We're not likely to hear anything about The Elder Scrolls 6 until Bethesda has released Starfield, a game that's still lacking a committed release date beyond the first half of 2023.
So we very much doubt we'll hear anything official about the next Elder Scrolls game until 2024. But we're always ready for surprises.
As such, there's not a lot of information around what to expect from the game, though we can indulge in some speculation. So here’s what we know so far about The Elder Scrolls 6.
The Elder Scrolls 6 release date speculation
We very much doubt we'll have anything like a release window for The Elder Scrolls 6 until 2024. At the very best, we may get a hint of Elder Scrolls development after the release of Starfield and towards the end of the year.
However, as part of Microsoft's ongoing legal jousting with the FTC over the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, DSOgaming reported that in the court case, a Microsoft lawyer has claimed The Elder Scrolls 6 will be released in 2026. How accurate that year might be is open for debate, but it would at least give Starfield room to breathe and evolve.
The Elder Scrolls 6 trailer
There’s only one trailer for The Elder Scrolls 6, and it shows very little about the game. No game footage was released, nor did we learn any details beyond the game's basic title and a sweeping shot across some mountains. The music was a riff on the familiar theme that has been present in the last several Elder Scrolls games.
Despite the scant information in the trailer, it has that uncanny ability to conjure up excitement among Elder Scrolls fans. We still remember how the initial trailers for Skyrim set the pulses of open-world RPG fans racing.
The Elder Scrolls 6 platforms
While Skyrim may have been a multi-platform behemoth of a game, it's looking almost certain that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be limited to just Xbox consoles and Windows 10 PCs, following in the footsteps of Starfield.
This was given credence by Xbox boss Phil Spencer, who told GQ that: "It’s not about punishing any other platform, like I fundamentally believe all of the platforms can continue to grow. But in order to be on Xbox, I want us to be able to bring the full complete package of what we have. And that would be true when I think about Elder Scrolls VI. That would be true when I think about any of our franchises."
So Spencer has all but said The Elder Scrolls 6 won't be on PS5. That could disappoint some people, but the PS5 is far from short of its own upcoming exclusive games. And this situation makes a compelling reason to have both consoles, provided you can find them.
One advantage of the game being ion the PC is rich mod support, which is one of the reasons why The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is still very playable today.
The Elder Scrolls 6 gameplay and location
All Elder Scrolls games take place on the mythical continent of Tamriel, with the past few games being located in specific nations on the continent: Morrowind in The Elder Scrolls 3, Cyrodill in The Elder Scrolls 4 and Skyrim in The Elder Scrolls 5.
There hasn't yet been a single-player Elder Scrolls game that made it to the nations of Valenwood or Black Marsh, homes of the Wood Elves and the Argonians respectively.
But going by the mountains in the trailer, there’s been speculation that the game could take place in High Rock, home of the mage-centric Bretons, or in Hammerfell, the land of the warrior-like Redguard. Or the game could span several of the Tamriel provinces, which is why it's simply been called The Elder Scrolls 6.
As for gameplay, well we've had no hint of that so far. But we can posit that it'll embrace the first-parson (and occasionally third-person) open-world exploration and combat of the previous Elder Scrolls games. Only we're hoping The Elder Scrolls 6 will offer more dynamic combat and spell-casting that better interacts with the environment.
Speaking of the open-world areas, the ability to do more in them, like establishing a stronghold or leaving more of a mark on the world wouldn't go amiss. For example, if you planted a tree perhaps it would eventually grow as the years passes in game.
And we absolutely want Bethesda to find ways around repeated dialogue from NPCs. We're tired of hearing guards spout about how they used to be adventurers until they suffered arrow-related injuries to the lower parts of their bodies.
In short, we’re expecting The Elder Scrolls 6 to be a significant evolution over Skyrim, but still very much an Elder Scrolls game at its core.
The Elder Scrolls 6 outlook
With precious little solid information about The Elder Scrolls 6m it's hard to predict it's outlook. But another fantasy open-world game on an epic scale will certainly be welcome from Bethesda.
And now that Bethesda Game Studios is part of Microsoft, it could mean the developer side of Bethesda might benefit hugely from Microsoft's tech, tools and expertise, making for a new Elder Scrolls game that could be superbly polished at launch and have a mind-blowing scale.
