Bethesda has finally done it. Instead of re-releasing Skyrim on Amazon Alexa, the worst-kept secret in gaming history has launched nearly 20 years after it first graced Xbox 360 consoles. Unlike the original, which took two years after its announcement to achieve a full launch in 2006, Bethesda fast-forwarded and launched The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered minutes after the announcement video. Bethesda director Todd Howard said, “We need to make it right or not at all,” during the Oblivion Remastered reveal video.
I’m happy to report they’ve captured lightning in a bottle once again. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered brings the 2006 title back to Xbox 19 years later with a remarkable fresh coat of paint, quality-of-life updates and the return of that trademark “Oblivion jank” that kept the original relevant for nearly two decades.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered features a setup familiar to fans of Bethesda’s previous games. You create a character from the realm, and that character is the “chosen one” destined for great deeds. Fallout 3 starts with you as a baby, the child of one of the most important scientists in the Wasteland. In Skyrim, you are Dragonborn, a legendary figure able to harness the power of dragons to stop the World Eater from destroying Nirn. In Oblivion Remastered, you are a prisoner with no memory of your crime—but once again, you are chosen for greatness.
“Bethesda has finally done it.”
Bethesda’s character creation system remains second to none, and Oblivion Remastered may represent its magnum opus. The customization options are nearly endless, allowing players to create characters from any of the 10 main races that define Tamriel. Since Oblivion Remastered takes place in the Imperial City, the heart of Tamriel, it’s common to encounter characters from all major provinces of Nirn.
Bethesda smartly implemented boons for each race, although none stand out quite as strongly as, for example, the Nord’s cold resistance in Skyrim or the Dark Elves’ fire resistance in Morrowind. Instead, Imperials are known for being smooth talkers, excelling at mastering speechcraft and mercantile skills—an apt design choice, given the political and social climate of the Imperial City. There’s no harsh environment to survive here unless you count the cutthroat tactics in the Market District, making the Imperials’ diplomatic advantages a clever nod to the setting.
I started my journey as an Argonian assassin, and the upgrades to each race’s facial features are miles ahead of the 2006 counterpart. Where facial expressions were slight and difficult to read in the original, Oblivion Remastered introduces players to a full range of human emotion—think L.A. Noire—courtesy of an Unreal Engine 5 graphical overhaul. From complete boredom to bloody rage, Cyrodiil is now home to the most expressive faces this side of Tamriel.
My Argonian didn’t look like the flat lizard people of 2006—he looks more like one of the horrific animatronics from the 1994 sitcom Dinosaurs, and honestly, I dig it. There’s also an option to choose an origin for your character. While I didn’t notice any immediate gameplay changes from the added choice, the exposition injects Elder Scrolls lore naturally, without force-feeding it to the player. Bethesda remains first-class at fleshing out its worlds, and Oblivion Remastered might be its magnum opus.
When leaving the starting area of the Imperial City Sewers, with words of destiny imparted by the late Emperor Uriel Septim—known Patrick Stewart impersonator and alleged adulterer—I was met with my first look at the outside world in glorious 4K. Tamriel has never looked better. Wildlife is abundant, water physics have been revamped, sunlight glows, and the absolutely perfect soundtrack from 2006 has been ported over, adding a layer of nostalgia to the visual feast laid out before players.
Tamriel is sublime, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered captures the original’s “let’s go on an adventure” spirit perfectly. Oblivion Remastered lands its first impression so well, I’m jealous of those who get to experience it for the first time.
“Tamriel is sublime, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered captures the original’s ‘let’s go on an adventure’ spirit perfectly.”
The overarching plot of Oblivion Remastered is one of destruction. The Daedric Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon—despite his name, he’s anything but “meh”—wants to invade Nirn and live up to his namesake. The Daedric Princes are Nirn’s equivalent of Greek gods: beings so powerful and detached from mortal concerns that they treat mortals like playthings.
Dagon wants to watch the world burn, much like a certain Clown Prince of Crime, and it’s up to the player’s character to stop him. The late emperor and his legitimate children have been assassinated by a cult worshipping Dagon known as the Mythic Dawn. The Septim bloodline—bolstered by ancient magic—is the last thing holding back a full Daedric invasion.
Somehow, even with the main plot always lurking in the background, Oblivion Remastered shines the way every great Bethesda game does: when you simply get lost exploring. Oblivion Remastered is hands down the best game in Bethesda’s catalogue when it comes to static world events happening organically, and leaving it up to the player to set things right.
