With the release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered still hot on everyone’s fingertips, we thought it would be a good time to revisit this legendary RPG franchise from Bethesda Softworks and offer our ranking of all the mainline games in the series. While each game in the series (minus possibly Arena) is a fan-favourite among the community, there’s no denying just how much of a monumental impact the franchise had on the gaming world at large. Here are all five mainline Elder Scrolls games ranked from worst to best.
Before we proceed, this ranked list is simply our opinion as everyone’s opinions will likely differ on what they consider to be the best game in the series. We’ve also excluded spin-offs like Blades, Adventures: Redguard and Battlespire to focus on the five mainline games thus far. ESO will also be excluded as it’s technically not developed by Bethesda and follows an ongoing story as an MMO.
The Elder Scrolls Games Ranked From Worst to Best
5. The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The Elder Scrolls: Arena isn’t necessarily a bad game but it’s a victim of its time. In 1994, western-developed RPGs followed a pretty similar set of rules and design philosophies that Bethesda at the time didn’t do much to shake up. Sure, it laid the building blocks for the sequels to come but you could argue that it hadn’t really found its identity yet. Arena is difficult to play today because it’s held back so much by its dated elements. However, you can’t deny the game’s aged charm and earnestness.
4. The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
Daggerfall is when Bethesda really started to hone in on the core pillars of The Elder Scrolls series and began defining its unique qualities. The result is a sequel that went above and beyond to ground The Elder Scrolls as a formidable new RPG IP on the market – one with a game world of such an astronomical scale, you could spend a lifetime exploring its vastness and still not see everything. The storytelling was tighter, the gameplay was slightly tweaked, and the sense of adventure that came to define future Bethesda games was palpable.
3. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The third and second spots are interchangeable as both Oblivion and Skyrim each do certain things better than the other. However, Oblivion takes the third spot because, well, the jank. In all fairness, Oblivion absolutely has a better story with far more compelling guild quests (the Dark Brotherhood questline, in particular, is masterful). Where it succeeds on the strength of its writing, it stumbles in other areas. Cyrodiil is beautiful but feels a bit same-y after a while and the dungeons are either clever or frustrating ordeals without any middle ground.
Oblivion is fondly remembered (and played today thanks to the excellent remaster) as a landmark action-RPG that earns its praise. It tells a sweeping, epic fantasy story that spans the entire province – and the continent of Tamriel, by all accounts – that still holds a special place in our hearts.
2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
There isn’t much to say about Skyrim that hasn’t already been said, for better or worse. It’s one of the most popular video games ever made and another landmark action-RPG in the gaming world. Like Oblivion, Skyrim has its shortcomings – noticeably dull guild quests (except the Dark Brotherhood, how about that?) and toned down RPG elements – but everything else about Skyrim is so magical, so wonderful, that it triumphs above all else.
The grand sense of exploration in a dense, compelling open-world and starting over to rebuild a character that can easily ignore the main story is always enticing, and the gameplay has thankfully seen a notable improvement over Oblivion. Oh, and dragons. It’s just the ideal, cozy fantasy RPG that has strong legs today thanks to a dedicated modding community. It might debatably be a masterpiece but its enormous influence is not unfelt in the slightest.
1. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Morrowind‘s almost comical janky combat and dated aspects can be overlooked when you take into account everything else it offers in spades. This was undoubtedly Bethesda at the peak of its creative power, delivering an incredibly layered and well-written story alongside some of the best world-building we’ve not only seen in The Elder Scrolls, but possibly in all of gaming. The Dunmer province of Morrowind – or at least the ashy region of Vvardenfell – is an absorbing world filled with mystery and densely packed with lore.
Thanks to Morrowind‘s more robust RPG elements, the role-playing opportunities are vast. While the game still nudges you towards a “destined prophecy” as the Nerevarine (a problem that persists with most Elder Scrolls games), it feels like there aren’t any guard rails on the type of journey you want to pave for yourself. With a terrific villain, outstanding world-building and memorable music, Morrowind cements itself as the best game in The Elder Scrolls franchise.
