Journalist Jeff Grubb spoke about The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion’s rumoured remake on a recent episode of his daily Giant Bomb news podcast, GameBreaking News, where he claimed it’s scheduled to release sometime during the week of April 21- i.e., the final week of the month. An exact release date is still unknown, but the window’s certainly narrowed down, and it looks like it won’t be long before the game releases. 

Prior leaks have claimed that the Oblivion remake will be a fully overhauled version of the game, built on Unreal Engine 5 and featuring a reworked stamina system, new UI, reworked archery and blocking mechanics, and more. Read more on that through here.

Other notable benefits include SSD optimization for “a seamless experience with faster streaming and loading.” It utilizes the console’s “advanced CPU and GPU capabilities” to deliver 60 FPS at a “high-quality resolution” with ray-traced global illumination.

As for PS5 Pro support, the Great Circle promises native 4K and “advanced” ray tracing on the console alongside “higher and more consistent frame rates.” How this will compare to the Xbox Series X version should be interesting, so stay tuned for more details.

If that wasn’t enough, PS5 players can leverage Community Game Help and obtain tips for completing certain sections. This includes support for Activities with different objectives outlined.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches on April 17th for PS5, with Premium Edition owners receiving two days early access. Head here for more details and check out our review of the Xbox version.

Additional Updates and Fixes

The PS5 version brings some cool new features which will be available to all platforms. Most notably, whips get two new abilities: ‘Open Season’ and ‘Sleight of Hand’. Open Season causes a kind of debuff which renders foes more susceptible to attacks, while Sleight of Hand conveniently disarms opponents, flinging their weapon right to Indy. And since the game’s December release, there’s been three updates fixing up a long list of bugs and issues, ensuring a glitch-free experience for first-time PS5 players.

DualSense Functionality

One of the things that differentiates the PS5 from other consoles is the tactile feel of its DualSense controller. This is something Machine Games is making sure to harness with its upcoming port. Not much has been said regarding specifics, but the PlayStation Store page does indeed highlight that DualSense vibration effect and trigger function are supported. Going off of other games with DualSense support, we can expect haptic feedback that changes with terrain as well as dynamic resistance levels with the triggers when  shooting different guns and priming a well-aimed grenade.

PS5 Pro Enhancements

You’re especially happy if you’re an Indy fan with a PS5 Pro since some the great visual updates exclusive to high-end PCs will translate the advanced Sony console. While Bethesda has been rather hush-hush concerning specific PS5 Pro enhancements, we know via the PS Store that this Indy adventure has the ‘enhanced for PS5 Pro’ label and will most likely harness things like PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), advanced ray tracing, and (fingers crossed) a 120 FPS option.

PS5 Editions

There are three editions for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PS5. The standard edition comes in at the standardized $69.99 price and only includes the game. The $99.99 Premium Edition includes access to the future story DLC titled ‘The Order of Giants’ as well as a new Temple of Doom outfit and a digital artbook. The modern trend of including early access play in higher tiered editions continues here as Indy’s foray onto the PS5 allows access for premium edition buyers. But that’s not the cream of the edition crop. There’s also an expensive $189.99 Collector’s Bundle giving players a bevy of physical goodies. This bundle includes an 11 inch globe that hides a secretive storage compartment, in addition to a leather-bound adventure journal, and the all Premium Edition content.

Pre-order Bonuses

Regardless of edition, any PS5 version pre-order includes a new Traveling Suit outfit for Indy to wear and a whip. These two items are purely cosmetic and it’s unlikely they’ll become available through the store at a later date for those who didn’t pre-order.

Release Date and Early Access Times

And there’s not much time left to secure a pre-order since the game releases April 17^th which falls on a Thursday. Early access begins two days before the official release date, so Premium Edition players can look forward to playing it on April 15^th.

Is a Microsoft Account Needed to Play?

While it’s not confirmed whether or not PS5 users will need a Microsoft account to play Indy and the Great Circle, previous Xbox exclusive games as well as the upcoming Forza Horizon 5 indicate that it’s likely. That said, some of Microsoft’s single-player offerings didn’t require a Microsoft account sign-in (neither Hi-Fi Rush nor Pentiment required it), so we’ll have to wait and see if this particular single-player adventure does.

