Will the game skip the current console generation?

There’s a very high chance that The Elder Scrolls VI doesn’t launch within the current console generation.

That’s not a guarantee by any means, but it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

Yes, Bethesda has been working on the game for quite some time, but it hasn’t exactly been the studio’s key focus during that period.

That was Starfield but with Starfield having now launched in addition to its expansion, Shattered Space, it appears that Bethesda is free to shift as much dev power as possible over to The Elder Scrolls VI.

This is assuming that another Starfield expansion isn’t on the way this year but judging by the response to both the main game and Shattered Space, perhaps it’s better that one isn’t.

With all of this in mind, it’s hard to know exactly what stage The Elder Scrolls VI is at in its development.

Prior rumours claimed that it was playable internally, but that could be in a very primitive state.

If I had to hazard a guess, I’d place the game’s release in 2026 at the very earliest, with 2027 perhaps feeling more likely.

I’m not the only person predicting a 2027 launch – it’s the most common educated guess.

If the game was to launch then, it could see the game land within the next console generation.

The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S will both be seven years old by that point, and Microsoft and Sony typically only leave it six to seven years between console generations.

Of course, The Elder Scrolls VI would still likely launch on existing consoles if it did slip into the next generation.

I can’t imagine Bethesda abandoning so many potential players, but it’s definitely a concern of those within The Elder Scrolls community.

“That’s almost 30 million people they’d be saying f**k you to,” aazakii reassured.

“I literally bought a Series S for TESVI and to play Oblivion and Morrowind,” added a concerned freetibet69, while destroythisapp commented, “The current generation is plenty powerful enough, and we are still making games for previous generation. I don’t think they are gonna skip the current gen but we will see.”

Of course, there are two sides to every story.

“I wouldn’t mind if it skipped this gen to avoid being held back by hardware that will be seven or eight years old by the time it comes out,” said NazRubio.

As much as it pains us all, we’re just going to have to remain patient to see what unfolds.