While exploring the smaller city of Skingrad, a delusional local named Glarthir approached me mid-attempt to pickpocket a guard, spouting paranoid nonsense and setting off one of the game’s many memorable side quests.
After asking around about Glarthir, a city guard (not the one I was trying to victimize) inquired about my motives. After answering honestly, the guard described Glarthir as a “non-dangerous” crazy person, although he warned that he could change quickly, and politely asked me to report anything suspicious. Meanwhile, Glarthir asked me to meet him for a secret rendezvous behind a church at midnight.
Another quest had me investigating the basement of a Dark Elf. When interviewing her about a so-called “rat problem,” she went berserk, insisting she didn’t have a rat problem—she had lions. It turns out the rats were her pets, and a starving mountain lion had broken into her house for dinner. Bizarre, hard-to-explain encounters like this happen constantly in Oblivion Remastered, and not enough credit can be given to Bethesda Softworks veterans Ted Peterson, Michael Kirkbride, Todd Howard and quest designer Emil Pagliarulo. Oblivion Remastered features some of Bethesda’s best writing and quest design to date.
Oblivion Remastered isn’t just a prettier face. Bethesda and Virtuos have added several quality-of-life improvements to help players acclimate to the game’s aged systems. In the original, skills needed to be raised to level 50 to unlock better functionality, but in Oblivion Remastered, that threshold has been lowered. For example, the Acrobatics skill now only needs to hit 25 before players can dodge in combat, whereas the original required level 50.
Voice acting has been widely expanded. It’s no secret that Todd Howard and a small group of developers recorded much of the original voice work (outside of stars like Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean and Wes Johnson, whose lines remain untouched). In Remastered, more actors have been added to diversify the cast, making it feel less like the same voice is speaking to you from every NPC.
Weapon scaling has also been adjusted. Strength no longer affects daggers and short swords—those now scale with Agility, making the valuable stat beyond archery builds. Player fatigue (Oblivion’s term for stamina) no longer impacts weapon damage. In 2006, low stamina resulted in significantly reduced attack power. In the remaster, players can continue swinging even when their fatigue is empty, and damage output remains consistent.
“Oblivion Remastered features a completely revamped interface, closer to that of Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls Online, replacing the outdated 2006 design.”
And then there’s the UI. Oblivion Remastered features a completely revamped interface, closer to that of Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls Online, replacing the outdated 2006 design. Information is easier to read, and quality-of-life improvements, such as marking searched containers as empty, save players endless time. Two new quests have also been added, offering powerful gear from Oblivion itself or from the divine entity Akatosh, adding even more incentive for adventurers.
Unfortunately, not every change is for the better. Oblivion Remastered features a broken difficulty system beyond the middle Adept (normal) setting. In the original, players could use a dynamic difficulty slider to fine-tune challenge levels. Now, bumping the difficulty to Expert results in goblins dishing out three times the Adept-level damage while taking half as much in return. Master difficulty is essentially controller-smashing territory.
While the beloved “Oblivion jank” remains intact—NPCS still walk into walls and spout nonsense—Bethesda patched out classics like the paintbrush stairway glitch and the original item duplication trick (although new duplication exploits exist if you’re willing to search).
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remains one of the greatest games of all time. In the 19 years since its original release, few games have undergone such significant evolution. In 2006, I was fresh out of junior high school and fresh out of acne solutions. My grandmother would watch me play the original and wonder why I wasted time gaming, while simultaneously offering endless food and unconditional support.
In 2025, I can no longer ask my grandmother for advice, I’m broke with a degree, and Oblivion Remastered is not your father’s Oblivion. This rebirth excavates all the emotions tied to the original, multiplied tenfold. Adventuring around Tamriel and greeting old friends from 2006 feels surreal in today’s gaming landscape, dominated by free-to-play live service models.
Learning Imperial City Guard Adamus Phillida’s daily routine was as enthralling as it was nearly two decades ago. Only now is it much easier on the eyes and prettier to look at. Oblivion Remastered isn’t a perfect game, as it still contains glitches and occasional crashes. Still, it accomplishes what games are meant to do: entertain the player and tell a great story, better than most titles released in the past 19 years. While I can no longer return home to my grandmother, I can always return home to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered—and see how far both the game and I have come since 2006.
