The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently in development at Bethesda, with the studio now focusing on the upcoming RPG as its main priority
As one of the most talked about new games on the way (aside from GTA 6, of course), the next Elder Scrolls game has been a long time coming, and we're still waiting for a major update on the project. Initially announced with a brief teaser trailer that dropped back in 2018, the reveal ignited eight years of excitement about what's next for the long-running fantasy series. Many were hopeful The Elder Scrolls 6 would make an appearance at some point during the Summer Game Fest Schedule for 2026, with Xbox holding its own big showcase. But it was not to be.
Following the game's no-show during the big summer games season, Todd Howard acknowledged it's been a long time in the making in an interview with EW, saying, "we know we need to get it right". While it looks like we'll be in for a wait yet, there's been some interesting tidbits from Howard over the years about the upcoming Bethesda game, including the fact that it will be a be a return to "classic" Bethesda RPGs like Skyrim. So, if you're looking for a recap, you can find a full breakdown of everything that's been said about The Elder Scrolls 6 so far below, along with some speculation about what's to come.
Elder Scrolls 6 release date speculation
Bethesda announced that The Elder Scrolls 6 left pre-production back in 2023, with development said to be underway. At the time, The Elder Scrolls 6 was projected to release in "2026 or later", and it seems later is very much the operative word here.
There's been no further news on the expected launch window as of yet. The good news is following Starfield's PS5 launch, the studio's focus is now on Elder Scrolls 6 (even if the PS5 release isn't the end of the line for the space-faring RPG).
Howard also revealed in a roundtable interview attended by GamesRadar+ in March 2026 that "the majority" of the studio is now working on The Elder Scrolls 6, so things are ramping up in terms of development. But Howard did also say that no one is in a hurry to get the game out, so we're likely still in for a wait yet.
Elder Scrolls 6 platforms
We don't yet know if Elder Scrolls 6 will be an Xbox exclusive.
We're still awaiting official word on what platforms the next Elder Scrolls entry will be coming to, but there has been speculation surrounding whether or not Elder Scrolls 6 will be an Xbox exclusive for years. A document released in 2023 as part of the FTC v. Microsoft case (via The Verge) seemed to suggest exclusivity, with information claiming that once the game launches, it will be on Xbox and PC.
Prior to this, Todd Howard said in 2020 that "it's hard to imagine" not bringing The Elder Scrolls 6 to multiple platforms, with Xbox also clarifying during the Jefferies Interactive Entertainment conference that it will "absolutely" buy more studios, with games "first or best" on the platform. Xbox CFO Tim Stuart and Phil Spencer did also clarify reports about Elder Scrolls 6 being an Xbox exclusive, and seemed to hint that other platforms may get the title eventually.
"What we'll do in the long run is we don't have intentions of just pulling all of Bethesda content out of Sony or Nintendo or otherwise. But what we want is we want that content to be either first or better, or best, or pick your differentiated experience on our platforms. We will want Bethesda content to show up the best on our platforms," Spencer said.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered was also released on multiple platforms when it shadow dropped in 2025. Plus, Xbox shifted to a multiplatform strategy in recent times, with an increasing number of former Xbox exclusives releasing on PS5 - including the likes of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Forza Horizon 5, and Avowed. And with Starfield now following suit, it's possible that Elder Scrolls 6 will come to multiple platforms.
Still, with some games remaining exclusive, such as Clockwork Revolution and Gears of War: E-Day (which was revealed to be an exclusive during the Xbox Games Showcase June 2026 livestream), only time will tell.
Elder Scrolls 6 trailer
All we've got to go on is this 36-second trailer Bethesda debuted at E3 2018. Hearing the low thrum of the drums as the title appears certainly got us all hyped back then, and it's got us ready for more, but we haven't got much else since then.
You can check out the trailer for yourself below.
Elder Scrolls 6 possible locations
Fans believe that the Tweet below is a confirmation that the next Elder Scrolls will take place in Hammerfell. The official Elder Scrolls Twitter account posted a New Year's message featuring a map of Skyrim, with the words "transcribe the past and map the future."
Eagle-eyed fans quickly pointed out that the location of the candles on the image may contain a clue. One is placed directly on Skyrim, one on a book holding the map down, and another beyond Skyrim's borders in the southwest - right by the label for Hammerfell.
This is the home of the Redguards, and it's been on everyone's radar since the teaser trailer seemed to line up with some geographic details of Hammerfell. If we are taken to Hammerfell, expect to see grasslands, jungles, some humid swamps, and arid deserts.
Transcribe the past and map the future. 📖Here's to a Happy New Year!🕯 pic.twitter.com/bL44CzLDIEDecember 31, 2020
Hammerfell seems even more likely as the location for The Elder Scrolls 6 thanks to some discoveries made by players during their time in the recently released Oblivion Remaster. Via Reddit, user seemingly managed to leave the main map by travelling past Cyrodiil's northern border. According to the post below, by passing the southern Valenwood gap you can reach Hammerfell without any mods or glitches in your game.
I made it to Hammerfell from r/oblivion
This may just be a coincidence, but it seems like Hammerfell is being heavily teased. Interestingly, in 2025, Todd Howard said that Elder Scrolls 6 "most definitely" has way more trees than Skyrim, which has led to some speculation that we could also be venturing to a southwestern area of Tamriel known as Valenwood, which is home to the Bosmer, or Wood Elves. Of course, it could just speak to the scope of the world Bethesda is creating more than anything else, but it's certainly an exciting idea.
