There are few fantasy worlds as fleshed out and deep as the Elder Scrolls’ Tamriel. We were first introduced to the series in the early ’90s, and now eagerly await Elder Scrolls 6 to show us a new chapter of this tale. Until that upcoming video game makes its way to our PCs and consoles, we love to revisit these games to see how they have evolved and reimmerse ourselves in the lore. Similar to the GTA games, you’d be missing out on over half the games if you think there are only 5 Elder Scrolls games out right now. Surprisingly enough, every single game is considered canon and contributes to the ongoing story of the world. While you could always jump into whatever game looks most interesting, we think playing either in release order or chronologically is a better approach. This is the official order for the entire Elder Scrolls series in release and chronological order.
All Elder Scrolls games in release order
The Elder Scrolls is an old franchise that has undergone tons of evolutions over the decades. What hasn’t changed is how ambitious these RPGs are. Each one has pushed the limits of open world games, RPGs, and simulations, though not without their bugs and glitches. Most mainline entries are set in one specific region or province of Tamriel, though some cover more ground or have expansions that let the player visit new areas.
While the oldest games in this list can be rough on the eyes, playing in release order really shows how impressive the growth of this series is from game to game. If you want to take on playing the Elder Scrolls games in release order, here’s how to do it:
Note: We will only list the original release for games that have multiple versions. Otherwise, half this list would be Skyrim.
- The Elder Scrolls Arena (1994)
- The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (1996)
- The Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire (1997)
- The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (1998)
- The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002)
- The Elder Scrolls Travels: Stormhold (2003)
- The Elder Scrolls Travels: Dawnstar (2004)
- The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey (2004)
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006)
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
- The Elder Scrolls Online (2014)
- The Elder Scrolls: Legends (2016)
- The Elder Scrolls: Blades (2020)
- The Elder Scrolls VI (TBA)
All Elder Scrolls games in chronological order
One of the great things about epic fantasy series is that they tend to have their own calendars. That isn’t true for the Zelda games, but thankfully is for The Elder Scrolls, so we can easily track what games take place when. As cool as it sounds to play the series in the correct order of events historically, in practice, it is going to be a bit of a nightmare. Since every single game is considered canon, you are going to have to track down some very old PC and mobile games. Aside from major events, you aren’t required to know the whole timeline or history of the series before playing the latest entry if you wish. Of course, those who do spend the time engrossing themselves will be rewarded. If you’re up to the task, this is the official The Elder Scrolls timeline.
The Elder Scrolls counts major time periods in Eras (E) followed by years.
- The Elder Scrolls Online (2E 582)
- The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (2E 864)
- The Elder Scrolls Arena (3E 389 – 3E 399)
- The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey (3E 397)
- The Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire (3E 398 – 405)
- The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (3E 405 – 3E 417)
- The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (3E 427)
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (3E 433)
- The Elder Scrolls: Legends (4E 175 – 201)
- The Elder Scrolls: Blades (4E 180)
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (4E 201)
- The Elder Scrolls Travels: Stormhold and The Elder Scrolls Travels: Dawnstar (Unknown)
- The Elder Scrolls VI (TBD)