Disc Versions Require Internet Download

Unfortunately, we do have confirmations that disc versions of the game require an internet download in order to play the game. Bethesda’s images of the highest-priced Collector Bundle states in the fine print that a disc is still included, but “internet connection is required to download game and content”.

Voice Talent

As for the game itself, there’s quite a lot to love. Any Indiana Jones project has to have top-tier voice talent in order to succeed, and this game nails that aspect. Troy Baker surprisingly sold us on his Indy voice. It’s charming and personalized, yet still has that Harrison Ford identity. Indy’s partner in uncovering the Great Circle mystery happens to be a woman named Gina Lambardi, who is excellently portrayed by actress Alessandra Mastronardi. The main villain is my pick for best performance though. Emmerich Voss is the perfect Indiana Jones villain and actor Marios Gavrilis captures his creepy and deranged personality too well.

Exploration

One distinction this game has to other’s in the genre is the first-person perspective. This heightened immersion allows for more intricate exploration and problem solving. Indy uses a camera and journal to jot down hints and notes as he explores the game’s diverse environments. The diegetic UI with Indy looking at his journal maps and whatnot really add to the immersion of stepping into his shoes as an explorer. And the game is teeming with collectibles around well-hidden nooks and crannies, giving players a compelling reason to go off the beaten path.

Wide Environments

This emphasis on exploration is owed in large part to the game’s wide environments. Exploration is satisfying because there’s just a lot of open space to wander around through. That said, this is still a fairly linear adventure, at least in story terms. Plenty of set piece moments and cinematics dot the game’s progression, but its accompanied by a wealth of slower paced exploration in wide areas.

Stealth

The game’s more methodical pace exemplifies itself perhaps most of all in its stealth. A large portion of combat strategy revolves around sneaking up to enemies for a silent knock-out. Routing past patrols and sneaking around guarded zones is a big part of this Indy adventure and it’s done really well thanks to excellent level design and smooth controls.

Combat

But there is visceral combat in this game too, though it’s not your traditional Machine Games high-paced shooter. Instead, combat in The Great Circle revolves around found melee weapons, Indy’s whip, and a limited amount of small firearms. The famous whip is used to great effect here, being employed to stun and disarm foes.

Oodles of Melee Weapons

Since ammo is so scarce throughout the game, you’re often relegated to picking up random melee weapons through the environment. There’s a lot of wacky objects used for melee here: oversized flyswatters, pipes, pots and pans, and much more. But there’s one trusty melee weapon you always have access to: your fists. The game has a big emphasis on brawling, and while it can be somewhat sloppy, there’s something satisfying about KO’ing Nazis in the face.

Game Length

It’s good that the game has such variety in its gameplay because it has an average run time of around 25 hours. Howlongtobeat has an average completionist playthrough sitting around 38 hours and a rushed story run taking 15. This makes Indiana Jones and the Great Circle one of Machine Games’ most lengthy titles, giving PS5 players with an Indiana Jones craving plenty to dig into and explore.

Caught by VGC, on a recent Giant Bomb livestream, Grubb claimed that the Virtuos-developed remake is going to “shadow drop at any moment,” with a release allegedly due for some time this month. That, incidentally, aligns with recent claims by prominent leaker NateTheHate. 

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion’s remake has allegedly been developed in Unreal Engine 5, and on top of a visual and technical overhaul, it features various gameplay improvements. The title will reportedly feature changes to stealth mechanics, the UI, stamina management, archery, some aspects of melee combat, and more. Read more on that through here.

Which platforms the remake will launch is unknown. However, based on Microsoft’s increasing multiplatform focus, it wouldn’t be surprising to see it arrive on all available platforms day and date. Stay tuned for more updates.

However, it seems there were plans for the PS5 port to drop when the first expansion, Shattered Space, launched last year. The Verge’s Tom Warren alleged on The Xbox Two podcast, “They were originally going to do it with that expansion, and then I don’t know what happened there.”

