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"

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.

"Great games are played, not made," Howard reminds everyone in his interview. "We did a big play test yesterday for The Elder Scrolls 6, and you have to really look at the screen and say, 'What is this? What does this need? Where are we at?'"

"We have hundreds of people on Fallout right now, with 76 and some other things we're doing, but The Elder Scrolls 6 is the everyday thing," he says.

Howard also suggests the surprise Oblivion Remastered release earlier this year might have been practice for a bigger, even more crepuscular shadow drop for The Elder Scrolls 6.

"You might say that was a test run," he tells GQ about Oblivion. "It worked out well."

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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."