skyrim with disdain for the Empire, then I highly encourage you to pay attention, as the story presented here is one of hope and human optimism in the face of ultimate evil, no matter the odds. You may find yourself seeing factions in Tamriel under a different light moving forward.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered review: Gameplay and features

• Oblivion Remastered has the same gameplay as the original 2006 title.
• Combat feedback has been improved, making melee weapons feel better.
• Skills have also been rebalanced, with the leveling system slightly tweaked.

The gameplay systems in Oblivion Remastered have been left mostly untouched, leaving it an almost identical experience to the original game. Players select a race (I created an Argonian on my PC and a Wood Elf on my Xbox), choosing different skills to specialize in, while not being restricted from trying anything.

At the core of the game is the same "be who you want to be" ethos that is the foundation of Bethesda Game Studios titles. The changes Virtuos has made work well, complementing rather than replacing the central design.

The few changes are noteworthy, however, with combat in particular receiving some attention. Blocking and landing hits with melee weapons feels better, which significantly aids the feeling of actually playing moment-to-moment. Swinging a claymore into goblins and blocking hits from a Dremora actually feels good!

There's also an awesome new shortcut system, allowing you to easily assign a handful of commonly-used spells and weapons to a wheel. This is especially awesome for players on console, as it makes changing your inventory and testing out a weapon you just picked up extremely easy, as opposed to the constant inventory shuffle required in the original Oblivion or even Skyrim.

Skills have also been slightly balanced out, and leveling up is no longer quite as much of a pain as it used to be. It's easier to just dump points into what you'd like compared to the original system, which restricted each level-up based on what skills you'd improved.

Underneath it all, it's still Oblivion. NPCs alternate between reacting realistically to events and suddenly acting like they've been day-drinking. Numerous memes are already being recreated. It's a respectful revisit to how everything just works.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered review: Visuals and audio

• Oblivion Remastered has completely new visuals that look beautiful.
• The visuals are done in Unreal Engine 5, which sits on top of the original tech.
• The original voices and soundtrack are in, with some new voice lines mixed in.

By far the biggest change to Oblivion Remastered is the new graphics. The visuals have been built with new assets by Virtuos using Unreal Engine 5. These completely rebuilt graphics then lay on top of Bethesda's original Gamebryo engine, allowing the game to have the same systems alongside its new look.

That new look is fantastic, with Oblivion Remastered consistently delivering beautiful detail across Cyrodiil. Every character and enemy looks immaculate, with new designs that keep the spirit of the original game, maintaining a cohesive art direction that doesn't betray Oblivion's original, whimsical fantasy trappings.

Particularly impressive is the new lighting powered by Lumen, which provides ray tracing effects that cast realistic shadows, enhancing the game's autumnal glow.

That gorgeous detail does come at a cost, and Oblivion Remastered is an extremely heavy game, especially when you walk outdoors into the open world. While I've had a smooth experience playing in performance mode on Xbox Series X, the framerate on PC (using an RTX 3070) takes a hit whenever I leave a cave or building.

It's hardly unplayable, but it is noticeable, and I'd like to see updates bring this performance cost down a bit in the future in order to make the experience playing on PC more consistent.

The game's original soundtrack is here, with all the same tracks that players would expect. While the original voice lines are also included (meaning you can expect to hear Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean's iconic tones as members of the Septim family) there's also a handful of new recordings, including from actors that lent voices to NPCs in Skyrim.

This mainly gives additional variety to the various random NPCs that dot Cyrodiil, but it did take a moment to get used to suddenly hearing a voice I associate with Skyrim in its predecessor.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered review: Accessibility and approachability

• Oblivion Remastered has a handful of accessibility options.
• Players can increase the size of fonts and subtitles.
• There's also different difficulties, but more options would be good.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has a handful of accessibility options, allowing players to tweak the game slightly in ways that weren't available in the original release.

There's a larger font option for in-game text and subtitles, which can be adjusted independently. Players can also remove head-bobbing and low-health vignettes if they prove too distracting or induce motion sickness.

While these options are good, I'd like to see more. For players with limited vision, even larger text would be good to have. The leaps between difficulty settings in combat are also drastic, with a night and day difference between each option, and having more granular control over the threats enemies pose would be ideal.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered review: My final thoughts

• Back to the top ⤴

✅You should buy this if ...

• You enjoy single-player, open-world role-playing games.

Bethesda Game Studios is known for single-player experiences that let people truly embody someone else in a fantastical world, be it fantasy, the far reaches of space, or a nuclear post-apocalypse. If you've always enjoyed single-player RPGs that give you an open world to explore, you'll likely have fun in the now-modern trappings of Cyrodiil.

• You enjoy older-style fantasy games that have a bit of jank.

While Oblivion Remastered has been brought up to modern standards in visuals and some other options, the core underlying systems are all here, meaning you'll likely see a bit of nonsense from NPCs as you play. For many players, that's part of the charm, adding to the game's whimsical tone and nature. If you think that concept sounds appealing, you're certain to have fun here.

