The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is Out Now
After weeks of rumors and speculation spreading all over the internet, Bethesda just dropped a massive bombshell today. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is, as we type, a real thing, and you don't have to wait to try it. That's right, the return back into Cyrodiil starts immediately.
A Breathtaking New Coat of Paint with Familiar Skeletons
Todd Howard himself spoke about the influence of the original game in 2006 before handing the torch over to the development team to bring on the sweeping upgrades in this new version. Visually, the game has been recreated through the powers of the latest Unreal Engine 5. This means that there is a gargantuan leap in the graphics, so Cyrodiil appears even more breathtaking than ever. But, and this will be neat for old-school buffs, the game logic is still being managed by the original Gamebryo engine. Sounds like they've put new faces over the same old gameplay foundation.
Aside from the graphical overhaul, they've also made a whole gamut of changes in the interest of making the game feel more modern:
- Entirely rewritten HUD, menus, and the world map to appear more streamlined.
- Smothered user interfaces for individualistic systems such as Persuasion and Clairvoyance.
- Mechanics tweaks like leveling, encumbrance, and non-combat bonuses.
- Smarter enemy scaling to keep the challenge consistent.
- Better accessibility features to ensure everyone can play.
- Additional autosave points – because nobody likes losing progress.
- New camera angles for first and third-person views.
- Better combat feedback and more seamless controller integration.
Arriving Right Now on All Major Platforms
As speculated, the cherry on top is the launch day release. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is out today for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X. Naturally, being a Bethesda title under Microsoft, it's also included in Game Pass.
If you're not already subscribed to Game Pass, then you can grab the standard edition for $49.99. If you want the whole package, then the Deluxe Edition is $59.99 and includes some new added content on top of all the original add-ons.
What's in the Deluxe Edition.
The Deluxe Edition is packed to the rafters with extras to make your return to Cyrodiil all the richer:
- Exclusive new questlines offering unique Akatosh and Mehrunes Dagon themed armors, weapons, and horse armor sets. (Yes, additional horse armor as well).
- All of the smaller original DLCs:
- Fighter's Stronghold expansion
- Spell Tome Treasures
- Vile Lair
- Mehrune's Razor
- The Thieves Den
- Wizard's Tower
- Orrery
- Horse Pack Armor
- The two big original expansions: Knights of the Nine and the massive Shivering Isles.
Prepare Your Hard Drive: It's a Big One.
Along with those stunning Unreal Engine 5 visuals is an enormous appetite for storage space. Although the original Oblivion was relatively compact by modern standards, the remaster inflates. The official install size is a whoppin' 125GB, confirming those earlier leaks. Thanks to compression, the download size on platforms like Steam clocks in slightly lower, at around 115GB. That's a pretty glow-up in terms of file size.
System Requirements
To jump back into Cyrodiil with these new visuals, here’s what you’ll need on PC:
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or Intel Core i7-6800K | AMD Ryzen 5 3600X or Intel Core i5-10600K |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM | 32 GB RAM |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon RX 5700 or NVIDIA GeForce 1070 Ti | AMD Radeon RX 6800XT or NVIDIA RTX 2080 |
| DirectX | Version 12 | Version 12 |
| Storage | 125 GB available space | 125 GB available space |
Keeping the Charm (and the Jank).
One of the bright spots for experienced players is maintaining the core Gamebryo logic. This supposedly means that the beloved, sometimes-clunky "Bethesda jank" – those moments of individual AI personality, physics bugs, and charmingly awkwardly-phrased dialogue – could still be there lurking beneath the shiny new visuals. It's one of the things that gives Oblivion a certain je ne sais quoi, and fans would surely preserve it just wouldn't be the same without.
Oh, and bonus for handheld players: the remaster is now Steam Deck Verified right from the start. The big question mark now hanging over the PC modding community is how this new Unreal Engine 5 layer will get along with the massive library of mods already out there. We'll just have to wait and find out.
Overall, it seems to be a wonderful opportunity to experience an old-school RPG in a completely new light. Welcome back to Cyrodiil.
