The Elder Scrolls statistics 2026: Sales, players & records

How The Elder Scrolls statistics 2026: Sales, players & records stacks up — revenue, players, and legacy.

By Oliver GrantUpdated
Prefer on Google
the elder scrolls statistics

The Elder Scrolls is Bethesda’s flagship RPG franchise, spanning five mainline entries over 30 years. Skyrim alone has sold 65 million copies — confirmed by Bethesda’s own official blog. In April 2025, Oblivion Remastered launched as a shadow drop and became 2025’s best-selling single-player game in the US. The Elder Scrolls Online has 26 million registered players and over $2 billion in lifetime revenue. Elder Scrolls VI is still in development — reportedly 2–3 years away as of July 2026, with Xbox layoffs raising concerns among Bethesda staff. For broader market context, see our video game industry statistics. Here are the verified numbers.

The Elder Scrolls key statistics

  • 65 million copies — Skyrim sold, confirmed by Bethesda’s official blog (November 2026).
  • 4.5 million copies — Oblivion Remastered, sold on Steam and in stores.
  • 63+ million — total Elder Scrolls franchise game sales (VGSales Fandom, 2026).
  • 26 million players — ESO registered as of April 2025.
  • $2 billion+ — ESO lifetime revenue by 2024.
  • 2028 at earliest — estimated Elder Scrolls VI release (Vice, July 2026).

Skyrim

Skyrim has sold over 65 million copies — confirmed by Bethesda’s own blog

(Source: Bethesda Game Studios official blog, bethesda.net, November 2026)

  • “With over 65 million copies sold, players are still exploring Skyrim 15 years later” — direct quote from Bethesda’s official studio note.
  • Skyrim launched November 11, 2011 and remains one of the best-selling games of all time.
  • At 65 million, Skyrim matches The Witcher 3 and sits among the top 10 best-selling video games ever.
  • Skyrim has been released on every major platform since 2011, including a dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 Edition in late 2025.
  • The old article’s “over 30 million” figure reflects an early milestone; 65 million is the current confirmed number.

Oblivion Remastered

Oblivion Remastered was 2025’s best-selling single-player game in the US

(Source: Circana via IGN; BBC; VGSales Fandom)

  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered launched as a shadow drop on April 22, 2025 — announced and released the same day.
  • In its first week, it became the third best-selling game of 2025 in the US by dollar sales (Circana data via IGN), behind only Monster Hunter Wilds and Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
  • By year end, Oblivion Remastered ranked in the top 10 best-selling games of 2025 overall and was 2025’s highest-selling single-player title in the US (Circana).
  • Steam and retail combined: approximately 4.5 million copies sold (VGSales Fandom); Steam alone approximately 1.4 million (Circana/community tracking).
  • The original Oblivion (2006) had sold approximately 9.5 million copies lifetime (Polygon); the remaster outsold it in its first month.

The Elder Scrolls Online

ESO has 26 million registered players and over $2 billion in lifetime revenue

(Source: Statista, April 2025; YouTube / Bethesda reporting; Reddit community data)

  • The Elder Scrolls Online reported 26 million registered players as of April 2025 (Statista).
  • ESO generated over $2 billion in lifetime revenue by 2024.
  • Community analysis suggests ESO generates approximately $15 million per month in consistent recurring revenue — significant for a game launched in 2014.
  • ESO Steam concurrent players: approximately 8,000–15,000 daily average in 2025–2026 (Steam Charts) — Steam is a minority of ESO’s audience as the majority play through Bethesda Launcher or console.

Franchise sales table

(Source: VGSales Fandom; Bethesda official; BBC/Polygon for individual titles)

GameYearSales
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim201165M+
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (original)2006~9.5M
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered2025~4.5M
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind2002~4M (est.)
The Elder Scrolls Online2014~20M units sold
Franchise total63M+ game units

The Elder Scrolls VI

Elder Scrolls VI is powered by a new Creation Engine — still 2–3 years away as of July 2026

(Source: Kotaku, February 2026; Vice, July 2026; IGN, July 2026; Eurogamer, July 2026)

  • Elder Scrolls VI was formally announced at E3 2018 with a teaser trailer showing a landscape — no gameplay, no date.
  • Todd Howard confirmed to British GQ (November 2025) that the team underwent a “creative reset” before beginning full production.
  • In February 2026, Kotaku reported Elder Scrolls VI is powered by a new version of the Creation Engine — separate from the engine used for Starfield.
  • As of July 2026, the game is reportedly still 2–3 years from release (Vice, July 7, 2026).
  • In July 2026, IGN and Eurogamer reported that Xbox layoffs are affecting Elder Scrolls VI development, with Bethesda staff stating “key people” have been let go and expressing fears of delays and crunch.
  • No release date, no platforms officially confirmed.

The Elder Scrolls historical milestones

  • 1994 — Arena launches; the Elder Scrolls franchise begins.
  • 1996 — Daggerfall launches; massive open world sets the series’ ambition.
  • 2002 — Morrowind launches; critical and commercial breakthrough.
  • 2006 copies — Oblivion launches; 9.5 million over its lifetime.
  • 2011 — Skyrim launches November 11; becomes one of the best-selling games ever.
  • 2014 — The Elder Scrolls Online launches; goes buy-to-play in 2015.
  • 2018 — Elder Scrolls VI teaser announced at E3.
  • 2023 — Elder Scrolls VI confirmed to have entered production (left pre-production).
  • April 2025 — Oblivion Remastered shadow drops; 2025’s best-selling single-player game in the US.
  • November 2026 — Bethesda blog confirms Skyrim at 65 million copies sold.
  • July 2026 — Elder Scrolls VI reportedly 2–3 years away; Xbox layoffs affecting development.

Sources