The Elder Scrolls 6 teaser may be hiding game's release window

A year ago marked a pretty major milestone for those awaiting The Elder Scrolls VI.

Fair to say, a lot has been asked of The Elder Scrolls fans in the patience department.

Bethesda dropped the original reveal trailer for The Elder Scrolls VI back in 2018, but it was only last year, during The Elder Scrolls’ 30th anniversary celebrations, that the studio offered an update on the title.

“We are in development on the next chapter - The Elder Scrolls VI,” the studio wrote.

“Even now, returning to Tamriel and playing early builds has us filled with the same joy, excitement, and promise of adventure,” it continued.

I’m going to embark on a tangent now but don’t worry, we’ll return to the significance of this.

You may recall in recent months that Bethesda teamed up with Make-A-Wish so that people could bid on the opportunity to design an Elder Scrolls VI NPC.

A similar auction was held two years ahead of the planned launch of Starfield, before any delays were revealed.

As such, many have been wondering whether we can take this to mean that The Elder Scrolls VI is planning a 2027 launch, i.e. launching in two years time.

You can view that original The Elder Scrolls VI reveal trailer below.

Well, this is where I circle back as that reference to the game made during last year’s anniversary celebrations arguably backs up that theory.

Developers referenced “early builds” so the game must’ve been playable in some capacity, and that was one year ago.

I’d imagine the build is looking a tad more proficient now, and if the auction theory is right, that leaves the studio a further two years to finalise and polish the game.

It’s all guess work, yes, but you can see there’s some plausibility within all of this.

“I’d say 27 since Bethesda seems to have about four year intervals between games,” wrote Reddit user BurstMurst, mentioning another factor I hadn’t considered.

“They probably have a pretty developed game at this point, maybe even an alpha build, but it will still need a lot of work. A late 2026 release is entirely possible, but I wouldn't be surprised if they delay it to 2027 to have a less crowded launch window considering how many games have been delayed so they release after GTA VI,” theorised TheDorgesh68.

Let’s not forget that Bethesda also supposedly has a second Starfield expansion in the works, and then there’s those PS5 port rumours.

It feels likely perhaps that we might see either or both of those projects occupy 2025, ahead of a 2026 The Elder Scrolls VI re-reveal and 2027 launch.

But again, this is all speculation so for now, I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to remain patient.