The Elder Scrolls 6 sleuths use Starfield math to narrow down the Skyrim sequel's potential release window, and sorry folks, it's still looking like it's ages away

Could Bethesda actually have given us a hint as to when The Elder Scrolls 6 is releasing with a recent charity auction announcement? Well, some hopeful fans certainly seem to think so as they're using it to calculate a potential launch window, which is unfortunately still ages away.

Earlier this week, Bethesda announced that it's offering fans a chance to create an NPC to appear in The Elder Scrolls 6 thanks to its participation in a silent auction for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. All proceeds from the winning bid will go to the charity, and the winner themselves will be able to make their mark on the long-awaited RPG. That's a big win all around, although many Elder Scrolls fans desperate for any morsels of new information were left rather disappointed by the fact that after all these years, Bethesda was still using the same old teaser image from 2018, offering absolutely nothing new to pore over.

That's how it first appeared, anyway. Sure, the image is the same, but could the timing of the auction itself mean anything for the release of the RPG? As spotted by IGN, on Reddit, it's been flagged that Bethesda gave fans a very similar opportunity for Starfield, with the chance to create an NPC (as well as receive an Xbox Series X and a bunch of Bethesda games) offered at a previous Make-A-Wish Foundation auction.

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This happened in February 2021, little over two years and six months before Starfield's actual launch. It's also worth keeping in mind that this was before Starfield's delays, and also before its first public release date announcement – that came during E3 2021 in June, when the game was slated for a November 2022 launch. Of course, that didn't happen – by the time May came around, the game was pushed to the first half of 2023, before it was then delayed again to September that year.

With all that in mind, some fans are debating whether this could mean The Elder Scrolls 6's launch is set for the latter half of 2027, following in Starfield's footsteps, or perhaps even 2026 if we subtract the spacefaring RPG's delays from the matter. Neither launch window would be particularly close, but considering the lack of news about the game up to this point, neither would be unexpectedly far away, either.

Of course, this is pure speculation, and may not end up leading to anything, but hey, it gives us some hope to hold onto for now, right? Back in 2023, court documents revealed that Microsoft expected The Elder Scrolls 6 to launch around 2026 or later, and last March, Bethesda revealed that "early builds" of the RPG were being played at the studio, so hopefully something will be shown soon.

Skyrim and Starfield veteran says it's "almost impossible" for The Elder Scrolls 6 to meet expectations.