Bethesda just broke their silence on The Elder Scrolls VI with a rare development update, and if you were hoping for a release date or concrete details, prepare for disappointment. During conversations with Game Informer for a big Fallout retrospective, studio leadership including Todd Howard confirmed the game is progressing well but emphasized they’re taking as long as needed to get it right. Translation: don’t expect Elder Scrolls 6 anytime soon.
Seven Years Since That Teaser
The Elder Scrolls VI was announced at E3 2018 with a brief teaser trailer showing nothing but a landscape and the game’s logo. That was seven years ago. Since then, Bethesda has provided virtually no meaningful updates about the game’s progress, leaving fans desperate for any scrap of information. The lack of communication reached the point where even the smallest acknowledgment that the game still exists counts as news.
This pattern isn’t surprising for anyone familiar with Bethesda’s development cycle. The studio released Skyrim in 2011, meaning we’re now 14 years removed from the last mainline Elder Scrolls game. An entire generation of gamers has grown up never experiencing a new Elder Scrolls launch. The wait has become so notorious that it’s spawned countless memes about Skyrim rereleases and jokes about Todd Howard aging into retirement before Elder Scrolls 6 ships.
What Todd Howard Actually Said
Director and Executive Producer Todd Howard confirmed that Elder Scrolls 6 is progressing really well and that the majority of the studio is working on it. However, he also emphasized that Bethesda always overlaps development between projects and has long pre-production periods to ensure they feel good about what they’re making. Howard admitted everyone wishes the process went faster, but getting it right takes priority over speed.
This measured response tells us exactly what we already suspected. The game is in active development but still has years to go before release. The emphasis on long pre-production suggests they’re still working through fundamental design decisions rather than being in full production mode where hundreds of developers create content based on finalized systems.
The Hardware Advantage
Studio Director Angela Browder provided perhaps the most interesting commentary. She expressed genuine excitement about returning to the Elder Scrolls universe after so long, noting that the industry, hardware, and rendering capabilities have made huge leaps since Skyrim. The possibilities are crazy according to Browder, and she sometimes sees things in development that her Skyrim-era self could never have envisioned.
Browder hopes longtime fans will appreciate how far things have come when they finally play Elder Scrolls 6, comparing it to loading up the original Oblivion versus the remaster. She described the project as an endless set of possibilities that’s exciting both as a developer and as someone who appreciates how much the industry has evolved. Her conclusion? It’s gonna be dope. It’s dope.
Quality Over Speed
Studio Design Director Emil Pagliarulo addressed the elephant in the room: the time pressure from players. He explained that Bethesda doesn’t put that same pressure on themselves even though they understand fan frustration. Games of this scale take a long time not just to make but to polish and debug. He compared it to cooking a turkey, asking whether fans would rather have a game released before it’s ready that doesn’t meet expectations, or one that stays in the oven long enough to be delicious.
Pagliarulo even invoked Grand Theft Auto 6’s recent delay as validation, calling it the smartest thing Rockstar could do. The message is crystal clear: Bethesda will take as long as needed for Elder Scrolls 6 to be great, regardless of how long fans have been waiting. Whether you find this reassuring or frustrating probably depends on your trust in Bethesda’s current abilities after the divisive Starfield launch.
The Starfield Factor
What the update doesn’t mention but everyone’s thinking about is Starfield. Bethesda’s space RPG launched in September 2023 to mixed reception. While it sold well and had its defenders, many longtime Bethesda fans felt it lacked the magic that made Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim special. The criticism ranged from procedurally generated planets feeling empty to the main story being forgettable to core exploration mechanics being underwhelming.
This makes Elder Scrolls 6 even more crucial for Bethesda’s reputation. If they deliver another divisive experience, the studio that once dominated single-player RPGs might lose its crown permanently. But if they recapture the magic that made Skyrim a cultural phenomenon, all will be forgiven. The stakes couldn’t be higher, which partially explains why they’re being so cautious about development and messaging.
The Overlap Problem
Howard’s comment about always overlapping development raises questions about focus. Earlier statements from Bethesda suggested most of the studio was working on Starfield DLC and content updates, with Fallout 76 also receiving ongoing support. Now we’re told the majority is on Elder Scrolls 6. Which is it? The answer is probably that Bethesda spreads its workforce across multiple projects with different team sizes rather than committing everyone to one game.
