The Elder Scrolls 6 won't be out until at least 2026

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Surprising no-one, Bethesda's next game is still some way out

Elder Scrolls 6
(Image credit: Bethesda)

Xbox doesn't expect The Elder Scrolls 6 to release until at least 2026.

That's according to new documents from the Federal Trade Commission's hearing into Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. As part of his testimony, Xbox head of gaming Phil Spencer presented the slide just below, which reveals the company doesn't think The Elder Scrolls 6 will arrive until 2026 at the soonest.

Microsoft/Activision Blizzard

(Image credit: Microsoft/Activision Blizzard)

"Following acquisition, Microsoft continued to release content on multiple platforms, including Fallout 76, in addition to making two new IP titles exclusive to the Xbox console, Starfield and Redfall," Microsoft writes in a separate document. "Elder Scrolls VI, which is unlikely to be released for another [Redacted] may be released only on Xbox and PC."

The Elder Scrolls 6 is clearly a long way away. It's so far away, in fact, that Spencer didn't even know if it would be an Xbox exclusive. That sort of flies in the face of the new comments we're seeing here today, which would've been made around the same time, but the whole thing still points to The Elder Scrolls 6 being an Xbox console exclusive.

Elsewhere, we finally heard last month that The Elder Scrolls 6 had moved out of the pre-production phase. It sounds like a few people at Bethesda are now working full-time on the upcoming game, although that still doesn't give us a good idea of just how far along in the entire development process The Elder Scrolls 6 ultimately is.

It's also worth noting that The Elder Scrolls 6 could be Todd Howard's last game - the Starfield game director might call it quits after a pretty illustrious career. 

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.