Move over, Daggerfall Unity—now there’s a project to make the oldest, least accessible Elder Scrolls game actually playable

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Time for some honesty! I’ve never played The Elder Scrolls: Arena. Back then, when it was first released, I was only seven and my PC gaming journey hadn’t started yet. I’ve occasionally thought about returning to it, but I worry that its age might make it too outdated for me to fully appreciate. Even Morrowind, a game I played and enjoyed upon release, feels challenging in 2025, so the idea of tackling a game two generations older is a significant challenge to overcome.

OpenTESArena could potentially save the day for those yearning for classic gaming experiences, as it’s an “open-source remake” of Bethesda’s first Elder Scrolls game engine. This new tech aims to run smoothly on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems by replacing the existing Arena engine with custom technology. On its GitHub page, the project is described thusly: “The aim is to recreate every aspect of the original game using a ‘clean-room’ approach, while also introducing user-friendly enhancements.

For several years now, OpenTESArena has been under development, but this week saw a significant upgrade. The core change is the inclusion of Jolt Physics, which enhances capabilities such as climbing, jumping, and swimming. Additionally, the update also incorporates features like hit registration, enemy killability, and item pickups, effectively completing the essential mechanics you’d find in a 3D, first-person RPG.

In the video you’re seeing, it showcases an Arena that appears identical to its original counterpart, yet boasts high-resolution clarity and flawless first-person control. As for me, although I can’t confirm if this is how the final version will look, I’m definitely on board with the minimalist UI design without a HUD. This change immediately makes the game more inviting by eliminating the overwhelming barrier of large icon-covered interfaces at the start.

At present, the game’s foundation appears quite basic and incomplete, missing essential elements such as intelligent enemy AI, robust RPG stats, and an estimated completion time. However, developer Afritz1 has been consistently working on it for several years, which gives me faith that they will eventually complete the project. It seems probable that we’ll see the finished product within a couple more years at least.

In the interim, you’ve got lots of options for overhauling Elder Scrolls games since there are numerous projects underway. Last year, Daggerfall Unity completed transferring Bethesda’s second Elder Scrolls title to the Unity engine. Notably, the series just received its most significant transformation with the launch of Oblivion Remastered. There’s even a possibility that we might see another Oblivion remaster this year, given Skyblivion – a total conversion of Skyrim – is expected to debut sometime in 2025, assuming modders can find time away from their dates with Bethesda.

The goal, indeed, is to create an authentic remake of Morrowind, Bethesda’s most intriguing and peculiar RPG. The Skywind initiative continues its mission to reconstruct The Elder Scrolls 3 using the Skyrim engine, but it doesn’t have a specific release date yet. On the other hand, you can significantly expand vanilla Morrowind through Tamriel Rebuilt, which recently achieved another significant milestone in its endeavor to incorporate the entire Morrowind province into the RPG.

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2025-05-25 14:02