Elder Scrolls 6 engine
In an interview roundtable attended by GamesRadar+, Howard touched on Bethesda's latest iteration of its proprietary Creation Engine, which is being used to develop Elder Scrolls 6.
When asked what the team will bring forward from their experience working on Starfield for Elder Scrolls 6, Howard said that "the way we've approached the engine work, we've don't a much better job of it this time", adding that Starfield was made on Creation Engine 2, which "was a big change from the original engine."
"We have Creation Engine 3 for The Elder Scrolls 6 – it started on [Creation Engine] 2. When you do an engine change, or you are updating your core tech, that is an upheaval for the team trying to make stuff," he says.
Back in 2021, Todd Howard explained in an interview with The Telegraph how Elder Scrolls will Bethesda is using the same engine to build both Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6, with work on the next Elder Scrolls expected to lead to changes to the engine in order to suit what the upcoming adventure requires – leading to what is now Creation Engine 3.
"The vast majority of our development work is on Starfield right now but everybody works on everything so the projects kind of intertwine," Howard said in 2021. "It's good to think of The Elder Scrolls 6 as still being in a design [phase]… but we're checking the tech: 'Is this going to handle the things we want to do in that game?' Every game will have some new suites of technology so Elder Scrolls 6 will have some additions on to Creation Engine 2 that that game is going to require."
Elder Scrolls 6 theories
We've got a glimpse of a few new details about Elder Scrolls 6, straight from Todd Howard himself. During an interview with IGN, Howard fleshed out a tiny bit on what fans can expect from the game, saying that:
"I think when they eventually see the game and what we have in mind, they'll understand the gap more in terms of technology and what we want it to do... The one thing [the gap between Skyrim and Elder Scrolls 6's release] does is people are still playing Skyrim, it's still one of the best-selling games. I know people joke about it online, but it's one of the best-selling games on Switch."
"Anything we put it out on, it becomes a hit game. And they love it, they still play it, it's almost infinitely playable, all of the mods and everything like that. And we're 8 years post-Skyrim. It lets us know going into Elder Scrolls 6 that this is a game we need to design for people to play for a decade at least, at least".
So whatever Elder Scrolls 6 includes, gameplay-wise, it's going to be there for the long haul, just like Skyrim. There's likely going to be a bigger emphasis on replayability, which might mean that tiny choices at the beginning of the game end up massively changing big story beats. Judging from Howard's remark about the technology and "what [Bethesda] wants it to do", it sounds like the developers might be creating brand new gameplay mechanics to make Elder Scrolls 6 unlike anything we've seen before.
On September 10, 2018, Bethesda started the process to trademark the term 'Redfall', causing the internet to jump into a flurry of excitement about whether the enigmatic word could be the name of Elder Scrolls 6. Yeah, I was one of them. This is how Redfall could be related to Elder Scrolls 6: the good people of Reddit have theorized that it might be the name of a plague sweeping Tamriel, putting you slap-bang in the middle of it.
It all boils down to - well, boils, actually, as they’re part of a disease that followers of Peryite (the Daedric Prince of pestilence, natural order, and tasks) have been infected with. In the quest The Only Cure, the blotchy red-skinned, poison-puking devotees of Peryite mention a plague that started in High Rock, leading some to wonder whether the ‘Red’ part of the trademark might be linked to the illness. The ‘-fall’ part of the term might be linked to it beginning in Daggerfall, one of High Rock’s kingdoms. It’s all a theory at this point - but one definitely worth entertaining for a while at least.
Elder Scrolls 6 news
- Former Fallout artist says The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced so early because "it had been so long already since Skyrim that we needed to make sure people were not just pissed at us"
- Xbox accidentally unleashes a wave of Elder Scrolls 6 hopium while trying to hype up GTA 6 and Forza Horizon 6: "Big year for games ending in 6"
- After nearly 30 years buried in Bethesda lore, ex-dev isn't sure what to make of The Elder Scrolls 6: "They're making something different than what I would have done, and so I don't know how I'm going to feel"
- The Elder Scrolls 6 will feature an NPC made in memory of a beloved fan, all thanks to the RPG community's most dedicated lorekeepers – and $85,000: "We just finished up a meeting with Bethesda"
- Devs behind 24-year-old Morrowind mod rebuilding Tamriel expect it to outlast The Elder Scrolls 6: "They worried that Skyrim would kill the mod. They saw it not do that"
- "Even if The Elder Scrolls 6 is great," Skyrim veteran thinks Bethesda developers will face harassment and "death threats" anyway
- The Elder Scrolls 6 devs are sharing lore responsibilities with the team behind The Elder Scrolls MMO
- "Early builds" of The Elder Scrolls 6 are being played at Bethesda, offering the same "joy, excitement, and promise of adventure" as the rest of the series' 30-year history
- The actual Elder Scrolls 6 reveal will probably be like Fallout 4's, predicts former dev: "You won't hear much in the way of details until 6 months before"
- Skyrim's magic system is "absolutely going to continue" into The Elder Scrolls 6, according to former Bethesda designer
- The Elder Scrolls 6 will take longer to come out than the original five games combined
Here are some other games like Skyrim if you're after some sprawling open-world adventuring.
