Starfield might have launched to big numbers, but Bethesda's journey into space left many (myself included) feeling a little dry. Despite the scope, or perhaps because of it, the interstellar adventure lost some of that slight goofiness that has been the beating heart of the Elder Scrolls for many years. Now, with the release of Oblivion Remastered, it's back in spades, and the response has been impressive, racking up a big Steam player count alongside its arrival on PC Game Pass.
Absent any news of The Elder Scrolls 6 release date, the arrival of Oblivion Remastered feels like a warm sign of life from Bethesda Game Studios. It's a polished, prettier version of the real mainstream breakout game for the developer's series of beloved open-world RPGs (sorry, Morrowind fans, perhaps one day it'll finally see the similar treatment it so deserves). Perhaps most importantly, however, Bethesda has seemingly been careful to only touch it up in the areas that needed it, without losing that old-school 'charm.'
In just a few hours, enthusiasts such as 'Bacon' above have been hard at work recreating some of the famous Oblivion memes that formed a foundational part of gaming culture back around its original release in 2006. Awkward camera pans to NPCs staring you in the face, slightly disjointed conversations between characters in town, and the ability to inflict all manner of mischief upon the citizenry with some well-placed stat points are all present and correct, as they should be.
On the other hand, Bethesda has taken time to address issues such as the awkward leveling system of old, which created a surreal metagame process that involved you not picking the stats you actually wanted to use as your 'major skills' lest you unintentionally found yourself facing enemies scaled above your current capabilities. Now, it works a little more closely to Skyrim, and new players in particular will have a much smoother time as a result.
In its first day on Steam, The Elder Scrolls Oblivion Remastered has racked up a concurrent user count of 182,000 players, putting it above the likes of Marvel Rivals and the newly updated Baldur's Gate 3 as the fourth most-played game on the Valve platform. It's also sitting pretty atop the global bestsellers list. That's despite the fact you can also play Oblivion Remastered on Game Pass, with many people clearly content to pay the $50 price tag for a slice of videogame history.
User reviews are off to a strong start as well - 83% of the early responses are positive, with the main complaints revolving around the relatively taxing Oblivion Remastered system requirements. If you've never explored Cyrodiil before, perhaps now is the time.
Taking your first steps out of the sewers? Our Oblivion Remastered quest list will ensure you don't get lost. Alternatively, try another of the best games like Skyrim for plenty more in a similar vein.
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