The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® Game of the Year Edition (2009)

Sure the graphics and gameplay are 20 years old but at least it doesn't eat up 100 GBs of space for graphics alone. At least you can fix the former with some mods.

it was fun but i can't afford the remaster so i am a little sad. :(

This game along with fallout 3 was the peak of Bethesda games, the quirky story line is something worth playing. After this, Skyrim and Fallout 4 really lost something and became boring.

well what else can i say, i got the freakin HORSE ARMOUR and all the dlcs for just 154rs which is like a little less than 2$. the games is pretty good for it's price now and the main thing i like about this game is that it has a lot of stuff to do which really make spending the money worth it.

what can i say? enormous world, infinite possibilities, great game, great combat, great lore.

This was the last good game Bethesda produced, afterwards they stopped innovating and simplified the crap out of everything leading to boring, generic and uninspired slop. This game actually feels like an RPG, the systems are complex but the things you can do as a result of the complexity (like building your own spells or classes) REALLY made this game revolutionary. It's not like the game is perfect but you'll get a solid RPG experience, interesting characters and a story which feels like the fate of the world is at steak... much better than the slop we got for the "civil war" and forgettable main story in Skyrim (I mean how the fk do you make fighting in Valhalla boring?!)! It's a shame Todd loves simplifying things for the "wider audience", rehashing the same 19 year old engine (with even more duct tape holding it together with each "update") and then we get boring, buggy, poorly optimised slop like Failout 4 and Starfailed.

Made before the rich destroyed the art of game making, flawed but wonderful.

Oblivion is so much better than Skyrim. Story wise and the level design, Oblivion takes the cake, it is very charming and the story and npcs are so much better imo, they have funny moments like A LOT of funny moments but Oblivion was such a better experience when it comes to Elder scrolls. i can't wait to try Morrowind later (not sure when).

Truly the peak Bethesda experience. Still remember when that Nord dude said "Hi" and his friend said "Good bye". Also my first Bethesda game too, haven't tried the other yet.

Absalutelly loving this game the depth and lore and immersion is the best.

This game is a classic. Look past the graphics and it's a gem

I can't launch the game. Have uninstalled and reinstalled, verified integrity of game files, etc. Whenever I attempt to launch the game, be it through the .exe or through Steam, I successfully open the little pre-game "settings" menu. When I try to play the game through this menu, it just closes. Every time.

This is the 3rd copy of Oblivion I got, and it is my favorite game of all time. I can't wait to beat the game again.

This is truly one of the games of all time, look out Tamriel, John Dart Monkey is the [spoiler]new Sheogorath[/spoiler], flexing his 5-2-0 build and unbeatable popping power, Cyrodil will forever remember his name. This game surprised me, and the world itself for me was more enjoyable compared to Skyrim (which is the only other elder scrolls game I have beaten and put time into)

Probably the best game ive ever played, next to metro exodus and just below titanfall 2. Genuinly amazing gameplay and functions, and the graphics are definitely bad, but it gives it a nostalgic feel. Most of the mods for this game are great, and its really easy to mod it. The remaster is probably even better, but for 15 bucks, its a STEAL.

grate game, its a bit laggy sometimes but overall runs pretty smoothly, theres extensive content and ive been playing for about 14 hours and ive bareily scraped the surface of this game

My Favorite game of all time, sure the Graphics might be outdated for today standards, But in my opinion this game story wise and all those guilds and stuffs is probably better than Skyrim. And the fact that they remastered this game is actually amazing. And also even until this moment of time, Shivering Isles is still one of the best DLC that I have played in all of gaming experience. So for me and of course there's might be a nostalgia bias in here, for me this game is either 9.5 or 10 out of 10.

this game is so nostalgic and fun. I would recomend you play this version before the remaster, and if your pc cant handle the remaster this is even better of a choice

This game is amazing. I think it is too cheep for what you get. If you like RPG Fantasy games it is a must!

I love this game, although i cannot afford nor run the remaster but alhamdulillah i'm so grateful that i can enjoy this game

For a franchise known for allowing the most absurd of power-fantasies, I find it funny that Oblivion, quite possibly the best out of all the 5 main titles, doesn't even have you be the protagonist of the game's story.

better then the remaster seeing devs added more bugs and broke the game on the remaster

The game is pretty nice is just that my pc couldn’t save the game idk why i spent like 2 hours without dying and then died if anyone can please explain how to save the game

more buggy than the normal oblivion istself. until my preview character in inventory menu is completely Black

A little birdie named Bosco told me about this game and I must say it is astonishingly amazing and captivating.

Coming from only experience with (very briefly) Morrowind and (with much more time) Skyrim, I found this game to be a pleasant and different experience. Lots of cool scenery and familiar but fun mechanics, and a neat story. It took me a few years to finish, but it was still a great experience overall.

I absolutely love this game! The world building is strong, the characters are interesting, and the combat is engaging. The glitchy nature normally just plays into the fun. But I kid you not. I decided to finish my run through of this game before playing the remaster since I never finished it, and as I opened the door to the final boss the game hard crashed and deleted all of my saves. Which is, y'know. Infuriating. But its also my favorite Elder Scrolls game so I have to give it a good 9/10. Prepare for glitches T_T

Still holds up to this day just make sure you get the unofficial patches. Good on Bethesda for keeping this up alongside the remake instead of just taking it down like some other companies.

