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The Biggest Surprise of 2025
The release of Oblivion Remastered came out of nowhere. On April 21, 2025, Bethesda announced a mysterious livestream. Just 24 hours later, the game was already available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S — simultaneously on Xbox Game Pass for subscribers. Over 600,000 viewers watched the reveal live on YouTube, and within just three days, 4 million players had already walked the roads of Cyrodiil.
The surprise launch (shadow drop) proved to be a commercial triumph: it quickly climbed to the 3rd best-selling game of 2025 in the US (behind only Monster Hunter: Wilds and Assassin's Creed: Shadows), while in its first week it outsold the original Oblivion's first 15 months of sales. Physical editions were announced for October 13, 2025, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version expected in 2026.
The Shadow Drop That Sparked Debate
The surprise release created backlash in the indie community. Jonas Antonsson (Raw Fury) expressed “pain for his teams,” while Kepler Interactive — publisher of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, released the same day — joked on Twitter that it was like "Barbenheimer." Bethesda responded supportively, posting screenshots of NPCs celebrating in front of a TV showing Expedition 33.
Next-Gen Graphics in Unreal Engine 5
Development began in 2021 by Virtuos (Paris studio) in collaboration with Bethesda Game Studios. The concept was ambitious: the entire world was graphically rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5 (with ray tracing, new textures, models, and animations), while the gameplay core remained on the Gamebryo engine — meaning the physics, combat, and AI behaviors of the original were largely preserved.
The results are impressive: the draw distance makes Cyrodiil feel enormous, lighting and shadows received a dramatic upgrade, and lip syncing is no longer laughable. However, NPC faces remain rather cartoonish — something the community considers part of the authentic experience. As IGN aptly put it: "Everything looks like you remember it, not how it actually looked back in 2006."
Gameplay Improvements
Beyond the visuals, Virtuos introduced targeted improvements that make a massive difference to the everyday gameplay experience:
Sprint Button
The original had no sprint — now you can actually run. It completely changes how exploration feels, though it does make some dungeons feel smaller.
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New Leveling System
A hybrid Oblivion + Skyrim system: everything you do raises your level, without being punished for specializing. Far less midgame frustration.
Modern UI
The compass moved to the top, HP/Magicka/Stamina bars are spread across the screen, and menus have been fully modernized.
Quality of Life
No more dice rolls for harvesting — just grab and go. New ambient sounds, improved looting, and re-recorded environmental audio.
Knights of the Nine & Shivering Isles
A massive advantage: the remaster includes all DLCs from the original. This means Shivering Isles — widely considered one of the best expansion packs in RPG history — is here from the start. Sheogorath, the God of Madness, welcomes you to his Alice-in-Wonderland-esque world with a story that surprises with its depth.
Knights of the Nine adds a knightly questline that fits seamlessly into the world. The main story — featuring Martin Septim (voiced by Sean Bean) — proves better than you remember. The faction questlines (Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild, Mages Guild, Fighters Guild) remain top-tier and have aged better than their equivalents in any later Bethesda game.
The Downsides: Performance & Jank
Despite the many positives, Oblivion Remastered is far from flawless. Digital Foundry called it “one of the worst-performing PC games we've ever tested,” even on high-end hardware. Bethesda's patches have failed to meaningfully address the performance problems.
There are also the classic Bethesda bugs: broken quest objectives, Oblivion gates vanishing before your eyes, getting stuck under rocks, frame drops, and hard crashes after 40+ hours of play. Additionally, the enemy level scaling remains problematic — you'll see bandits wearing glass armor in the endgame, undermining any sense of progression.
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No Official Mod Support
In a controversial decision, Bethesda did not add official mod support — despite the company supporting modding in virtually every other title. However, the community didn't wait: hundreds of mods appeared within hours, proving that the modding scene remains unstoppable.
Reviews & Awards
Reviews were generally positive, with critics acknowledging the remaster's quality despite technical issues:
Metacritic
PC: 80/100 | PS5: 82/100 | Xbox: 82/100. Generally favorable reviews. OpenCritic: 87% recommend.
IGN
8/10 — “Great.” An excellent nostalgia trip with modernized mechanics.
RPGFan
90/100. One of the highest scores, focusing on gameplay depth.
Golden Joystick 2025
"Best Remake / Remaster" award — the highest honor for a remaster project.
Is It Worth Getting?
If you love open-world RPGs, the answer is absolutely yes. Especially if you've never played the original, this is the perfect opportunity: you get a classic RPG with modern graphics, improved gameplay, and dozens of hours of content (including all DLCs). Note that you'll need approximately 125 GB of disk space — 2,600% larger than the 2006 original!
For veterans, the nostalgia works beautifully. The Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild, and Shivering Isles questlines stand the test of time, exploring with sprint feels fresh, and the sense of freedom in the original Oblivion — in contrast to today's more “guided” RPGs — remains unique. Yes, there are bugs and performance issues. But remember: this is a Bethesda game. Part of the charm lies within that very jank.