The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced over eight years ago, and since then, Bethesda has officially revealed absolutely nothing. Sure, every now and then, the studio makes a vague declaration about the game’s progress or apologizes for having released the initial announcement trailer so early. However, aside from that, there has been practically radio silence. Not even a leak or two has surfaced, showcasing even the most basic of gameplay to appease desperate fans eager for a sliver of information.
Of course, Bethesda should hold off revealing anything until it has some meaningful news to share, and leaks should never be released at the expense of the team working hard on a project. Yet, fans who’ve waited an interminably long eight years and will undoubtedly have to wait many more to play the latest Elder Scrolls game have seemingly hit a breaking point as a result of the lack of news. However, it hasn’t affected them in the way one might expect, as, having seemingly lost their collective minds, TES6 fans are beginning to act strangely online.
It has begun to feel as if Sheogorath himself has cast a spell on the collective Elder Scrolls fandom, as recent posts on The Elder Scrolls 6’s subreddit have been extraordinarily odd. After having waited an eternity for even the tiniest of The Elder Scroll 6’s teases, the game’s subreddit has unanimously decided to just pretend the game is out. Several posts have popped up with players acting as if they’ve played the game, sharing fake screenshots, news about upcoming mods and DLC, and posts shaming people by acting as if it isn’t out, in jest, of course.
Frankly, it’s rather brilliant, if a little out there. The way almost everyone in the community has come together to buy into this joke is actually very endearing. It is certainly better than the vitriol that can occur when a fandom is made to wait a little too long and perhaps illustrative of just how devoted TES fans actually are.
It isn’t particularly surprising that the same people who’ve dedicated years of their lives to updating their favorite Elder Scrolls games through mods are finding the light and fun in the lack of updates after eight years. Of course, it still begs the question of when TES6 will actually release.
When Will Bethesda’s Next Game Launch?
It is looking increasingly likely that Bethesda’s next game will be The Elder Scrolls 6. Of course, it is always possible that a secret Fallout title or an entirely new IP will launch before it, but considering that TES6 has actually been announced and no other Bethesda project has, there’s a greater chance of fans getting their hands on the next Elder Scrolls first. That being said, Bethesda has yet to announce The Elder Scrolls 6’s release date, despite fans speculating wildly online.
The most likely scenario is that The Elder Scrolls 6 will release sometime in 2028. Todd Howard told Game Informer back in December 2025, that The Elder Scrolls 6 was “progressing really well,” confirming that “the majority of the studio’s on [TES]6.” That’s great news, but considering the lack of any form of marketing, gameplay, or even a single screenshot, coupled with the continued development on Starfield, it’s likely that TES6, despite having been in production for quite some time, is still a few years away.
Of course, there’s every possibility that The Elder Scrolls 6 will release sooner (just not as soon as its subreddit is pretending it has), and that we’ll all be exploring its open-world before long. While 2026 is absolutely out of the question, especially with GTA 6 dominating the latter half of the year, 2027 is still a possibility. It remains to be seen, but until we get confirmation of when The Elder Scrolls 6 is releasing from Bethesda, it is better to act a little silly, like the aforementioned subreddit, and find the humor in this absurdly long wait.
- Released
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2026
- ESRB
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m
- Developer(s)
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Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
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Bethesda Softworks