While there is no Elder Scrolls 6 release date yet, we finally have our first official look at the game courtesy of a short teaser trailer. The video opens with the classic musical motif from the series and a panning shot of some mountains before the logo appears, confirming that The Elder Scrolls 6 is real, at least.
We might have been spoilt by excellent games in the series already, but, frankly, it’s time for something fresh. It’ll be fresh for a while post-release, too: Bethesda director says we’ll be sinking our teeth in The Elder Scrolls 6’s gameplay “for a decade at least”. Here’s everything we know about The Elder Scrolls 6, from settings and gameplay features, to when we might be able to get our hands on it.
Release date speculation
There is currently no confirmed Elder Scrolls 6 release date. It might have been officially unveiled, but there is sadly nothing even remotely resembling a release window. In 2016, notorious analyst Michael Pachter optimistically predicted that The Elder Scrolls 6 release date would be in 2017, seomthing in which he was immediately wrong.
In 2021 industry insider Tyler McVicker indicated that we shouldn’t expect The Elder Scrolls VI until at least 2026-2027. This is largely in part thanks to Starfield, which we know is coming in 2023.
Trailer
Before we crack on with all the juicy news and rumours, here’s the Elder Scrolls 6 trailer. Judging by the terrain, it looks like TES 6 is taking us to either Hammerfell, home of the Redguard people, or High Rock, which is where the Breton race hail from.
News
The most recent report we have on The Elder Scrolls VI is that it’s still in pre-production as of January 2022, with the majority of the studio’s resources focused on Starfield.
Beyond that, there’s some speculation on The Elder Scrolls 6 being associated with the name ‘Redfall’. In September 2008 Bethesda’s parent company Zenimax looked to trademark the term ‘Redfall’, but it clashed with Jay Falconer’s series of the same name. Thankfully, everything has been cleared up, as the Elder Scrolls 6 Redfall trademark dispute was resolved in 2019.
We’re also aware that YouTuber Shirley Curry, more widely known as ‘Skyrim Grandma’, will be an NPC in The Elder Scrolls 6. Bethesda revealed the news during The Elder Scrolls 25th anniversary stream after a fan petition racked up 49,322 signatures to make it happen. Regarding other NPCs, there will also possibly be a tribute to an Elder Scrolls fan whose dream it was to appear in Skyrim.
There is also an interview between Pete Hines and VGR, which explains exactly why Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls VI at such an early stage: “We were honestly a little tired of being asked about Elder Scrolls VI”. So there you have it, the reveal doesn’t necessarily tell us anything about how far into production the Skyrim sequel is, just that Bethesda are sick to death of fielding the question.
Location speculation
When you see the Elder Scrolls VI announcement trailer, there are two Elder Scrolls locations that may well spring to mind: High Rock and Hammerfell. Why? Mountains, large areas of coastline, and dry, arid landscapes.
But until Bethesda reveal more, we don’t know what the Elder Scrolls 6 setting will be. The past few numbered entries to the series have mostly stuck to one region but, given the ambitious ideas going into the game, The Elder Scrolls VI might see us travel to multiple regions – we might even see an entire continent, The Elder Scrolls Online-style.
There was some speculation that The Elder Scrolls VI reveal trailer did not necessarily reflect an in-game setting and was just intended to set the tone. However, Todd Howard has revealed in an interview with Eurogamer that The Elder Scrolls 6 location has been known for a while and that the trailer allows you to rule some locations out.
Our best guess is Hammerfell, and that is because of a tweet that was published at the end of 2020. It showed a map of Skyrim with the words “transcribe the past and map the future”. Cross referencing this with the entire map of Tamriel, we can see that though the borders of Cyrodiil (the setting for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion) and High Rock (the land of the high elves) are shown, they’re a lot more obscured than the region of Hammerfell to the southwest.
Hammerfell: home to the Redguards, also has a white circle on it, which could be a good indication that this is where we’re heading for the next Elder Scrolls game. It supports the footage from the trailer mentioned earlier with the region being mountainous. That said, there’s also speculation that this tweet is referring to a possible expansion to The Elder Scrolls: Online, and nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
Races speculation
If The Elder Scrolls VI does go somewhere completely new, perhaps we will see a few new races added to the formula, with all new lore and gameplay styles to get to grips with.
However, no new races were added to Skyrim, so it is less likely we will see some new species or races if The Elder Scrolls VI sticks to Tamriel. That said, Sea Elves – also known as Maormer – do feature in The Elder Scrolls Online, so perhaps they could return in a numbered main entry to the series.
Story speculation
One of the things that sets Skyrim apart from the rest of the series is its complex narrative full of political intrigue. Your role in the game’s civil war decides the fate of a troubled kingdom only nominally part of the Empire. Here’s hoping that The Elder Scrolls VI story takes things to a new level.
While the Elder Scrolls VI story would, to an extent, depend on the setting and its history, hopefully, the narrative of the game will match the ambition going into the game in its early stages.
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That’s everything we know about the Elder Scrolls 6 release date. While you wait, check out some cool facts about Starfiled, such as the Starfield planets we know about, Starfield ship building, and even the Starfield factions you’ll need to contend with.