I wouldn't have said this a week ago, but in the wake of Oblivion's shiny new facelift, Skyrim suddenly feels pretty drab.
As a longtime Oblivion advocate, I wasn’t super interested in Oblivion Remastered. While the rumors swirled and excitement grew I just didn’t see the need for a new edition of Bethesda’s 2006 RPG. “The original Oblivion is still great as it is!” I would yell from my porch at anyone who walked by. It’s definitely showing its age almost 20 years later, but I really was having a fine time replaying it right up until the remaster arrived this week.
I prepared myself to complain about the changes Oblivion Remastered made and gripe about how the original RPG didn’t need a facelift, but then I started playing it, and… I realized I kinda liked it. Despite the changes, it still feels exactly like good ol’ janky Oblivion. Even a bunch of the old exploits still work.
And it’s really, really pretty in there (with the exception of some of the locals). It’s not a whole new world, it’s just a more lovely and captivating version of the original without feeling like it’s been transformed into something else entirely.
It doesn’t feel like the old game has been replaced: the sensation is more like re-watching a classic movie I’d only seen in standard definition on TV, but now it’s been restored in widescreen and the image is nice and crisp. I’m a bit shocked, but I’m really enjoying my time with Oblivion Remastered. (And I appreciate that Bethesda is keeping the old version available, rather than overwriting it George-Lucas style).
Now I’m finding it just a little weird that here in 2025 Oblivion looks a lot prettier than Skyrim does. It looks so nice in there, and I can’t believe I’m saying this: I really wouldn’t mind if Skyrim got the same treatment. Bring on the Skyrim remaster. Re-remaster, I mean.
I admit, it would be pretty darn brazen of Bethesda to make yet another version of Skyrim, after 2016’s remastered Special Edition and 2021’s poorly received Anniversary Edition. But if anyone can package up Skyrim and sell it to us again, it’s Bethesda—and I’m only a bit ashamed to say if it looked as nice as Oblivion Remastered, I’d honestly consider buying it.
I’m not saying Skyrim needs another remaster. First off, it still looks perfectly fine and quite lovely in a lot of respects. I also know there are tons of visual mods that make Skyrim prettier for free for anyone who has a little patience and a strong desire to give it a glow-up. There’s a whole section of our guide to the best Skyrim mods devoted to ’em. But the same can be said for Oblivion, and yet here I am, tromping around the world I’ve already spent hundreds of hours in, gawking at stuff as if I’m seeing it for the first time.
We know we’re not getting The Elder Scrolls 6 for quite a while. Maybe 2028? 2030? Who can even say. In the meantime, once I’ve put Oblivion Remastered back down I’m probably gonna play some Skyrim again at some point. And maybe it’s superficial of me, but I’m probably going to spend my time in old Skyrim wishing it looked more like new Oblivion.
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