The Elder Scrolls 6 is "still a long way off," Todd Howard says, but Bethesda is working on it more often than Fallout 76: "We did a big play test yesterday"

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Hm, very interesting

A close-up of a map being opened during the Elder Scrolls Skyrim.
(Image credit: Bethesda)

Yes, Bethesda director Todd Howard seems to be victimizing you, specifically, in choosing not to announce a firm release window for The Elder Scrolls 6. He enjoys that kind of torture.

Howard acknowledges in a new GQ interview that Elder Scrolls 6 – announced seven years ago – is "still a long way off," but he also suggests it's currently dominating Bethesda's days.

The Elder Scrolls VI – Official Announcement Teaser - YouTube The Elder Scrolls VI – Official Announcement Teaser - YouTube
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"I like to just announce stuff and release it," Howard explains. "My perfect version – and I'm not saying this is going to happen – is that it's going to be a while and then, one day, the game will just appear."

At this point, a punishing 14 years after The Elder Scrolls 5 launched, fans of the high fantasy series are likely to take what they can get. Many of them are starting to rank The Elder Scrolls 6 alongside other unattainable dreams, such as meeting Bigfoot for dinner.

"Not trying to be a dick or anything," says one recent Reddit post in The Elder Scrolls 6 subreddit. "Why do people think the game will release in 2026?"

"I don't want fans to feel anxious," Howard remarks, as an untold number of fans feel anxious.

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."

Ashley Bardhan
Ashley Bardhan
Senior Writer

Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.

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