Quick Links
- Review
- Time Expenditure
- Cost
- What Players Are Saying
- An Authentic And Beautiful Remaster - Branden Lizardi
- Worth Its Wait In Gold (Pun Intended) - Zoe Osik
- First Time Player And I’m Never Leaving - Tallis Spalding
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has been long-awaited and was released to a lot of excitement. The original was released way back in 2006, and, despite being 20 years between the original and the remake, many still find that the story holds up to the test of time.
RelatedOblivion Remastered: 10 Best Things To Do First
We look at where to start when tackling Oblivion: Remastered.
Posts 2Although this time with very updated graphics, running on Unreal Engine 5. Of course, given that the original was much beloved, that means that the remake has a lot to live up tos. However, Oblivion Remastered requires a little bit of a time commitment (and money commitment), and knowing whether or not it’s worth it is important.
Review
Our Executive Editor, James Troughton shared their experience in Oblivion Remastered, and was, notably, worried that the game would be way more polished than the original. Some might argue that a fully polished game is what companies should strive for, but the charm of Oblivion came from its bugs and its jankiness, rather than sanded-down edges that make it just another fantasy game that doesn’t have the life of the original Oblivion.
Much to James’s delight, the game is a true remaster, with upgraded graphics and slightly smoother play, but overall still the same game at its heart.
I’m glad that new players can have that same experience all these years later — that’s what a remaster should be, recapturing the spark of the original, not replacing it with a hollow facsimile that vaguely resembles it.
The fact that this is a better graphic remake of Oblivion also means that all of the people who missed out on the original experience when Oblivion first released back in 2006 will get a new experience, different from Skyrim. It’s also a lot more inviting than Morrowind, with a less dense story and more palatable mechanics.
The game still has its janky NPCs who are stuck in a perpetual loop of conversation, voice acting mistakes where the voice actors ask to redo a line, and every Imperial Guard being voiced by the exact same person. Of course, the game is not all janky mechanics and looping NPCs - it does have a lot of lore that “juggles cosmic, metaphysical philosophy with half-naked skooma addicts (who write Argonian smut in their spare time, no less).”
All this to say, it’s a really nuanced experience that makes you both immersed in the lore and amused by the game’s antics. Oblivion Remaster is a repackaged version of the 2006 experience, perfect for those of us who grew up on Skyrim and never really had the chance, or the thought, to explore Cyrodiil.
Time Expenditure
Although this definitely depends on whatever difficulty level you’ve chosen to play on, Oblivion Remastered's main story will probably take you around 25 hours to see all the way through, give or take a handful of hours
If you opt to wander around the world, exploring caves and cities and delving into the different side quests, then you might find yourself spending around 80 hours wandering throughout Cyrodiil. You might spend even longer if you don’t really know what you’re doing or where you’re supposed to be going.
Cost
Currently, Oblivion Remastered is only available on Xbox and Windows. If you want to get it on Windows, you can easily purchase it from Steam for $49.99 for the base game. If you want to buy the Deluxe Edition, which provides you with additional quests, an artbook, the soundtrack, armor, weapons, and horse armor, then you can spend $59.99.
If you’re looking at buying it on Xbox, you can expect to spend $49.99 for the base game or $59.99 for the Deluxe Edition. Or, you can save a little bit of money by opting to play it through Xbox’s Game Pass, which will cost you $11.99 for the PC subscription or $19.99 for the Ultimate subscription.
What Players Are Saying
An Authentic And Beautiful Remaster - Branden Lizardi
Nostalgic influence aside, Oblivion was a truly remarkable entry in the Elder Scrolls series. It struck a fantastic balance of convenience and freedom for an RPG, while offering an absolute slew of quests and content, all of which are engaging. Remastered manages to bring everything great about the original into the modern light, giving it an absolutely beautiful coat of paint and buffing out almost any rough edges from before. Well recommended.
Worth Its Wait In Gold (Pun Intended) - Zoe Osik
Despite being nearly 20 years old, Oblivion Remastered feels fresh and new. The furthest corners of my memory remember the landscape and controls well, yet it also seems like a whole new adventure. Blurring the lines between remake and remaster, this is an absolute must-have for fans of The Elder Scrolls looking to bide their time until the next big release in the series. However, being a direct remake of Oblivion, plenty of bugs still carry over.
First Time Player And I’m Never Leaving - Tallis Spalding
I never played the original Oblivion and never really thought to - I was perfectly happy wandering Skyrim for the seventeenth time. I am very happy to have Oblivion now (even if I have to run it on the lowest graphics courtesy of my Steam Deck), and I never really want to leave. I was surprised by the game feeling like an old PC gaming experience, rather than something brand new with sleek menus, devoid of all the memes that I had seen, and that isn’t what Oblivion Remastered is - for that, I am delighted.
6 Images 6 Images CloseYour Rating
close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10Your comment has not been saved
Like Follow FollowedThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
Action RPG Open-World Adventure Systems 19 8.5/10 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 82/100 Critics Rec: 86% Released April 22, 2025 ESRB Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Violence Developer(s) Virtuos, Bethesda Publisher(s) Bethesda Engine Unreal Engine 5WHERE TO PLAY
SUBSCRIPTION
