The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a 2006 role-playing (rpg) video game made by Bethesda Game Studios and 2K Games.
The Emperor of Tamriel dies in the opening minutes and presses a strange amulet into a prisoner's hands before he goes. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion then sets you free in Cyrodiil, a province of green heartland, Roman-styled cities, and gates that open onto a burning otherworld. Bethesda lets you wander from the main quest at will: join the mages or the thieves, clear old ruins, or just forage and forge. Every character speaks, every town keeps its own rhythm, and the land rewards curiosity. The main story concerns finding the late Emperor's lost heir before the realm comes apart.
Quick answers
What is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion about?
The Emperor of Tamriel dies in the opening minutes and presses a strange amulet into a prisoner's hands before he goes. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion then sets you free in Cyrodiil, a province of green heartland, Roman-styled cities, and gates that open onto a burning otherworld. Bethesda lets you wander from the main quest at will: join the mages or the thieves, clear old ruins, or just forage and forge. Every character speaks, every town keeps its own rhythm, and the land rewards curiosity. The main story concerns finding the late Emperor's lost heir before the realm comes apart.
When was The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion released?
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was released on 20 March 2006.
Who made The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion?
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was made by Bethesda Game Studios, 2K Games and Bethesda Softworks.
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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in our writing
- Companion guide: Bethesda Game Studios: The Elder Scrolls, Fallout and the Art of Getting Lost
- Companion guide: The CRPG: The Complete Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games
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- Companion guide: The Thieves' Guild: Rogues, Heists and the Fantasy Underworld
A few thoughts on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
For more of Tamriel, The Elder Scrolls: The Infernal City carries the setting into a novel a few decades on, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Original Game Soundtrack captures the same cold, questing grandeur in Jeremy Soule's music. Both suit players who come to these games for the world more than the fights.
Vast open-world RPGs to lose a hundred hours in
Oblivion sets you loose in Cyrodiil and trusts you to wander off the main quest whenever a ruin or a road looks interesting. These games run on the same freedom: Skyrim's frozen north, the Witcher's monster-haunted continent, Hyrule's open sky, the wastes of Fallout. Pack light and get lost.
RPGs where your choices actually change the story
Oblivion lets you become a mage, a thief or a guild master on a whim. These games take that further, making your decisions ripple through the world: the crew you build in Mass Effect, the factions you back in New Vegas, the mercy or cruelty you choose in Undertale. Every save is your own.
Dark-fantasy worlds that make you earn every step
Oblivion's gates open onto a burning otherworld, and these games live in that danger full-time. FromSoftware's Elden Ring, Dark Souls III and Bloodborne turn every corridor into a test, while Dishonored rewards the patient and the ruthless. Punishing, atmospheric worlds for players who want the fear back.
More acclaimed single-player adventures worth your time
If Cyrodiil leaves you hungry for another great world to disappear into, these are catalog favorites across very different moods. God of War's brutal myth, Zelda's timeless Ocarina, the loot-and-laughs of Borderlands 2, the slow farm life of Stardew Valley. Different shapes, same deep pull.
