? After nearly two decades, Bethesda shadow-dropped what many Elder Scrolls fans have been clamoring for: Oblivion Remastered. This ground-up remake of the beloved 2006 RPG classic has already proven to be an instant hit, dominating sales charts and drawing in hundreds of thousands of concurrent players within hours of release.

The most immediately striking aspect of Oblivion Remastered is its dramatic visual overhaul. The leap from the 2006 Gamebryo engine graphics to the Unreal Engine 5 transforms Cyrodiil into a lush, vibrant fantasy realm that stands proudly alongside modern titles. Running at 4K resolution with up to 60fps (uncapped on PC), the remaster features ray tracing, enhanced lighting effects, and completely rebuilt models for every spell, item, and character in the game. At 125GB — compared to the original’s 4.6GB — the massive file size reflects the scope of these visual improvements.

Virtuous and Bethesda deserve credit for understanding which elements needed modernization and which deserved preservation. Combat — long a weak point in Elder Scrolls games — receives meaningful improvements without reinventing the wheel. Weapons now feature unique attack animations and combos, while enemies react convincingly to where they’re struck. It’s still recognizably Oblivion combat, just significantly less janky.

The notoriously clunky stealth system has also (mercifully) been overhauled to provide clearer feedback, borrowing Skyrim’s gradually opening/closing eye indicator instead of the binary completely hidden/completely visible approach of the original. Perhaps more crucially, Oblivion’s infamous leveling system — which could punish players for not maximizing attribute gains — has been redesigned with a more intuitive Virtue Points approach. Players still need to understand how skills affect character progression, but the system no longer feels like it’s actively working against them.

The UI improvements alone might justify the price for longtime fans. Gone are the microscopic inventory lists and confusing menu navigation, replaced with a cleaner interface that maintains the original’s storybook aesthetic while displaying more information at once.

What’s remarkable is the preservation of the bizarre charm that made the original so endearing. The stilted NPC conversations, awkward character animations, and occasionally absurd quest logic remain intact, but they’re complemented by expanded voice acting and subtle quality-of-life improvements.

It’s not all perfect. Performance hiccups still exist, particularly in the open world where stuttering and pop-in can break immersion. On Steam Deck, these issues become more pronounced, though it remains playable with compromised graphics settings. But none of these issues can’t be fixed with an early patch, and for longtime fans, it’s a nostalgic homecoming with quality-of-life improvements that make returning to Cyrodiil a pleasure rather than a chore. And for newcomers who cut their teeth on Skyrim, it’s an accessible entry point to experience one of the most influential RPGs of all time.

? Rating: 9/10 on Steam

⌛ Hours of gameplay: 20 hours on a speedrun, up to 100 for a completionist playthrough

? Replay value: 5/10 without mods

? Platforms: Steam for PC and Steam Deck, PlayStation, and Xbox

? Price: USD 34.99 for the standard version ans USD 39.99 for the deluxe version on Steam, USD 49.99 for the standard version, USD 59.99 for the deluxe version on PlayStation and Xbox

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