❌You should not buy this if ...

• You play only on PC and don't have a high-end computer.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered looks great, but there's no denying it's an extremely heavy game. Performance could use some improvement, especially on PC, and if you don't have a fairly modern gaming rig, it might be a good idea to at least hold off until a patch or two makes the game a little smoother.

There's an interesting discussion to be had about what it truly means to remaster a game. How much effort is put in? How much effort should be put in? At what arbitrary thin line do we argue that a game is actually a remake, not a remaster?

For my tastes and sensibilities, the worst thing about The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is its name. This is a remake, if not in intent, then certainly in tone, and it's a remake absolutely worth playing.

I appreciate this game's authenticity to what Oblivion is at its core, keeping everything that mattered (including a fair number of shenanigans) while updating it to be more palatable and accessible on modern hardware.

Yes, performance could use some improvements. I certainly wouldn't mind having some additional quality of life features added in future updates, especially to let me know if I've already cleared a dungeon or not. Xbox and Steam cross-saves would be lovely.

Ultimately, those things don't take away from how special Oblivion is, and how much of a joy it is to explore even now, whether it's a revisit or a player's first experience. In a year already packed with excellent games, Oblivion Remastered is a gem that shouldn't be missed.

With all the original DLC included, there's easily 200 hours of things to do if you're a player who wants to finish every quest, and that's just on a single character.

I'm looking forward to spending countless further hours in Cyrodiil, and I hope we'll see other titles from Bethesda Game Studios' back catalogue given similar treatment in the future.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, (via Steam and the Xbox app) and PlayStation 5. Like all Xbox first-party games, it's also available in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

• Back to the top ⤴

With Bethesda shadow dropping The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5 last week, many were understandably worried that the Skyblivion project — a work-in-progress mod for Skyrim scheduled for launch in 2025 that's being made by a fiercely dedicated team of community members — was having its thunder stolen by the official release. However, the Skyblivion developers quickly assuaged fears as soon as the remaster's release date was leaked, assuring fans that they believe "both projects can exist and thrive together, offering unique experiences for players."

The team has now expanded on this in the wake of Oblivion Remastered's launch, explaining that while the release from Bethesda and partner Virtuos Games is a true remaster that preserves the original experience and simply elevates it with modern Unreal Engine 5 visuals and other improvements layered over the Gamebryo Engine used for the 2006 RPG, Skyblivion will be more of a full-fledged remake that makes significant changes to Oblivion's worldspace, quests, combat mechanics, and more.

"Oblivion Remastered is gorgeous and, without a doubt, the best way to enjoy the original Oblivion experience as it was in 2006. It brings updated visuals plus some much needed quality-of-life enhancements," wrote team member Evan on the Skyblivion subreddit. "However, it is a 1:1 remaster of the original meaning every item, rock, tree, enemy, and, for the most part, landscape is laid out the same as it was in 2006. Skyblivion is a complete remake of the original Oblivion to bring it up to par with modern RPGs."

The Skyblivion team then proceeded to list out most (but not all) of the changes that the mod makes to the vanilla Oblivion experience, which I'll also list here (with shortened descriptions):

• Every area and interior have been remade, with major changes to many based on context or in-game dialogue (libraries have stocked bookshelves, places described as noble estates are overhauled to look the part)
• Interactable items have either been remade or given a Skyrim model so that every weapon, armor, and miscellaneous item has a unique model
• All of Oblivion's systems and menus have been overhauled, with many "remade or iterated upon" and a new perk system added
• Cities and settlements in Cyrodiil have been reimagined, with some offering entirely new areas to explore and others featuring major design changes inspired by Oblivion concept art
• Restored cut content is also featured, including Sutch — a large city that's been overrun by bandits
• Every in-game sound has been remade, and 22 original music tracks have been composed and added to the existing Oblivion score
• Many boss fights are being reworked into challenging "Legacy Bosses" with scripted elements and unique stages
• Cyrodiil now features many new biomes and weather systems, with each of these also affecting interiors in that region; ruins in a swamp, for example, will have plenty of moss and other types of vegetation growing within
• New enemies seen in The Elder Scrolls Online and other entries have been added, and variants of existing foes have been added as well

On top of all of this, it was also confirmed that since Skyblivion itself is a mod for Skyrim, tons of Skyrim mods will work with Skyblivion without any trouble. With well over 100,000 Skyrim Special Edition mods now available on Nexus Mods, you'll have plenty of ways to tweak Skyblivion to your liking.

Oblivion Remastered is great, but Skyblivion is calling my name

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While Oblivion Remastered is undoubtedly great — the game's critical acclaim, rave reviews from fans, and incredible launch performance with Steam player count peaks of over 200,000 speaks to that plenty — the full-on remake approach that Skyblivion is going for interests me far more. Oblivion's (in)famous jank has always been charming and entertaining, but for me, it also made it difficult to get immersed in its world; that's something I care a great deal about in open-world RPGs, so I've always enjoyed Oblivion less Skyrim or even the older 2003 title Morrowind. Skyblivion seems like it's going to tone that jank down while simultaneously making Oblivion's world more expansive and thoughtfully put together, and that's right up my alley.

