Elder Scrolls 6 Release Date Expectations, Setting, Trailer, Platforms for the Skyrim Sequel
After Starfield support, Bethesda Game Studios is returning to its roots with the next entry in its Elder Scrolls series.
With Starfield already hitting its first anniversary and DLC support continuing strong, attention has turned towards The Elder Scrolls 6, the next entry in Bethesda Game Studios’ long-running RPG series. Announced more than half a decade ago (mostly to silence questions about when it would arrive), by the time it finally comes out, it will have been close to two decades since Skyrim.
Since that initial announcement, Bethesda Game Studios has been rather silent about the title, although fans have pieced together some clues from the original reveal trailer. Here’s everything you need to know about The Elder Scrolls 6, from the game’s setting to when we can expect to see more.
Is Elder Scrolls 6 Actually Coming Out?
Yes! Bethesda first announced the game back at E3 2018 in the same presentation where Starfield was revealed. So we know it’s definitely coming out eventually, but other details remain scarce.
Is There an Elder Scrolls 6 Trailer?
Again, the answer here is yes — sort of. Bethesda unveiled a short teaser trailer at E3 2018 for The Elder Scrolls 6. It doesn’t contain any gameplay footage and is simply an early teaser to confirm the game’s existence. Before the trailer’s release, there was a lot of discussion about when we would see The Elder Scrolls 6 and what Bethesda Games Studios was working on after the commercial and critical hurdles Fallout 76 faced.
We have already gone six years without another trailer for the game, and given that Starfield was only released in Fall of 2023, we will likely go another few years before Elder Scrolls 6 is fully ready to show off. Expect to hear more in 2026 or 2027 about the game.
Do We Know The Elder Scrolls 6 Release Date?
We don’t have a release date or even a release window for The Elder Scrolls 6. As we mentioned, the game was announced so early purely to quell speculation that Bethesda Games Studios likely doesn’t even have a rough window it is targeting yet, as the game continues to be worked on during these early stages of development.
By the time it releases, and given the long development cycles of blockbuster games today, we will be almost two decades after the release of Skyrim, which came out on November 11, 2011. If we were to estimate, a release sometime between 2028 and 2030 sounds the most probable, but there are a whole range of factors that could change this or delay the game.
Skyrim will be a big focal point of The Elder Scrolls 6’s development with Bethesda Games Studios trying to exceed the success of that game.
Where Will The Elder Scrolls 6 Take Place?
All Elder Scrolls games take place in the fictional land of Tamriel, with each new entry focusing on a different region. While we don’t have an official confirmation on The Elder Scrolls 6’s setting, fans have deciphered some clues from the game’s trailer and Starfield’s teaser in 2021.
This clue was spotted by Reddit user who saw a mark or landmass on the console of a starship in Starfield’s 2021 trailer. It’s scratched into the surface and could easily resemble a place, island, or region.
On the right side of the image, scratched into the side of the console, you can see a small region or set of islands.
The landmass looks a lot like High Rock and Iliac Bay, but a number of other locations have been thrown around as potential settings based on the reveal trailer for The Elder Scrolls 6 including Hammerfall, Black Marsh, and High Rock. We will have to wait for more teasers or a full trailer to know where the game is set for sure, however.
What Platforms Will The Elder Scrolls 6 Be Released On? Will It Be on PS5?
The simple answer is we don’t know yet, as Bethesda hasn’t confirmed anything and Microsoft (which now owns the publisher) keeps changing its release strategy. In recent years, the company has pivoted from releasing its first-party titles as console and PC exclusives to offering them up on competing hardware like the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.
If the company’s current strategy holds, one thing is certain: The Elder Scrolls 6 will release on Xbox and PC, and launch day one on Game Pass — as all other Microsoft games have done for almost a decade now.
We also could see the game come to PS5 (or PS6, if it is out by then) at launch or shortly after, as Microsoft has slowly started releasing games on other platforms, including Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Indy’s game only has around six months or so of exclusivity on Xbox and PC, scheduled to come to PS5 in Spring 2025. (A Switch release seems unlikely given the processing power required for a game like this one.)
