The Elder Scrolls 6 might not release until 2026

Alex Garton
Elder Scrolls 6 teaser image from announcement and title of game

An industry insider has claimed that they don’t expect Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls VI to release until at least 2026 – despite being announced in 2018.

For a lot of gamers, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was the ultimate RPG experience all packaged up into a single game. From the expansive open-world to the interesting and unique characters scattered across it, the game is adored by its fanbase.

So when Bethesda announced at E3 2018 that The Elder Scrolls VI was in development, it got a lot of Skyrim fans extremely excited. There was immediate speculation about when the game would release and how long it would be before fans would get any updates on the title.

Well, nearly three years later, Bethesda has still not provided players with any more information on The Elder Scrolls VI. Now, an industry insider has revealed that he doesn’t expect the title to release for another five years.

Elder Scrolls world
Bethesda announced Elder Scrolls VI with a short teaser at E3 2018.

When will Elder Scrolls 6 be released?

As Bethesda is yet to reveal any new information on the title, it’s extremely difficult to predict when The Elder Scrolls VI will release. However, industry insider Tyler McVicker has revealed that he doesn’t expect the game to be released until as late as 2026.

Although that’s a scary prospect for fans of the Elder Scrolls, it appears to be a rather safe prediction. With Bethesda Game Studios hard at work attempting to finish off Starfield, their open-world space RPG, it’s unlikely we’ll receive a release date for Elder Scrolls anytime soon.

It’s also worth noting that the pressure is on Bethesda to deliver with Starfield and Elder Scrolls more than ever. Fallout 76 was a huge disappointment for fans and all eyes are on the game studio to deliver and amend their mistakes in these upcoming titles.

At one point in time, bugs in Bethesda’s games were seen as charming and hilarious, now after Fallout 76, it seems fans are no longer willing to accept these issues and expect a polished gameplay experience.

There’s also the very recent example of Cyberpunk 2077, which it’s clear probably needed another year or more in development.

Elder scrolls online world
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released all the way back in 2011.

In order to accomplish what the fans expect and bring the game to the next-generation of consoles, a 2026 release date is a realistic prediction.

However, who knows, the development of the game could be progressing faster than expected. Either way, no matter how it long takes, it’s better to release a polished title than an unfinished and buggy game.