DaRmaZat Last week, Bethesda Softworks surprised everyone by unveiling The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered during a live stream. While rumors had been circulating—ranging from vague Reddit leaks to suspicious activity on Steam’s backend—the official announcement on April 22nd still came as a significant surprise. And it wasn’t just an announcement: the game was immediately available to play. No prolonged marketing campaign, just a straightforward release: here’s Oblivion, refreshed, polished, and ready for modern consoles and PCs.
Virtuos collaborated on this version of the 2006 classic, resulting in a visually enhanced and gameplay-refined edition that includes all major expansions. Think: Shivering Isles, Knights of the Nine, and even the infamously criticized Horse Armor Pack. Everything’s included, playable via PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store. A nostalgia bomb with a new coat of paint—but is that enough? Read on to find out.
Adjusting to the classic’s quirks
It’s a given truth that adjusting to the absence of stealth kills in a game where you can still cleverly sneak up on enemies takes some getting used to. Then there’s the minuscule inventory and the limited stamina—or should we still call it Fatigue, now that it also impacts the new sprinting feature? And, of course, the lack of what are now considered standard features—like dodging or rolling—at least early on, so as not to spoil everything right away.
Indeed, complete newcomers will undoubtedly find themselves scratching their heads more than once when booting up The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. After escaping the Imperial sewers, you’re repeatedly tasked with slaying the same wolf, which continues to wheeze even after lying lifeless in the grass. And when a now likely graying Elder Scrolls fan re-enters an Oblivion Gate, they’re immediately reminded of how familiar—yet repetitive—the dark, eerie setting and unambiguous objectives feel: each time, reach the top of the highest tower, and seize that coveted Sigil Stone.
Old-school charm never dies
Yet, it’s impressive what Virtuos and Bethesda have achieved with this unexpected release. I would say, “let’s delve deeper,” but that would simply ignore the countless hours I’ve already spent exploring Cyrodiil and rediscovering its rich lore in this remastered version. And I still can’t get enough: I’m completely engrossed. Or, to put it another way: nostalgia holds some powerful magicka.
Nostalgia holds some powerful magicka.
Luckily, mechanics like resting or meditating to reassign skill points remain untouched, as does repairing weapons with a repair hammer. Skills like Acrobatics, Athletics, and Stealth are—thankfully, as well—still improved by simply using them frequently. Indeed, those charmingly old-school, sometimes clunky elements of the original gameplay have been preserved, further maximizing nostalgia.
Respecting the past, refining the future
Exactly, this remastered edition heavily leans on our fond memories, not just of the enjoyable gameplay where you can craft your dream build—switching between bow and sword, or opting for that notoriously overpowered magic—which is now easier than ever, thanks to the much-improved leveling system.
Indeed, the class system is preserved, but feels less restrictive. You’re less likely to get stuck because you accidentally trained the “wrong” skills—a notorious pitfall in the original. Hence, you can now switch playstyles more smoothly without feeling like your character is ruined.
The price of progress
The game now runs on Unreal Engine 5, evident in the dynamic lighting—powered by both hardware- and software-based Lumen RT—resulting in a sky that finally offers depth and atmosphere, along with a much broader color palette. This improvement is part of a broader refresh: NPCs’ faces are visually much more realistic. You can see their skin pores and stubble—something unimaginable twenty years ago.
Yet, beneath this new layer, the old Gamebryo engine still runs, and unfortunately, that’s sometimes noticeable. The textures are now hyper-realistic, but this comes at a cost—namely, bugs, or should we call them ‘features’? Weapons or gear magically disappearing from the character preview or whenever rune stones are drained, and your character repeatedly flickers awkwardly into view when loading a new zone—these are just a few examples. On the bright side, the animations have seen slight improvements: melee combat feels a bit smoother—though blocking still responds much too slowly—and enemies now react with genuine physical recoil when struck. Compared to, say, Skyrim, it still lags behind, but there’s definite progress. Even archery now feels significantly more modern and accessible than ever before.
Bethesda and Virtuos didn’t just remaster a game, they introduced a new standard, which will henceforth be known as ‘a remasterpiece.’
Also, the user interface has been redesigned, and it was about time, too. Menus are now much more organized and clearer, and you no longer feel like you’re navigating a muddy scroll list with an unresponsive mouse. Some voices have also been re-recorded by different actors, bringing subtle variation between races and characters—a small but welcome improvement.
Still a few hiccups along the way
Finally, there are, of course, the necessary bug fixes and stability adjustments, though it’s worth noting that the game isn’t technically flawless yet.
Crashes and framerate drops still occur occasionally, and as a tech-savvy PC player, I quickly found myself tinkering with Unreal Engine 5’s .ini file to fine-tune features like frame generation and ray tracing, or removing even the DLSS Streamline library file. A temporary fix, of course, at your own risk—but: it just works. Bethesda and Virtuos clearly have more work to do here, and we can only hope that a series of solid patches isn’t far off.
Final Thoughts
Despite its technical hiccups, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered takes both loyal Elder Scrolls fans and newcomers to the franchise on a magical journey back to a time when Oblivion stood at the forefront of open-world RPGs. And with this remaster — no matter how bumpy the road may be — it’s a true pleasure to walk that path once more. Bethesda and Virtuos didn’t just remaster a game, they introduced a new standard, which will henceforth be known as ‘a remasterpiece.’
Additional Information
Release Date: April 22, 2025
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios, Virtuos
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Official Website: https://elderscrolls.bethesda.net
Relevant links: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered on STEAM