The port has allegedly been in the works for “a while” and should be ready. Its situation may be similar to Forza Horizon 5, which was supposed to launch last year for PS5 (and instead arrives on April 29th). As always, time will tell – for all we know, Starfield’s port could drop in time for the next rumored expansion, Starborn. Perhaps we’ll hear about its rumored Switch 2 port soon as well.

Starfield is available for Xbox Series X/S and PC. Despite critical praise at launch and crossing 15 million players last November, it’s received a mixed response from fans. Bethesda said it has a “lot of exciting things planned” for the year, though it couldn’t provide any specifics, so stay tuned for updates.

Taking to Twitter, the leaker recently claimed that the remake will be officially announced as soon as either this month or April, and that it will release earlier than June, which was the original internal target. Interestingly, the leaker’s claims have also been corroborated by VGC, which claims the game would even release sometime next month.

The Oblivion remake is allegedly being developed on Unreal Engine 5, with several major gameplay changes also being implemented, according to leaks from earlier in the year.

Given Microsoft’s shifting strategy over the past year, presumably, Oblivion will be a multiplatform title day and date. We should know for sure one way or another when the announcement arrives, so stay tuned for further details.

Either this month or next month. Release is likely to be sooner than the original June target; but still working to get details on an updated release date.

— NateTheHate2 (@NateTheHate2) March 11, 2025

Responding to a fan on Twitter asking about what Bethesda Game Studios plans to do with Starfield in 2025, the developer stated that though it couldn’t share details just yet, it has things in the pipeline that it’s working on behind the scenes.

“We know you’re eager for an update, and we truly appreciate your passion for Starfield,” the studio wrote. “The team has been hard at work, and while we’re not ready to share specific details just yet, we have a lot of exciting things planned for the game this year that we can’t wait to talk about when the time is right.”

Presumably, Starfield has yet more free updates coming. Back in June last year, director Todd Howard revealed that Bethesda Game Studios had Year 2 updates planned, and also confirmed that the game would receive annual paid expansions. According to leaks (and a trademark filing), Starfield’s 2025 expansion will be called Starborn.

Starfield is available on Xbox Series X/S and PC. As of November, it has crossed 15 million players.

We know you’re eager for an update, and we truly appreciate your passion for Starfield. The team has been hard at work, and while we’re not ready to share specific details just yet, we have a lot of exciting things planned for the game this year that we can’t wait to talk about… https://t.co/XJDGkAEv8m

— Starfield (@StarfieldGame) March 6, 2025

When the season goes live, Fallout 76 players will be able to turn into a ghoul. There will also be a host of new decorative items that players can use at their C.A.M.P. that all revolve around radioactive waste. Some of the cosmetics include the Unfortunate End nuclear waste tank, the Mini Nuke Stein, the Goo-Tub hot tub, the Yellow Vault-Tec Hazmat Suit, and the Sharpshooter Power Armor Paint.

The company has also said that Fallout 76 players that don’t have a Fallout 1st subscription can get access to its rewards through the new season pass.

Bethesda has also revealed all the planned future content for Season 20 of Fallout 76 with a season calendar. The game will get plenty of events throughout the month of March, including Scrip Surplus and Double Mutations, Double Score, and a Ghoul Photo Mode Contest.

April will see the return of the Mothman Equinox event, along with other events like the Legendary Sale and the Appalachian Outlaws Challenge Event.

May will celebrate the arrival of Spring with the Big Bloom event, Mutated Public events, and the Invaders From Beyond event. Finally, June will see a host of regular events, and will be when Bethesda releases the next major update for season 21 of Fallout 76.

Despite a rather rocky launch, Fallout 76 has proven to be incredibly successful for Bethesda. The company revealed back in November 2024 that it had crossed 21 million players across all platforms, which was a whole million up from June 2024.

Support for Fallout 76 has been an ongoing affair for Bethesda, with regular content drops and expansions for the game. June 2024, for instance, saw the release of the Skyline Valley update, which brought with it an expansion to the in-game map. Since the update came out, players can check out Skyline Valley by traveling across the Savage Divide to the southern Appalachian areas. The zone was based off the real-world Shenandoah National Park.

