If you have been counting down the days until you can revisit Cyrodiil in the Skyrim engine, you are going to need to adjust your calendar. The team behind Skyblivion, the ambitious fan-made recreation of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, has officially announced that the release window has moved from 2025 to 2026.
While delays are never fun news, this one comes with a lot of transparency and some genuinely good reasons. Project lead Rebelzize dropped a detailed update explaining exactly why the team needs a few more months. Spoiler alert: It is about avoiding burnout and making sure the Imperial City doesn’t look like a potato.
Why the Delay?
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Why push it back when 2025 was the target for so long? The simple answer is quality. The team emphasized that they are a volunteer group, not a AAA studio with infinite resources. They want to deliver a product that lives up to the 13+ years of hype without crunching their developers into the ground.
Rebelzize stated that the mod is in the “best state it has ever been,” but rushing the final hurdles would result in a buggy, unfinished mess. Instead of hitting an arbitrary deadline, they are taking the time to polish the experience properly.
What Is Left to Finish?
The roadmap is actually quite clear. The delay isn’t because of vague “issues,” but rather specific, tangible tasks that need to be completed.
1. The Imperial City
The crown jewel of Cyrodiil is also the biggest headache. The team is still waiting on final 3D assets and interior designs for the Imperial City. Since so many quests and NPCs are concentrated here, they can’t finalize the game until the capital is built.
2. Navmesh Nightmares
You know when an NPC walks into a wall and gets stuck? That’s bad navmesh. For Skyblivion to feel like a real game, the team needs to finalize the navigation meshes for every single dungeon, city, and road. This is critical for ensuring monsters attack you properly and quest givers actually walk to where they are supposed to go.
Feature Cuts & Compromises
In a move to keep the project manageable, the team has also had to make some tough calls on scope. Two features have been officially cut from the launch version:
- Underwater Combat: It was buggy and difficult to implement in the Skyrim engine.
- Spell Crafting: A beloved Oblivion feature, but too complex to balance and code for the initial release.
While it is sad to see them go, these cuts are likely what will allow the mod to actually come out in 2026 rather than staying in development hell forever.
Remaining Work Roadmap
Here is a quick look at the timeline for the remaining major tasks:
| Task | Estimated Completion | Status |
|---|---|---|
| World Map | Done | Complete & Playable |
| Quest Locations | Q4 2025 | In Progress |
| Navmesh & QA | Q1 2026 | Pending Finalization |
| Imperial City Assets | Late 2025 | Bottleneck |
FAQs
1. Is Skyblivion canceled?
Absolutely not. The project is in its final stages, but the release window has just shifted from 2025 to 2026 to ensure quality.
2. Will Skyblivion be free?
Yes! Skyblivion is a free mod. However, you must own legal copies of both The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (with all DLCs) to play it.
3. Why was underwater combat cut?
The developers found that implementing underwater combat in Skyrim’s engine was extremely buggy and time-consuming. Cutting it allows them to focus on core gameplay loops.
4. Can I play Skyblivion on Xbox or PlayStation?
No. Skyblivion relies on the Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE), which is not available on consoles. It will be PC-exclusive.
5. Is the Shivering Isles DLC included?
Not at launch. The team is focusing entirely on the Cyrodiil base game content for the 2026 release. DLC content may come later.
Conclusion
While a delay to 2026 stings a little, the transparency from the Skyblivion team is refreshing. They are building something massive for free, and if waiting a few extra months means we get a stable, polished journey back to the Imperial City, it is a trade-off worth making. Stay patient, closing shut the jaws of Oblivion is going to take just a little longer.