I'm glad to see the Skyblivion team remain confident in their vision and continue pushing towards a 2025 release, as this is a project that people have been contributing to since 2012. If you're wondering if you should play Oblivion Remastered first or wait for Skyblivion, I'd say jump into Oblivion Remastered now to experience the classic RPG, and then do a "replay" with Skyblivion once it's out so you can compare it and all of its foundational changes to what is essentially the original experienced plussed up with Unreal Engine 5 graphics and some other quality-of-life adjustments.

Note that Oblivion Remastered is available for $49.99 on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5, though there's a sweet deal on the Steam version of the RPG that knocks it down to just $41.49 at Fanatical. On both Xbox and PC, you also have the option of playing it with Xbox Game Pass. When Skyblivion comes out later this year, it will be free, but also exclusive to the Steam and GOG versions of Skyrim Special Edition. Additionally, you'll also need to own the original Oblivion GOTY Deluxe Edition, as Skyblivion uses files and content from the game.

The dual creation of Bethesda and Virtuous, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, has been a hit. One of gaming's most beloved RPGs is back in the spotlight with one of the best remasters I've ever seen.

Oblivion managed to hit over 4 million players as of Friday, a monumental number that most likely got passed by this weekend. All while up against fierce competition from a potential Game of the Year winner, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

However, despite its wild popularity, it's not the only Bethesda game seeing a rise in player counts. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is also surging, streaming 33% higher than in recent weeks, hitting 45,000 concurrent players.

Just saying the word Skyrim has me itching for a play through, but that'll have to wait until I'm done becoming the head of every guild in Oblivion. Then again, the modding scene is much larger on Skyrim, and it's not like Bethesda is currently removing features from it like they did with Oblivion.

The Oblivion remaster has already managed to amass nearly 1,000 unique mods, but that's nothing compared to Skyrim, sitting over at well 100,000. All we need is for Bethesda to release an official modding toolset, and we'll have Thomas the Tank Engine mud crabs in no time.

There's another Elder Scrolls game on the rise as well. Morrowind has seen a slight gain, up 25% compared to recent weekends. It seems all Elder Scrolls titles got a bump as a result of the remaster.

The Oblivion remaster managed to bring me to tears, and even though a 17th playthrough of Skyrim wouldn't manage the same, I think I'll download one of those crazy mod packs that turn it into a Dark Souls game and see where that takes me.

Maybe Alduin will finally be a challenge to take down. Wait, that actually sounds like a great idea. Forgive me if you see me on Skyrim this week; my will is only so strong!

Are you playing the latest and greatest by Bethesda and Virtuos? Have you dived back into Skyrim? Let us know below in the comments!

Unless you decided to have a late hibernation this week, you're aware that The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered was finally announced and launched on April 22, marking one of the biggest shadow drops in gaming history.

The game immediately lit up Steam, and at the time I'm writing this, it managed to achieve a peak of 190,000 concurrent players on Valve's platform, which doesn't count anyone playing through Xbox Game Pass or buying the game on Xbox Series X|S or PlayStation 5.

So, I'd like to ask everyone reading Windows Central if you're playing it, and if so, how's your experience been so far?

The ideal remaster

Personally, I've been playing since it launched, though the nature of a busy work week and spinning dozens of plates means I haven't quite gotten as far as I would've liked. I'm currently working on Windows Central's review of Oblivion Remastered, which you can look forward to soon.

As a bit of a preview though, I'm overjoyed. The new visuals from Virtuos are fantastic, keeping much of Oblivion's iconic art direction while providing vastly more detail.

Still, the underlying charm (as Bethesda Game Studios' Todd Howard so gracefully put it) is all intact, and I've already seen dozens of infamous memes recreated in Oblivion Remastered.

To me, this strikes the perfect balance, making a much older game far more accessible for a new audience while still preserving the game's core for longtime fans. I genuinely believe that as time goes on, this will enter discussions as one of the best remasters of all time.

For the younger generation that's never played it, this might almost feel like an entirely new, modern Elder Scrolls game to enjoy as the wait for The Elder Scrolls 6 continues.

Windows Central readers, let me know what you think!

So, are you playing The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered? Take to the comments, and feel free to share any thoughts you've had so far if you've checked it out.

• Is this your first Elder Scrolls game, or have you played others in the series?
• Is this your first time checking out Oblivion?
• Are you enjoying your time with the remaster?
• If you've played both, do you prefer Oblivion Remastered to Skyrim?
• What would you like to see carried forward from Oblivion into The Elder Scrolls 6?
• Are you putting it down to check out Clair Obscur: Expedition 33?

If there's something I didn't bring up, share that too!

One of the biggest stories of the year in gaming is growing, as Bethesda Game Studios shared on Friday via Bluesky that The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has already reached 4 million players.