This approach has advantages and disadvantages. It keeps multiple revenue streams flowing and prevents layoffs between projects. However, it also means games take longer to finish because you never have the entire studio laser-focused on a single goal. For fans, this translates to extended waits between major releases as development resources get divided across the company’s expanding portfolio of live service games and new projects.
When Can We Actually Play It
Nobody knows, but we can make educated guesses. If the majority of the studio only recently shifted to Elder Scrolls 6 and they’re still in long pre-production, we’re looking at minimum three to four more years of development. That puts us at 2028 or 2029 for a potential launch. Some analysts think 2030 is more realistic given Bethesda’s track record with delays and the game’s massive scope.
This timeline would put 17 to 19 years between Skyrim and Elder Scrolls 6. For context, that’s longer than the gap between the original Elder Scrolls Arena in 1994 and Skyrim’s 2011 release. The difference is that Arena launched when Bethesda was a small company making niche RPGs, while Skyrim became one of the best-selling games of all time. The expectations for Elder Scrolls 6 are stratospheric, which makes taking time understandable even if frustrating.
FAQs
When does The Elder Scrolls 6 release?
No release date or window has been announced. Based on recent developer comments about being in long pre-production with the majority of the studio now focused on it, most analysts estimate 2028-2030 at the earliest.
What did Todd Howard say about Elder Scrolls 6?
Todd Howard confirmed the game is progressing really well with the majority of the studio working on it. He emphasized Bethesda’s long pre-production process and stated they want to get it right even though everyone wishes it went faster.
Why is Elder Scrolls 6 taking so long?
Bethesda prioritizes quality over speed, with long pre-production periods to ensure they feel good about core systems. The studio also overlaps development across multiple projects including Starfield DLC, Fallout 76, and now Elder Scrolls 6.
When was Elder Scrolls 6 announced?
The Elder Scrolls VI was announced at E3 2018 with a brief teaser trailer. That was seven years ago, and the game hasn’t received meaningful updates since then.
What will be different about Elder Scrolls 6?
Studio Director Angela Browder emphasized that advances in hardware, rendering, and technology since Skyrim create endless possibilities. She expressed excitement about what modern capabilities allow them to achieve compared to the Skyrim era.
Is Elder Scrolls 6 still being made?
Yes, Bethesda confirmed in December 2025 that Elder Scrolls 6 is in active development with the majority of the studio working on it. The game is progressing well according to studio leadership.
What platforms will Elder Scrolls 6 be on?
No platforms have been officially announced. Given the timeline and Microsoft’s ownership of Bethesda, it will likely launch on Xbox Series X/S, PC, and possibly the next Xbox generation. PlayStation availability remains uncertain.
Will Elder Scrolls 6 be better than Skyrim?
Studio Director Angela Browder stated it’s gonna be dope, but whether it matches Skyrim’s cultural impact remains to be seen. Bethesda is taking time to ensure quality, though Starfield’s mixed reception has raised questions about the studio’s current form.
Conclusion
Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls 6 update confirms what most fans already suspected: the game is years away and the studio refuses to rush it. Whether you find this reassuring or maddening depends on your perspective. On one hand, Bethesda learned hard lessons from Fallout 76’s disastrous launch and seems committed to not repeating those mistakes. Taking time to get Elder Scrolls 6 right makes sense given the franchise’s importance. On the other hand, 14 years between mainline entries is absurd by any measure. An entire generation has grown up waiting for this game. The lack of concrete information beyond platitudes about quality and possibilities doesn’t inspire confidence, especially after Starfield failed to recapture the magic. For now, all we can do is wait and hope that when Elder Scrolls 6 finally arrives sometime around 2028-2030, it was worth the nearly two-decade gap. The alternative, that Bethesda spent all this time and still delivers something disappointing, is too depressing to contemplate. So we’ll keep waiting, replaying Skyrim for the thousandth time, and hoping Todd Howard’s next update includes an actual release date instead of vague reassurances that development is progressing well.