Skyrim Is Now 14 Years Old but Elder Scrolls VI’s Release Date Is Still a ‘Long Way Off’

One of the generational games of the 2010s was Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. First released on Nov. 11, 2011, the iconic RPG from Bethesda Softworks defined an era, and it’s since been frequently rereleased since its launch. Still, its sequel, Elder Scrolls VI, looks like it won’t be ready anytime soon, according to the game’s director. 

Todd Howard, Bethesda’s creative chief and Elder Scrolls VI director, says the next game in the RPG series is “still a long way off,” in an interview with GQ magazine on Monday. He says work on Elder Scrolls VI is happening every day, but he didn’t provide a possible release date for the highly anticipated game.

“I’m preaching patience,” he told GQ. “I don’t want fans to feel anxious.”

While Grand Theft Auto 6 may be the most-anticipated game ever, Elder Scrolls VI is a close second. Details about the game are minimal, but there are some tidbits of information to be found.

When will Elder Scrolls VI come out?

As of right now, no one knows. 

When was Elder Scrolls VI first announced? 

The first mention of Elder Scrolls VI being a project at Bethesda was back in 2016, although the executive who made the comment did say the game wasn’t in development. 

The official reveal came at E3 2018, when only the logo of the game was shown. 

What platforms will Elder Scrolls VI be available on?

Back in 2021, Xbox boss Phil Spencer stated that the new Elder Scrolls game wouldn’t be on PlayStation consoles, seemingly confirming it would only be available on PC and Xbox Series X and S consoles. That will likely change in the future as Microsoft has become more open to releasing its exclusive games on the PS5, as evidenced by the upcoming release of Halo: Campaign Evolved. 

There are no plans for the Elder Scrolls games to come out on Switch 2, but Spencer has confirmed interest in releasing Microsoft games on Nintendo’s newest console. 

Where will Elder Scrolls VI take place? 

Bethesda has yet to confirm any details about the game, but fans have speculated on where Elder Scrolls VI could take place. The previous four games took place in a certain province in the world of Tamriel. One tweet from the Elder Scrolls official Twitter account from 2020 showed an image of a map with the message, “Transcribe the past and map the future.”

Transcribe the past and map the future. 📖
Here’s to a Happy New Year!🕯 pic.twitter.com/bL44CzLDIE

— The Elder Scrolls (@ElderScrolls) December 31, 2020

Shown on the lower left part of the map is a faint text for Hammerfell. This region is home to the Redguards, a race of humans known for their highly skilled warriors. 

This is still speculation as Bethesda has yet to confirm any details, and likely won’t reveal any info until the game is close to release.