The Elder Scrolls 6 still "a long ways off" according to Bethesda's Todd Howard — and he says shadow dropping Oblivion Remastered "worked out well"

The Elder Scrolls 6 announcement image
Over eight years on, this teaser is still all that has been seen of The Elder Scrolls 6. (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

Any fans of The Elder Scrolls that are wondering when it'll finally be time for the sixth mainline entry in Bethesda Game Studios fantasy role-playing series will be waiting a while longer.

The Elder Scrolls 6 is "still a long ways off," according to executive producer Todd Howard, who shared that small update in an interview with GQ.

“I’m preaching patience,” he says. “I don’t want fans to feel anxious.”

While The Elder Scrolls 6 was first announced with a small teaser all the way back at E3 2018, Bethesda Game Studios hasn't shared anything since, with the team focused on the release of its science-fiction title Starfield in 2023.

Howard goes on to add that while the studio now has "hundreds" of people working on the Fallout franchise "with 76 and some other things we're doing," The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently the studio's main focus.

He also notes that he considers it a good thing for Bethesda to have breaks in betwee its different games instead of just doing direct sequels, though he admits that the gap for The Elder Scrolls has been "too long."

"I think Fallout 3 has the best opening," Howard says, when asked what the best game he's worked on is. "I think Starfield has by far the best gunplay and gameplay in areas. I think the varied landscape of Fallout 76 is really good. Tonally and player agency-wise, I think Skyrim is really good."

Interestingly, when asked about how The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered was shadow-dropped back in April and if The Elder Scrolls 6 could follow a similar pattern, Howard doesn't say no.

"You might say that was a test run," he says. "It worked out well."

As the wait continues, more Starfield DLC is on the way

Starfield is getting at least one more DLC expansion, though little is known at this time. (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

While I would truly admire the audacity of suddenly sharing a bunch of trailers and saying "Hey, The Elder Scrolls 6 is out today!" I truly do not think this will happen. That game is utterly massive, and will easily be one of the biggest single-player games from the Xbox first-party division to release whatever decade it arrives.

Keeping things shrouded until the year it's finally ready to launch, then having a blitz over the course of a few months? Now that, I can buy.

Learning that the game isn't close may be disappointing, but it's not surprising. I've maintained for a long while that The Elder Scrolls 6 will arrive in 2028, and I'm sticking to that timeline.

For Fallout players, the wait for Fallout 5 will be even longer, though at least players can look forward to Season 2 of the Fallout TV series arriving on December 17, as well as reports of a Fallout 3 remaster in development.

As we continue waiting, hopefully we'll learn more about what is next for Starfield soon. Bethesda confirmed back in August that a second expansion was on the way, alongside free updates that include changes to how space exploration gameplay works.

Little is known about the next story expansion, but Bethesda has teased the "Terran Armada" is on the way, which could have serious implications for the universe of Starfield and what's happening in its story.

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FAQ

When is the release date for The Elder Scrolls 6?

We have no idea. There is no official release date at this time. Based on comments from Todd Howard, the game is likely still at least a couple of years away.


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Samuel Tolbert
Freelance Writer

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Bluesky ‪@samueltolbert.bsky.social‬.

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