While Bethesda offers continued support for Fallout 76, the game’s creative director Jon Rush had said that its development was not affecting the work on the next major Fallout game.

“Absolutely not,” said Rush. “I can understand that perspective, watching from the outside in, but no. Absolutely not. If anything, when Fallout 5 does come out, it’ll make it even more impactful. But [Fallout 76] isn’t holding anything back.”

Fallout 76 is available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. The current-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X/S can also play the online title through backwards compatibility. Check out our thoughts on how the game has shaped up since its original release. And if you’re a new player that might be interested in trying out Fallout 76, here are 15 things you should know about the title.

Of course, that was in 2011, and to say that Bethesda Game Studios isn’t exactly at that same level anymore would be correct. You can excuse Fallout 76 since it’s a multiplayer title, one now helmed by Bethesda Austin and significantly improved over the past many years. You could probably give a pass to Fallout 4 – which no doubt saw positive momentum from the TV show, which, as the studio is wont to do, derailed most of it thanks to an iffy Next-Gen version.

However, Starfield turned out to be the last straw for many. Released in September 2023, it can’t break 6K concurrent players on Steam, even with mod support. Shattered Space was a massive flop, and for all the hype and hoopla leading up to its release, Bethesda Game Studios has revealed little about the future. At least there’s a PS5 version rumored to be announced soon and an alleged second expansion seemingly launching this year.

Amid all this, there’s still that one shining beacon for many fans – The Elder Scrolls 6. It was announced at E3 2018 with no gameplay or details for almost seven years, and the biggest update provided by Bethesda is that early builds are being played, which was roughly a year ago. Your guess on the project’s current status is as good as ours.

Nevertheless, there’s that hope, however meager from whatever fans may remain, that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be the game that finally redeems Bethesda. I believe we’ll all forget about the studio’s many missteps and mistakes when the marketing finally gets rolling. All caught up in the hype, eager to believe those sweet little lies just one more time. However, it may not be as easy as with Starfield purely due to another release.

Love, hate or respect it, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 raises the bar for whatever The Elder Scrolls 6 may attempt in the open-world action RPG space. You could argue that it does this for many similar titles, especially those focused on narrative consequence, reactive worlds, immersive gameplay and attention to detail.

Yet, despite this being more of a grounded medieval title versus the fantasy medieval setting of Tamriel, there are way too many lessons for Bethesda to ignore. And no, I’m not just talking about launching your game when it’s polished and performs remarkably well on all platforms while presenting more impressive visual fidelity versus…well, Starfield.

I’m talking about side quests with tangible consequences and crimes actually having a long-term impact on your reputation. Or a sense of realism that doesn’t just lean on your Charisma or Speech when considering your responses but also on your station, reputation, clothing, and hygiene. I’m also talking about a world brimming with stuff to do – and no, not just carrying sacks around for hours straight (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Look at all the memes about players getting all their skills to 30 before arriving at a pivotal early moment in the story. It’s not so much about becoming overpowered as exploring and enjoying everything because there is so much incredible stuff to see. Contrast this to arriving at the same randomly generated base and fighting the same enemies for the umpteenth time.

However, perhaps the most important lesson is that your experience doesn’t have to offer such a complete lack of friction. One could argue that the save system in Deliverance 2 is unfriendly and annoying, even if it makes your decisions much more impactful. But don’t worry – the world still finds plenty of other ways to beat Henry down. Due to his distinct lack of skills and weapons, you must find ways to work your way up through the world. I’m not just talking about picking fights and improving your fisticuffs per punches thrown, but also earning money to afford better clothing, armor, weapons, and items.

Of course, there’s also taking the time to learn how the world works. You can’t just venture into the night and hope for the best. Wandering into a group of well-armed bandits or even wild dogs is, just like real life, a miserable way to die. That’s because even if Henry has nothing (contrived set-up stripping the first game’s skills and armor aside), the world isn’t waiting to unfold and offer everything on a silver platter. You’re not just fighting to conquer it but also to understand it and further your own goals.

