Release OrderRecommended
0 / 8 playedMain games in release order. Recommended path for new players.
- 1 The Elder Scrolls: Arena
- 2 The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
- 3 The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- 4 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 2006 original, 2025 Remastered version as alternate entry.
- 5 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 2011. Best entry point, Special Edition 2016.
- 6 The Elder Scrolls Online MMO from 2014, set in the Second Era. Optional.
- 7 The Elder Scrolls: Blades Mobile spin-off, 2020. Optional.
- 8 The Elder Scrolls VI Announced 2018, no release date.
Chronological Order
0 / 6 playedMainline entries in lore order for returning fans.
- 1 The Elder Scrolls Online Second Era, earliest in lore.
- 2 The Elder Scrolls: Arena
- 3 The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
- 4 The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- 5 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- 6 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Fourth Era, latest in lore.
About The Elder Scrolls
The Elder Scrolls games share a world but tell standalone stories centuries apart, so play order is about taste rather than plot. Arena arrived in 1994, Daggerfall in 1996, Morrowind in 2002, Oblivion in 2006, and Skyrim in 2011, with Online from 2014 filling the Second Era gap.
Skyrim remains the practical entry point with its 2016 Special Edition and full mod support. The Elder Scrolls VI was announced in 2018 with no date, and Blades plus Castles are mobile side games that sit outside the main numbered path.
Good to know
Release order and story order differ by design, since Online is a prequel set centuries before Skyrim. New players should start with Skyrim, then try Oblivion Remastered or Morrowind for older design. Lore order runs Online, then Arena through Skyrim, but that path front-loads the MMO grind before the best single-player games.