"We are so grateful to the over 4 million of you that have already ventured into Cyrodiil with Oblivion Remastered. Thank you!" the studio's social media message reads.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered was officially unveiled on Tuesday after almost two years of leaks and rumors. The game was then made available on storefronts the same day as part of "shadow drop," letting players instantly jump in.

Developed primarily by Virtuos with support from Bethesda Game Studios, the game features new visuals rendered in Unreal Engine 5 as well as some new voice recordings, while the underlying Gamebryo engine has been adjusted but left relatively the same as the original 2006 release.

Now, obviously, 4 million players is not 4 million copies sold. All Xbox first-party games are available at launch through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, meaning subscribers can check a game out without paying anything extra.

Even so, it's still a noteworthy milestone, and it'll be interesting how much further it grows over time. Another Bethesda Softworks-published title, MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, reached 4 million players after launching on Xbox and PC in December 2024.

Right now, the majority of players seem to be enjoying their time with the game, though PC Game Pass users are currently waiting on an official fix after an update disabled DLSS upscaling in that version of the game.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (via Steam and the Xbox app), and PlayStation 5. For more details, consult my guide on the different editions of Oblivion Remastered.

Oblivion Remastered is out and being enjoyed by countless gamers, but many are finding that the new Unreal Engine 5 graphics aren't playing nice with older PC hardware.

For most gamers looking to upgrade to a new desktop gaming PC without having to do any work, I recommend Lenovo's Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8). It's competitively priced, it's built to a high standard, and it's available with up to an NVIDIA RTX 4080 Super GPU.

Not quite what you need? Hundreds of hours of desktop PC testing at Windows Central gives me five other top-rated options perfect for playing Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Remastered.

The Quick List

The best desktop gaming PCs for Oblivion Remastered in 2025

Best overall desktop gaming PC for Oblivion Remastered

Lenovo's Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8) is my top pick for most users, but only if they aren't in search of NVIDIA's latest RTX 5000 GPUs.

While you won't get access to DLSS 4's Multi Frame Generation, you will save quite a bit of money; RTX 50-series GPUs don't come cheap, and the desktops that house them aren't as affordable.

Windows Central's Zachary Boddy reviewed the Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8), remarking:

"Want to play all the best PC games? Have a burning desire to crank every setting to its highest? Planning on enjoying those games on a crisp, high-resolution gaming monitor or TV? If you answered yes to all these questions and are looking for a gaming PC to accommodate you, the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8) may just be the best mainstream, pre-built gaming PC you can buy right now."

Lenovo's desktop gaming PC is available with up to an NVIDIA RTX 4080 SUPER for awesome performance, but models start with a more modest RTX 4070 Ti with 12GB of VRAM.

The GPUs are paired with up to an Intel Core i9-14900KF CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD.

Models start at about $2,200 thanks to near-permanent discounts at Lenovo, and there's plenty of room to scale up as needed.

👉 Read our full Lenovo Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8) review

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Runner-up desktop gaming PC for Oblivion Remastered

HP's OMEN 35L is an easy runner-up to the Legion Tower 7i thanks to its selection of the latest NVIDIA hardware.

You can configure models with up to an RTX 5080 GPU, but there are plenty of other options, including an AMD Radeon RX 7600.

All GPUs can be paired with up to an Intel Core i7-14700F CPU, 64GB of Kingston FURY DDR5 RAM, and dual 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs.

Windows Central's Zachary Boddy reviewed the HP OMEN 35L, noting:

"Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) isn't the slam dunk for gamers Intel may want you to think it is, but it doesn't stop the OMEN 35L from shredding through anything you can throw at it. While it may be tempting to wait and see what companies can do with new hardware from AMD and NVIDIA (I understand completely), the OMEN 35L is one of the easiest pre-built systems for me to recommend right now."

The PC's 35-liter case is a lot more compact than my top pick, but the internal layout is clean and organized. And I have to hand it to HP when it comes to making upgrades fairly easy.

Standard parts are used in most places, the PSU is modular, and there's space inside to fit the biggest GPUs on the market.

Prices start at about $1,400 at HP, but there are frequent discounts to check out.

👉 Read our full HP OMEN 35L review

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Best boutique desktop gaming PC for Oblivion Remastered

While I haven't yet put together an official review of the Maingear MG-1 on Windows Central, that will change in the near future.

In the meantime, trust that I've had plenty of experience with this custom-built PC. Maingear makes an awesome product, and it's backed up by strong in-house support.

The real draw here is the extensive customization options and the precision assembly. When I pulled apart the MG-1 for the first time, cable management and overall attention to detail were superior to the custom PC I put together myself.

Maingear lets you select everything from the performance hardware to the fans and cables, and it uses the same parts you'd buy separately; no proprietary designs here.

Prices start at about $1,339 for models with an RTX 4060 and AMD Ryzen 5 7600X, but a jump to a model with an RTX 5060 Ti (16GB) and Ryzen 5 9600X only adds about $400.

