A new report claims that The Elder Scrolls 6 release date is still further out than many expected. If true, players could be waiting years for Bethesda to finally release TES6 on Xbox and PC. While the Microsoft studio has previously said the RPG is playable, a new insider update suggests fans shouldn’t expect to return to Tamriel anytime soon.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Still Has Years of Development Left According to insider
This latest update comes from games journalist Jason Schreier. During a July 7 Bloomberg Live Q&A, the industry veteran was asked about Bethesda’s current progress with TES6. Schreier then reportedly revealed that The Elder Scrolls 6 is still “2 to 3 years away at least” from being completed and launched.
If accurate, that means The Elder Scrolls 6 likely won’t release until 2028 or 2029 at the very earliest. Many fans also noted that Schreier said “at least,” which could imply that the game might take even longer to finally be ready for launch. Although that’s largely speculation, as we don’t know how far along the game is in development and Schreier didn’t actually say a specific year or date in his prediction.
Interestingly, in a June 2026 interview, Bethesda’s Todd Howard recently claimed that The Elder Scrolls 6 was playable. The executive producer also described the game as “looking amazing” and said that it’s “coming along well.” However, Howard was vague about the game’s overall progress and didn’t give an expected launch window. Based on Jason Schreier’s recent statement, though, the RPG still has years of development left.
Will Xbox Speed Up The Elder Scrolls 6’s Release Date?
Following the recent Xbox layoffs, Microsoft confirmed that it is shifting its focus to getting properties like The Elder Scrolls out more quickly. In a letter from Asha Sharma, the Xbox executive specifically highlighted Bethesda’s popular IP as a top priority for the gaming publisher.
“We are also making reductions across other units, and in some cases, shifting investment to focus on higher priority projects. These changes vary in size across Activision, Bethesda/ZeniMax, Blizzard, King, Mojang, and XBOX Game Studios. None of our first party publicly announced games or projects are being cancelled as part of these reductions.”
So it it possible for The Elder Scrolls 6 release timeline to get moved up? Maybe. But then again, it’s also unclear what the new “Xbox reset” actually means for games like TES6 and whether the corporate restructuring could result in these key projects being completed more quickly.
Could The Elder Scrolls 6 Be Xbox Exclusive?
Finally, there was a second report from Bloomberg that revealed that Xbox is looking at making more games exclusive. Microsoft technically confirmed this previously in June, when CSO Matthew Ball refuted rumors that it was looking to scale back exclusivity projects. “Players can continue to expect signature exclusives from us every year.”
However, what’s interesting about this latest report is that Bloomberg specifically states that Xbox is going to make some of its larger single-player titles console-exclusive again. “While big multiplayer games will still be available on all major platforms, Microsoft will make more of its best titles exclusive to Xbox so gamers have a reason to buy its console.”
To be clear, Bloomberg doesn’t mention The Elder Scrolls 6. However, TES6 would certainly fit the bill of being one of “their best titles” that isn’t a multiplayer. Regardless, it sounds like we’ll be waiting quite a long time before we find out if this is even a possibility. Still, if Microsoft did make the next Elder Scrolls Xbox-exclusive, it would certainly make waves in the industry.
The post The Elder Scrolls 6 Is Reportedly Still 2 to 3 Years Away From Release appeared first on VICE.