From a story perspective, this allows players to shape Henry’s personality and role-play a certain way, which the various Perks further assist with. Become a beloved hero, a reviled murderer, a sneaky thief, an apothecary or a humble blacksmith – or maybe, if you have the time and patience, a bit of everything.

That freedom of choice further extends into combat, another aspect that Bethesda needs to take notes on. Does it come across as plodding at times, especially in the beginning when Henry has the lung capacity of a baby kitten? Sure, but as you improve, build stamina and get good at reading your opponent, encounters become more tactical and engaging.

There’s weight behind everything, whether you’re striking an opponent or batting their attacks aside, waiting for the perfect time to strike. And if none of that sounds appealing, find Mutt and acquire some Houndmaster Perks. Watch the mayhem unfold. Repeat.

Some of these ideas may go against the blueprint of a Bethesda title – of going almost anywhere with very few consequences or tangible risks, especially with the ability to save anywhere. And both games offering their own thing is fine, especially if The Elder Scrolls 6 leans more into Skyrim’s power fantasy (which it very well may since a former Bethesda designer says it will use a similar leveling system).

However, the quality of the quest design, coupled with how the world feels alive as opposed to a fancy set where everyone walks around, staring awkwardly like in Starfield (before it was patched), are just a few things Bethesda could learn. Don’t get me started on the incredible presentation, the sharp writing or the characterization. Or the fact that Bethesda needs to overhaul how it handles things like companions, their quests or dialogue choices.

As much as you might think I’m chiding Bethesda for its failures – which I am, make no mistake – it’s competition like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 that can spur it to achieve better things. Sure, it didn’t happen after other great open-world action RPGs like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Cyberpunk 2077, and so on, but there’s always hope. Whether Bethesda can leverage that to deliver an Elder Scrolls, which sets the bar for the generation rather than playing catch up, is ultimately the million-dollar question.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

To take part in this, fans can place a bid for this opportunity by taking part in a silent auction in the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Mid-Atlantic page. Currently sitting at $11,050, the money would go to the famous charity.

“One winner will have the opportunity to work with the Bethesda Game Studios development team to create a character to appear as a video game NPC in The Elder Scrolls VI,” reads the description of the auction.

“With this exclusive experience, you’ll work with the developers to create a custom character that will appear in the game, leaving your mark on the legendary franchise.”

It is worth noting that details about being able to create your own NPC in The Elder Scrolls 6 are sparse; while the winner of the charity auction will likely get a lot of say over what this NPC ends up looking like, their name, and even where in the open world game they’ll appear, there will also likely be some restrictions. However, it is also likely that Bethesda might decide to commemorate this special NPC with a small quest featuring them.

The Elder Scrolls 6 was originally announced all the way back during E3 2018. While the majority of the show revolved around Bethesda’s other titles, a small teaser was shown to let players know that the company has begun work on The Elder Scrolls 6 in some capacity.

We learned quite a few things from the short teaser, including the fact that The Elder Scrolls 6 will likely take place in a new environment we haven’t seen since The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind.

Bethesda exec Pete Hines had previously referred to The Elder Scrolls 6 as being a big and ambitious game. Back in 2018, he had also revealed that the game would still be quite some time away. A few years later in 2023, Xbox boss Phil Spencer spoke about the upcoming RPG as well, saying that it was still over five years away from release.

Despite Bethesda’s silence over the game’s details, however, we have managed to learn a few key things here and there. A former design director from Bethesda, for instance, revealed that the game would feature the same levelling system as The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. This means that players that use specific skills will start getting specialised in those skills, making them stronger. For instance, using a 2-handed weapon continuously will make the character better at using other 2-handed weapons as well.

When he was asked back in 2023 about why The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced so early, a former Bethesda developer revealed that Todd Howard wanted to assure fans that there was indeed a new single-player entry in the franchise that was being made.

While we still don’t know when The Elder Scrolls 6 will be coming out, or even what platforms it might come to, Bethesda revealed back in 2024 that development on the game was well under way. Early builds were being prototyped and tested internally, according to the company.

In the meantime, here are 15 things you might not have known about The Elder Scrolls 6.