Either model will run Oblivion Remastered, but there's plenty of room to spec up — all the way to a Ryzen 9 9950X3D and RTX 5090 — as your budget allows.

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Best compact desktop gaming PC for Oblivion Remastered

This tiny PC won't allow you to get the most out of its performance hardware due to thermal constraints, but with an RTX 4070 and Intel Core i9-13900KF inside, it'll easily handle Oblivion Remastered and most other AAA games at 1440p.

It measures in at 12.72 x 11.3 x 4.53 inches, giving it just enough space to house the desktop GPU. Future upgrades beyond the RAM and SSD won't be as easy as with a full-size PC, but that won't matter for lots of users.

Editor Rebecca Spear reviewed the ASUS ROG G22CH, saying:

"If you want something ready to go when you get it and won't take up that much room, then the ASUS ROG G22CH-DB978 is an excellent choice. Its powerful CPU and GPU can handle any intensive gaming tasks you throw at it while producing high FPS and smooth gameplay. The fans run a bit loud, which also helps keep the system running efficiently."

You can pick up a model with a Core i7-13700F CPU, RTX 4070 GPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD for about $1,650 at Amazon, and there are a number of other configs available if you desire a different setup.

👉 Read our full ASUS ROG G22CH review

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Best mini desktop gaming PC for Oblivion Remastered

The ASUS ROG G22CH might be compact, but the ROG NUC 970 takes it one step further with its mini PC frame.

ASUS actually uses laptop hardware inside due to the tight thermal constraints, but with an RTX 4070 Laptop GPU and a Core Ultra 9 185H CPU, you'll be able to enjoy Oblivion Remastered without issue.

Windows Central Editor Rebecca Spear reviewed the ASUS ROG NUC 970, remarking:

"The ASUS ROG NUC 970 is a very powerful mini PC that can handle modern gaming easily, thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and RTX 4070 L graphics card. While it uses laptop components, it has far more ports than most gaming laptops offer and doesn't take up a lot of room. Being able to stand it upright or lay it down adds to its convenience."

The 4070/Ultra 9 combo comes with 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, totaling about $1,722 at Amazon. If you'd like to spend less, there's also an ROG NUC 760 with an RTX 4060 Laptop GPU and Ultra 7 155H CPU for about $1,297.

If you love the idea of something super portable but don't exactly want a mini PC, be sure to check out my roundup of the best gaming laptops for Oblivion Remastered.

👉 Read our full ASUS ROG NUC 970 review

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Best custom pre-built desktop gaming PC for Oblivion Remastered

iBuyPower sits somewhere between the mass-produced mainstream desktop gaming PCs and custom boutique builds when it comes to quality and hardware.

I reviewed the iBuyPower Slate 8 Mesh custom pre-built and came away impressed, although I was disappointed by the non-modular PSU and stock fan curve.

"iBuyPower's Slate 8 Mesh gets a lot right. The build has clean cable management and came assembled with no issues. The parts used in the build are mostly pieces you can buy on your own, save for the PSU and CPU cooler, which can be replaced after purchase. There's no bloatware installed, allowing you to choose exactly what sort of RGB software you want to use."

Those issues are remedied with iBuyPower's customizable configurations, but for a more expedited buying process, there are plenty of models already built and for sale at Best Buy starting at about $1,250.

With plenty of hardware options, including modern Intel or AMD CPUs and up to an NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti, there should be a PC with a competitive price for any level of user who wants to enjoy Oblivion Remastered.

👉 Read our full iBuyPower Slate 8 Mesh review

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Honorable mentions

Don't see quite what you need in my top six picks? These honorable mentions might be more to your liking.

• Dell XPS Desktop 8960: The XPS Desktop isn't a gaming PC, but it is available with up to an RTX 4070 GPU and a 14th Gen Intel Core i9-14900K CPU. If you prefer a sleeper build that won't receive future updates, you can find it for about $2,380 at Amazon. 👉 Read our full Dell XPS Desktop (8960) review
• HP OMEN 45L: The OMEN 45L is a huge desktop gaming PC with a unique Cryo Chamber on top that lowers temps throughout. It's available with up to an RTX 5090 GPU and Core Ultra 9 285K CPU, but prices start at about $3,030 at HP. 👉 Read our full HP OMEN 45L review

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How we test desktop gaming PCs at Windows Central

The Windows Central team is always in the process of testing and reviewing new hardware, and everything we touch goes through a similar process.

For pre-built desktop gaming PCs, it usually starts with checking out the build quality. Attention to detail, cable management, and assembly are all analyzed. You generally want a PC that works flawlessly out of the box, and we take care to ensure that's possible.

From there, we take a look at the case and its airflow capabilities, port selection, and ease-of-use when it comes to repairs and upgrades. If a pre-built PC is using proprietary hardware that might get in the way of future tweaks, we'll let you know.

