Bethesda Game Studios and Virtuos’ The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is out now and features a wide range of improvements and tweaks that give the 19-year-old RPG classic a fresh coat of paint.
The team behind the overhaul revealed all during a special broadcast today, hitting the highlights of the biggest changes. It’s a livestream that acted as a showcase for drastically altered visuals as well as a handful of gameplay changes that will have Cyrodiil looking and feeling more foreign than ever, and fans have already taken notice. Although some players are hesitant about some of the many, many changes, most players seem to be happy to have another excuse to dive back into one of Bethesda’s defining games.
Oblivion in Unreal Engine 5
Oblivion is approaching its 20th birthday and is known for some somewhat potato-y character models and stiff animations. It’s part of the charm that has kept the RPG classic in players’ minds for decades, but it’s also something that Bethesda and Virtuos wanted to touch up in the Oblivion remaster.
Models and environments have been rebuilt from the ground up, a new lighting system will make shadows feel more realistic, and lip-syncing technology will spruce up some of those previously awkward conversations. In many ways, Oblivion Remastered looks more like a remake, something many are latching onto as they either return to Cyrodiil or embark for the first time.
“Oblivion Remastered is quite literally a REMAKE,” declared X / Twitter user SynthPotato. “The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion feels more like Remake than Remaster, said HazzadorGamin. “Good job by team Virtuos.” “The Elder Scrolls Oblivion Remastered? Don’t you mean Remake?!” added GamesLover.
The Argonians and the Khajiit in the Oblivion Remaster OMG I LOVE THEM ♥#Oblivion #OblivionRemastered #TES4 #ElderScrolls pic.twitter.com/LeL7oe043Y
— Xylluk The Dragon (@Xylluk) April 22, 2025
YEPP THEY COOKED
OBLIVION REMASTERED LOOKS AMAZING pic.twitter.com/w24YDHKniF
— Michael (@LegacyKillaHD) April 22, 2025
Sprinting Through Cyrodiil
One thing that’s kept Oblivion locked away on PS3 and Xbox 360-era platforms is its visuals, but there has been plenty of room for improvement when it comes to its gameplay, too. Virtuos jumped on the opportunity to modernize the classic formula with a variety of tweaks, with some as small as a cleaner lock-picking system, while others, such as the added ability to sprint, offer massive changes to the formula.
The level-up system now falls somewhere in between the one fans know from Oblivion and the system present in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Third and first-person perspectives have been altered as well, as Virtuos aimed to take advantage of the leaps gaming has made in the last two decades. Whether it’s a surface-level adjustment or a fundamental change, most fans are at least interested to see how 2025 Oblivion stacks up against the original.
“It looks so good. That reveal was amazing,” one Reddit user commented. “So many good decisions with how to handle an Oblivion remake. The UI, keeping the old lock picking instead of pasting in Skyrim/Fallout style, making the leveling a hybrid. My only (very minor) complaint about the reveal was that they kind of spoiled the thieves guild quest line a bit for new players lol.”
For many people, myself included, who didn’t play as much Oblivion or were very young, this is essentially getting a BRAND NEW Elder Scrolls today.#OblivionRemastered pic.twitter.com/wpIoTHSJa6
— Robin (@SpectreRobin) April 22, 2025
Look at character creation. They also showed that Oblivion zoom-in seems to still be there in some capacity for conversation. pic.twitter.com/fWcAD2wKs8
— UESP (@UESP_net) April 22, 2025
Some Things Never Change
While Oblivion Remastered changes so much that many have already started calling it a remake, Bethesda says its goal was to deliver an experience that upgrades the original game without losing what made it special in the first place.
“I think when it comes to a remaster, we want people to feel the way they did then, but it’s still a game of its time,” Bethesda’s Todd Howard said during today’s stream. “You want to keep those bones in place. You want some of that old charm.”
Virtuos carried these ideas into its remaster. Animations still fit with the same clunky awkwardness players have come to love, and so much of that same stiff dialog has been kept intact, too. The team even brought back much of the original cast’s lines, so don’t worry, you’ll still be quoting much of the same lines that have been stuck in your head since 2006. These are choices that fans are already glomming onto.
“I agree with every decision they made,” another Reddit user said. “Keeping old voice actors, adding in new ones to break up the monotony. Updating gameplay, but keeping the old Oblivion bones. Updating the UI but keeping the parchment aesthetic. God damn work can’t end fast enough.”
I love how despite being 20 years ahead and a million times more realistic, Oblivion’s faces still look goofy as hell and the lines still sound utterly hilarious.
Also the quality of these clothing and armor sets is INSANE pic.twitter.com/WCh1OMtE0e
— Synth Potato🥔 (@SynthPotato) April 22, 2025
16yr old me played Oblivion so 34yr old me could play Oblivion almost 20yrs later. #OblivionRemastered https://t.co/7Oaq19fxyD pic.twitter.com/8ZCvQfwqkK
— Kevin G. (@Darktagger) April 22, 2025
Oblivion originally launched for the PC and Xbox 360 in 2006, with its PlayStation 3 release following in 2007. It’s remained a favorite among RPG fans for nearly 20 years, so when rumors of a remake or remaster emerged in the past few months, excitement began to grow. Today’s reveal is anything but a surprise, but it does at least come with a full breakdown of some of the biggest changes to be found when seeing how the classic has been reimagined.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is out now for everyone on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S priced $49.99, as well as on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. We’ve got a comprehensive guide to everything you’ll find in Oblivion Remastered, including an expansive Interactive Map, complete Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and every Guild Quest, How to Build the Perfect Character, Things to Do First, and much more.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
