The Elder Scrolls 6 Will Be More Like Older Bethesda Games, Todd Howard Says

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I chose a screenshot from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered as the featured image because, frankly, I’m exhausted. I’ve been using the same image for articles about The Elder Scrolls 6 for over seven years, and I just need a change. Everyone in the gaming community probably recognizes it, but I’m really tired of seeing it!

We might finally start hearing more about the next Elder Scrolls game soon, or maybe not. But at least Todd Howard is now openly talking about it without avoiding the question of how long it’s been in development. His recent comments offer a small glimpse into the game’s design, and while it’s not much, it’s good to get any update at all.

Fine, Here’s That Dang Screenshot

Todd Howard, a well-known game developer and director, recently discussed a wide range of topics – including The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Starfield – on the Kinda Funny Gamescast podcast. We’ll be covering everything he said soon, but let’s focus on where the next game might be set – potentially in Hammerfell, High Rock, or another location.

Todd Howard has been upfront about Fallout 76 and Starfield being different from the usual Bethesda games. He called them “a bit of a creative detour” and then made a statement he knew would quickly spread throughout the fanbase.

Todd Howard says the team is returning to the classic feel of earlier Elder Scrolls games with the development of Elder Scrolls 6, focusing on a style they’re very familiar with and that fans have been wanting.

That’s great news, personally. However, let’s keep things in perspective. This doesn’t necessarily mean we’re getting a return to Daggerfall or Morrowind. Just having a large, single-player, open-world fantasy game is enough to suggest Bethesda is heading back to its roots. The actual gameplay will likely be quite different from what longtime Elder Scrolls fans might expect.

Okay, so here’s something really exciting! It sounds like Bethesda is making huge improvements to Creation, their game engine. I remember Howard and the team talking about this ages ago – they planned to make a big jump with Starfield, and then another one for Elder Scrolls 6. It looks like that’s actually happening! But, they’re also reminding us that even with all these upgrades, things won’t be perfect. We should expect a few quirks and bugs here and there, no matter how amazing the final game looks. It’s just realistic, you know?

Over the past few years, we’ve been upgrading the technology behind Starfield – our Creation Engine 2 – to become Creation Engine 3. This new version will be used for The Elder Scrolls 6 and all our future games.

Many people are asking why Bethesda doesn’t switch to a different game engine like Unreal. It’s important to remember that a change this big would disrupt the modding community, which is a huge part of what people love about the games. The current Creation Engine is designed to be easily modified, and that’s crucial. If The Elder Scrolls 6 aims to recapture the feel of Oblivion and Skyrim—and I don’t think Bethesda’s definition of ‘classic’ goes any further back than that—it needs strong post-launch modding support, because players will be creating enhancements for years to come.

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2026-02-19 03:08