The Elder Scrolls 6: Everything we know so far

The Elder Scrolls 6 is still on the way, and it's also very much on our minds as we approach the Summer Game Fest Schedule for 2025, which bring us an Xbox Game Showcase. Promising to bring us a look at a host of upcoming Xbox Series X games, we don't yet know what's in store for us during the event, but fans everywhere have their fingers crossed for an appearance from what is easily one of the biggest upcoming Bethesda games in the works.

First officially revealed with a brief teaser all the way in 2018, there have been little breadcrumbs of news here and there ever since. As the sequel to Skyrim, there's been a lot of theories out there about what direction it might go in, but we still don't have much to go on. Still, excitement about the new RPG refuses to die down, especially with the release of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, which shadow-dropped in a surprise announcement showcase. What's more, Todd Howard even mentioned Elder Scrolls 6, reassuring fans that "we're working on the sixth chapter here".

Yes, one of the biggest new games is in active development, with the studio also set to bring us Fallout 5 in the future (which is set to come after the Elder Scrolls 6's release, so expect a long wait for that one). While we await further news on the next Elder Scrolls game, read on below as we recap everything we currently know about Elder Scrolls 6.

Elder Scrolls 6 release date speculation

Bethesda has announced that The Elder Scrolls 6 has left pre-production and that development is now underway. It's still very early days, but The Elder Scrolls 6 is projected to release in "2026 or later."

This estimate has actually led caused some debate in light of some recent news, wiht fans pinpointing a 2027 release date as a more likely timeframe to follow in the footsteps of Starfield. Of course, this is all just speculation, but we do know that more post-launch content is expected to come to Starfield following Shattered Space, and "early builds" were said to be playable back in 2024, so 2027 does seem feasible. All of this certainly gives some food for thought, but we'll have to wait for official word from Bethesda.

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 a lot of speculation surrounding whether or not Elder Scrolls 6 will be Xbox exclusive. 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.

"Just as they took the bold first steps to bring The Elder Scrolls franchise to the original Xbox, Bethesda were early supporters of Xbox Game Pass, bringing their games to new audiences across devices and have been actively investing in new gaming technology like cloud streaming of games," Phil Spencer wrote in the announcement.

Even if Elder Scrolls 6 is not a PC and Xbox Series X exclusive, the fact that it will likely be on Xbox Game Pass is a game-changer, as PS5 owners will have to buy the game at full price.

Elder Scrolls 6 trailer

All we've got to go on is this 36-second trailer Bethesda that 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 in the tweet 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.

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 so we reckon it's only a matter of time before it gets full confirmation as the next setting in the series. Stay tuned for updates!

Elder Scrolls 6 engine

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.

"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. "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

• 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
• More than 4 years after its last Elder Scrolls 6 teaser, Bethesda officially re-acknowledges the RPG - using the exact same picture we saw in 2018
• Todd Howard regrets not supporting Fallout 4 and Skyrim for longer, but won't make the mistake with Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield as he hints a "10-year horizon" has already been considered
• 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.