👉 Related: How we test and review at Windows Central

How well the hardware performs is also taken into account, and we take extra care to compare metrics when testing compact or mini PCs that don't have as much top-end performance potential.

System noise, power supply quality, and included software impressions are mixed into the overall recipe, giving you a full and clear idea of what to expect from the pre-built gaming PC in question.

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How to choose the best desktop gaming PC for Oblivion Remastered

Choosing the right PC for you will ultimately come down to how much you're willing to spend, how much space you have for a gaming PC, and what level of performance you're expecting.

Any of the PCs I've included above will run the Elder Scrolls Oblivion remake. Although my top pick doesn't offer NVIDIA's RTX 50-series GPUs, the Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8) is competitively priced, built to a high standard, and comes with up to an RTX 4080 SUPER for outstanding performance.

It doesn't have access to DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation, but you'll save money compared to one of Team Green's latest cards. Prices generally start at about $2,200.

For those who do want a pre-built with NVIDIA's RTX 50-series cards, the HP OMEN 35L is an attractive runner-up. It has a clean interior layout, the case doesn't take up as much space, and HP has a ton of configuration options. Prices start at about $1,400 at HP.

Maingear's MG-1 is my top recommendation for any PC enthusiast who wants a high-performance system that feels like it was built at home.

Maingear's attention to detail is impressive, and the use of standard parts you can buy on the open market makes future upgrades as simple as possible. There's a wide range of hardware (including the latest from Intel, NVIDIA, and AMD), and prices start at about $1,339.

You might also find what you need from iBuyPower's Slate 8 Mesh lineup. These custom PCs come in a variety of configurations, with the most affordable starting at about $1,250.

Don't have much space in your gaming room? ASUS has you covered with its ROG G22CH and ROG NUC 970.

The former features desktop hardware in a compact chassis; you can get an RTX 4070 and Core i7 for about $1,650. The latter is a smaller mini PC that uses laptop-class hardware, and you can generally find it starting around $1,297 at Amazon.

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Best desktop gaming PCs for Oblivion Remastered: FAQ

Not sure if Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is the right game for you? Here are some answers to top questions surrounding Bethesda's brilliant remake.

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While hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of players are enjoying The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, a new update makes the game substantially worse for anyone playing through PC Game Pass.

Update: How to temporarily fix DLSS and FSR in Oblivion Remastered

Players using the Xbox PC app to dive into the recently-launched Oblivion Remastered started noticing an update on Friday, sharing on Reddit that the update made their game lose a couple of settings.

Most concerningly, players are no longer able to access an upscaling feature like DLSS, meaning the game is forced to run at a native resolution.

As a result, performance cost goes dramatically up, meaning it'll be harder for many players to maintain a smooth framerate while exploring the environs of Cyrodiil.

PC Game Pass performance woes

This is hardly the first time we've seen issues with the PC Game Pass versions of games.

Just earlier this year, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black (which was also a shadow drop, interestingly enough) launched immediately into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, whereupon players discovered that the PC Game Pass version lacked DLSS.

It was eventually patched, but it's certainly annoying to try and deal with the lack of upscaling options when you want to play.

With many games supporting or requiring more advanced features like ray tracing, DLSS, FSR, and other upscaling techniques are increasingly critical in order to let players with older computer hardware run a new game smoothly.

It's also frustrating at an extra level for an admitted minority of players, as The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered does not currently support cross-save between Xbox and Steam.

Xbox Play Anywhere support means that the Xbox Series X|S version does have cross-save with PC Game Pass, but that version of the game is now far more demanding to run.

Hopefully we'll see Bethesda Game Studios and Virtuos fix this problem before long. It would also be nice to see Xbox and Steam cross-save functionality added sooner rather than later.

It's 2006, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion just released on a cold Monday morning in March. A 16-year-old me was just fired from my below-minimum-wage pizza oven career, but after seeing some Elder Scrolls gameplay, I was bound and determined to get an Xbox 360.

After months of turmoil, taking on odd neighborhood jobs for $10 or less and penny-pinching, I was still short on cash come September. To my surprise and joy, my parents got it for my birthday that same month.

I had never poured so many hours into a game. The only other title that ever came close to something like this had been the initial EverQuest in 1999. I was an inexperienced gamer who had never seen the likes of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind or other open-world RPGs outside of that MMO experience.

Oblivion was a new benchmark, a game that would set the bar for other open-world RPGs to come. A bar that its predecessor, Morrowind, had set.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion would be played for years by me on that Xbox 360. I poured over 700 hours into it before I finally put it down, having earned every single achievement well before that day.

Since that day, I've booted Oblivion up once or twice to reminisce. The gameplay was true to what I believed it once was, but the years were showing. Colorful and bright, Oblivion wasn't quite as beautiful as my nostalgic eyes remembered.

I was content with that, as I turned to Skyrim for my Elder Scrolls needs and have continued to return, adding many mods to enhance and transform the experience from an RPG to a Souls-like game, and even to a cooperative adventure with features like Skyrim Together.

