The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered has officially launched on Xbox Series X|S, PC and PlayStation 5. The so-called Remaster is a significant visual and mechanical overhaul, and is now on game stores and Xbox Game Pass. The download size on Xbox and PC is 119.2GB, all DLCs are included in the base game, along with the original horse armor.
The Deluxe Edition, €64.99/$59.99 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S|X, will include Avatar of Akatosh and Mehrunes Dagon Armors, Weapons, and alternate Horse Armor Sets. The standard PC and console edition is €54.99/$49.99.
The game, produced by Virtuos Studios, was announced at 4pm GMT, 5pm CEST on 22 April 2025, almost exactly as suggested by leaks in the week before the game shadowdropped.
On 21st April at 5pm UTC, 12pm EST, Bethesda announced that another announcement was to follow. The post contains few details – but a Roman numeral ‘IV’ confirmed that it was indeed The Elder Scrolls IV was up for discussion.
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On 22nd April, the phrase ‘Official Reveal’ was added, dampening hopes for a same-day release. However, before Bethesda had even properly introduced TES IV: Oblivion Remastered, it was available on PSN, Xbox Store, Steam and all major storefronts.
Virtuos have overhauled many aspects of the game beyond the visual upgrade. However, they claimed they wanted to deliver ‘the same experience’. To that end, the conversation and lockpicking mini-games return in the same form, but a bit more refined, for TES IV: Oblivion Remastered.
Gameplay updates feature adjustments to Stamina, Sneak, Blocking, Archery, Hit Reaction, and the HUD.
The Prophecy
Reports of an Oblivion remaster emerged in 2023 during the FTC vs. Microsoft trial regarding the Activision Blizzard acquisition. Legal documents disclosed several unannounced Bethesda titles slated for future release. The term ‘remaster’ had since been commonly understood as indicating a less extensive rebuild.
On 15 March 2025, a significant cache of alleged The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered material was accidentally leaked.
Virtuos swiftly addressed the leak, but several images were obtained before the issue was resolved. Of the 18 uploaded image file names visible on the Wayback Machine, only one was scraped.
Six of these are JPG files labeled ‘img-elder-scrolls-iv-XXX,’ ranging from small thumbnails of 450B (18×10) to 187kB in size. The largest of these files contains the widely circulated image. Twelve PNG files are labeled ‘img-oblivion-trailer-thumbnail-XXX’ and vary in size from 18×10 to 1024×574.
The widely shared inner hall screenshot is also 1024×574. Additionally, two other images leaked, showcasing ‘Deluxe’ Editions featuring horse armor DLC included with the Deluxe Edition.
A Surprise Ruined
This particular leak came after various tweets from the user “Detective Seeds“. He claims based on his sources that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaster will be announced and released on the week of April 21st, after the Elder Scrolls Online event.
Highly publicised leaks by Detective Seeds on X, the social media platform known as Twitter, suggested a sudden and unannounced release the week of 21st April. However, the leaks all came with the caveat that no information was announced or confirmed.
