The Elder Scrolls 6 Step Aside, 2026 Has One Big Surprise For TES Lovers

The Elder Scrolls is a storied franchise, but it's been propped up by the success of Skyrim for a long while. Skyrim was released nearly 15 years ago, and we still don't have a proper follow-up.

Over on YouTube, we got a look at what could be one of 2026's best surprises of the year. It'll make the wait for The Elder Scrolls 6 that much easier.

It's Potentially Years Away

Since 2012, a talented team has been working on Skyblivion, a full remake of Oblivion through the Skyrim engine. It's what's known as a "total conversion" mod, which reworks the entire game. Since the project has grown so much, it's been in development for over a decade, but now we're approaching the finish line.

Here's the most recent update from Rebelzize, the project lead for Skyblivion: "As a project by fans, for fans, we need a little more time to ensure Skyblivion lives up to the standards you all deserve. Our anticipated release window is moving into 2026. It’s not all bad news: Our new interactive map tool is live! While you wait, you can now explore the full, finished world of Cyrodiil from the snowy Jerall Mountains to the sand-swept beaches of the Gold Coast."

Skyblivion is finally within our grasp, and in roughly the same timeline it's taken for Bethesda to deliver a new mainline entry. Again, this project is massive, with full AAA studio elements like a road map to give fans an idea of what to expect. This is in addition to the overarching TES Renewal Project's work on Skywind, which is a similar conversion for The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind.

Skyblivion Looks So Promising

It Looks Like An Official Release

Right now, the team is putting the finishing touches on Skyblivion. As detailed by the most recent video blog, the world map is "100% finished," and there's an interactive satellite map that's available now to showcase all the work done so far. "All quest dungeons" are completed, and have been "painfully remade" with "amazing boss battles" and "unique quest rewards" that top the experience from the original game.

"All major cities" have been finished, and many have been redesigned. The main things that need to be finished at the moment are:

• 3D assets for the Imperial Palace
• Quest finalization
• Finalizing nav mesh, which allows NPCs to wander around, followed by quality assurance tests
• The addition of "low priority assets"
• The final fight cinematic

The team also has a list of "post-release features" they want to add:

• Spellcrafting
• UI reskin (to be more like Oblivion)
• Dynamic dungeons
• Grave robbing
• Creature variety
• More followers
• Extra unique items
• Additional spells

Bethesda can take their time on the next Elder Scrolls game. In the meantime, the modding community will fill the void, whether it's smaller quality of life upgrades, or massive total conversions like Skyblivion.