Oblivion would always be my first true single-player RPG experience, a fondly held memory cherished in my heart.

Then, the rumors of a remaster began to surface. Surely, I thought, this would never work out. The vision and original quirkiness of my childhood would somehow be undone or ruined. Then, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered just.. released.

New game, familiar face

I, along with hundreds of thousands of other people, downloaded Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered the instant it became available. No matter what, I at least had to try it, right?

I started a new game and got to the character creator. I was immediately drawn to the Dark Elf once more. A stealthy Destruction-based archer was to be born once more. Every facial detail was meticulously composed to make the most human-looking Dark Elf I could, just like a 16-year-old me had done before.

Patrick Stewart entered my now-worn eardrums. The last time I had heard the voice of the Emperor, I had never worn anything like a gaming headset. His voice was so much more unmistakable in modern audio; I developed chills hearing him declare our destinies were intertwined.

His face was much gaunter than previously; a higher polygon count would do that, but it was unmistakably him. He was, as I remembered. A stoic man beseeched by miserable times and the ultimate moment that lay before him.

Combing through the Capitol sewers felt like revisiting my early teen days. I was back in front of that analog, boxed television set as if 20 years hadn't passed. Grand emotions were beginning to stir inside me.

I fought tooth and nail for the Emperor, forgetting the inevitable fate that awaited me as the guards shouted at me repeatedly to return to Septim and defend him instead. By the end, assassin bodies began disappearing due to the sheer number the Blades and I had slain.

I returned to him one last time to watch the inevitable as I had all those years ago.

The moment relived — Exiting the Sewers

Moving on, I paced toward the exit of the sewers. I had one last chance to align my stars and class specialties, one of the things I loved about Oblivion. I could make my own class tailored to my play style.

Willpower and Agility would lead the way, followed by Athletics, Destruction, Marksman, Restoration, Sneak, Light Armor, and Blade. I would be the shadow that, if seen, would be the end of your sight.

Once I opened the sewer gates, it felt as though I had been transported 20 years into the past. The vibrant, wonderous world I'd laid eyes on as a child had brought me back to my youth. I sprinted across the landscape, taking it all in.

Nothing looked the same, yet it all felt so familiar and perfect. The trees and grasslands were, as my memory had always led me to believe, preserved in an imperfect, nostalgia-driven museum. Nothing that I kept in my memories was true, but it was stored in such a way that I remembered it always looking just as good as the remaster does.

I don't often feel the urge to weep over a video game; if I do, it's over a character's demise. In that moment, the recollections of years gone by and earlier times beseeched me, overwhelming me to the point of tears.

A favorite moment from a simpler time brought me back to a childlike fantasy. After thousands of games, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was the one to bring me back to my childhood all over again. Fantasy, wonder, glitches, everything was intact.

I know I'm not the only one who's felt this. Whether it be the Gates of Oblivion or another treasured title, we gamers are simple creatures. When such a grand moment of our childhood is revisited, we can't put into words the sensation, yet we all feel it.

We all know and understand what someone's talking about when they mention it. If you've yet to have that experience, perhaps Virtuoso's discounted remaster is the key to returning to that happy place again. I know it was for me, and I can't wait to jump back in the instant I'm done writing this.

The rumors, reports, and leaks panned out, and The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is now available.

This surprise game launch allows players to dive back into the world that Bethesda Game Studios first explored all the way back in 2006.

This kind of sudden launch doesn't happen frequently across the gaming industry, and certainly not with a game of this magnitude. There's a lot to go over, so I've gathered all the information you need to know about The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered.

What is The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered?

In 2006, developer Bethesda Game Studios and publisher Bethesda Softworks released The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion on Xbox and PC. As the name suggests, it was the fourth mainline title in The Elder Scrolls series of role-playing games.

The game was ported to PlayStation 3 a year later, and it sold millions of copies across all three platforms, achieving commercial success, though it would pale in the face of 2011's sequel, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim's gargantuan performance.

In 2023, documents leaked as part of the Microsoft vs. FTC court hearing that suggested remastered versions of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and Fallout 3 were in some stage of planning.

Throughout 2024 and into 2025, reports from various websites and known leakers indicated the game was being prepped for a "shadow drop," meaning that it would be announced and launched on the same day.

On April 22, 2025, Bethesda revealed The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, making it immediately available for purchase on the same day. The game has been developed primarily by support studio Virtuos, with Bethesda Game Studios overseeing the project.

Is Oblivion Remastered a remake or remaster?

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is described directly by Bethesda Game Studios as a remaster, not a remake.

Here's how it works: The new visuals for the game are entirely new assets crafted by Virtuos using Unreal Engine 5. These visuals are sitting "on top" of the original Gamebryo engine, which has been updated and tweaked, with new audio recordings for certain lines and other features, such as improved combat and some bug fixes.

Far more effort has been put in compared to many other game remasters, but it doesn't go as far as something like many of the Resident Evil remakes, which completely redo and alter the experience.

Technically, I'd personally argue that this would make the game lean towards a remake, in fact, if perhaps not in spirit.

Ultimately, though, it really doesn't matter. The important thing is to understand that a lot of work has been done here, and that this isn't a simple project that just gave the original game a quick coat of digital paint.

What price is The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered?

There are two different versions of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered available for purchase, the Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition, which are currently listed at $50 and $60, respectively, in the U.S.

The Standard Edition includes the game and all the original Oblivion's downloadable content (DLC), while the Deluxe Edition packs in some new cosmetics and associated quests.

If you buy the Standard Edition and you later wish to access the Deluxe Edition content, you can buy the Deluxe Edition Upgrade for $10, which includes the extras but not the game itself.

Where can I get The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered?

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (through Steam), and PlayStation 5.

While many Xbox games, such as DOOM: The Dark Ages and Sea of Thieves, are being added to Blizzard Entertainment's Battle.net PC launcher, Oblivion Remastered isn't one of them right now, but that could change in the future.

The game has not been announced for the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, but we wouldn't be surprised to see it get announced for Nintendo's latest platform as time goes on.

Oblivion Remastered — Release date

Is The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered on Xbox Game Pass?

The Standard Editions of all Xbox first-party games from across Activision Blizzard, Bethesda Softworks, and Xbox Game Studios launch day one into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is no exception to this rule, and is available right now for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers to download and play.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers also have the option of streaming it through Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion was an instant hit back when it came out in 2006 for its huge open world, an abundance of varied and interesting quests, and tons of different ways to build your character with magic, melee, and archery — all things that made it stand out compared to its peers at the time. However, the fantasy RPG also quickly became known for its hilarious jank, with players highly amused by painfully awkward conversations between NPCs, nonsensical NPC behaviors, goofy voice acting, and bizarre physics glitches (among other things).

Fans have continued looking back at the 20-year-old (man, I feel old) title with a great fondness for many years, to the point where comical and popular memes have spawned from the clips of silly Oblivion moments you can find on YouTube channels like Bacon_. With that in mind, I was a bit nervous when Bethesda shadow dropped Oblivion Remastered earlier this week, fearing that it and partner Virtuos Games may have tried to "fix" the accidental and humorous absurdity that contributed to how entertaining the original was.

What was immediately apparent mere hours after release, though, is what while Oblivion Remastered gives the classic RPG a visual and mechanical glow up, it's perfectly preserved all of its chucklesome quirks. One only has to take a look through the top posts from the Oblivion subreddit right now to see this, though my favorite example is a classic meme from Bacon_ that they've recreated a full seven years later with the new remaster.

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The original video from early 2018 — now up to a staggering 18 million views on YouTube — captures an organic moment from the original Oblivion in which a thief NPC threatens the player and takes 100 Gold from them...only to then bizarrely not care when they notice the player stealing the money back, asserting that it's "worthless to him anyway."

It's a hilarious exchange that perfectly captures how silly and outright dumb the game was, which is why I was overjoyed to see that Bacon_ got the interaction to play out in the exact same way in the new remake — and in the same place on the map, no less. Oblivion Remastered may boast gorgeous Unreal Engine 5 visuals and feature smoother, less janky combat, but at the end of the day, it still has original game's heart and soul at its core.

Bacon_ has also remade another of their memes at the time of writing as well: a new version of a clip of Rena Bruiant commenting that she loves dogs, only for her husband to immediately attack one of their canine pets seconds later. Admittedly, though, his "YEEHAUGH!" battle cry in the older video is much better than the less dramatic "Hough!" in the new one.

The faithfulness that Oblivion Remastered shows to the original game is likely a large part of why it's performing so well (as is the fact that for many younger players, this is essentially a brand new The Elder Scrolls game). The game is blowing up Steam right now, and is also available to play on Xbox and PC (not PS5) with Xbox Game Pass. Its MSRP price is $49.99, but notably, you can get the Steam version for just $41.49 at Fanatical.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is back and better than ever with Xbox cross-saves

2025 is a good year to be an Elder Scrolls fan, as one of the most beloved entries in the franchise and one of the best Xbox games ever released for the Xbox 360, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, has been fully reborn as The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered. This long-awaited remaster features a ton of changes to the original game, including improved graphics, refined combat, and many quality-of-life improvements.

Oblivion Remastered is a massive game with hundreds of hours worth of adventures to embark on. As such, people are wondering if this game will feature cross-save progression so they can continue their journeys from platform to platform.

Fortunately, Oblivion Remastered does support cross saves, but only within the Xbox ecosystem. This, unfortunately, means that you can't transfer files between Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, or Steam versions of the game.

The good news is that save files of Oblivion Remastered can be transferred between Xbox consoles, PC via Windows, and Xbox Cloud Gaming-compatible mobile devices, as this title is on Xbox Game Pass.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is now available for purchase on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Windows and Steam. There are multiple editions of this remaster on sale, so head over to our The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered buying guide to see which one is right for you.