One of the all time Classics. Top Notch Voice Acting Everybody looks like they are melting Less Racism than Morrowwind Recommend 10/10

Overall: 8/10 A very solid RPG & Elder Scrolls game :) The lore of the Elder Scrolls universe is hard to beat and Oblivion has some awesome additions to the lore, with Martin & the Oblivion Crisis, the Dark Brotherhood & Thieves Guild quest lines being rich in stories, and the Shivering Isles letting you experience Mantling a Daedric Prince. I really love some of the sidequest & books with great stories, like one of the first books you find in the game outside the sewers, detailing a vampire that tricks a vampire hunter to eliminate his competition, posing as a vampire hunter, then kills him once he's finished his usefulness :) The game does wear thin on some storylines, like in the Shivering Isles where I did stop caring very much to do sidequests and the novelty of everyone being crazy wore off after a bit. But the main guilds, Shivering Isles, and the Main Quest actually for me especially all had good stories. I was surprised how much I liked the Main Quest, as so many people talk down on it online. But Martin's character especially elevated the story so much and I really came to respect him & see him as a very worthy successor to the Empire, and was really sad when he had to sacrifice himself. The Knights of the Nine story for me fell flat, as the threat of Umaril was pretty far off and kind of random, with very little setup at least for me. I know the stories of Pelinal Whitestrake & Umaril fairly well and the game didn't do a great job setting up that history for the player, outside of the books you can read in-game. Pelinal is also not really a good/moral character, so the whole Knights of the Nine holiness and self-righteousness feels extremely hollow but I feel the game wanted you to think they are following a culture/leader who was on the side of good. Except Pelinal was an insane cyborg and/or time-traveller it seems who just was crazy and wanted to kill all non-humans :\ Anyways all the other main stories in the game were quite good, so this DLC's didn't bring the game down too much for me. The gameplay was better than I remembered from playing most of the game as a teenager. The sword play & magic systems work well imo, and I miss the ability to make your own spells in Skyrim. I honestly don't mind the sword & board gameplay of Oblivion & Skyrim and think they are fun overall :) The mix of meele, archery, magic, & sneaking is a great formula for Elder Scrolls game and brings lots of options & diversity to a build. The music is incredible, just amazing :) I would say its a 9/10 compared to like an 11/10 for Skyrim, and I downloaded some of the tracks for Oblivion, while I downloaded every single track from Skyrim. Jeremy Soule did really well to set the mood & atmosphere for Oblivion, but damn did he knock it out of the park with Skyrim. Lastly, the overall ability to experience what you wish and create a fantasy character to roleplay with is pretty vast and fun to experience. I recommend Oblivion to any fan of fantasy RPG games, as its one of the greatest and pinnacles in the genre :)

fun simple graphics but good for the time open world game....fast twitch or old reflexes friendly- CitrusDad

One of the best game so far. I enjoyed it a lot. One of the best rpg game I have ever played. Gameplay is awesome for a 2009 game. The terrain, the greenery and the surroundings are very attractive and active thanks to the Radiant AI. Yup, I have got this game cuz my PC cannot handle the remastered version. But this game is a must play I can say that for sure. You may feel graphics are a bit dated as per today's standards but it gives a nostalgic vibe to it.

Game is very immersive I've sunk in 50 hours in a week without realizing, graphics are actually stunning and beautiful even by today's standards, best thing is it can most likely run on your potato laptop 60 fps 1920x1080 no problem

While this game may not achieve absolute perfection, its unique charm significantly enhances the overall experience. A highlight is undoubtedly the engaging non-player characters (NPCs); their distinct and often humorous personalities contribute greatly to the game's enjoyment. The narrative is largely compelling, though the recurring Oblivion Gate closures can occasionally feel repetitive. Despite this, the game maintains a high level of engagement due to its extensive content, including numerous side quests, the ability to pickpocket, diverse guild affiliations, and player housing options. While Skyrim often stands as Bethesda's pinnacle, Oblivion remains a highly recommendable and rewarding experience.

The best game I’ve ever played. There are video games… and then there’s Oblivion — in a league of its own. The fantasy visuals, the dreamy early-2000s color filter, and the feeling of wandering through the Imperial City and the provinces of Cyrodiil… it’s pure magic. The music touches your soul, and the way NPCs talk to each other — I don’t even know why, but it creates this strange, nostalgic feeling, like walking through a dream. There’s something deeply comforting about how imperfect it is — the stiff animations, the odd dialogues, the janky physics… they somehow make it even more charming. I honestly can’t put it into words — Oblivion is a timeless experience. A game etched into my memory forever.

This one is such a classic, although it is aged, it still is very atmospheric, the sounds, the scenes, there is a lot to it, and a lot that you can do, the lore is also very elaborate.

After Morrowind, Oblivion became my favorite game. The freedom in roleplaying, creating spells, customizing classes — it's all so addictive and makes every gameplay session super fun. The main story is solid, and every quest is really well-designed. Especially the Dark Brotherhood quest!! Aside from the somewhat meh combat, the absurd-looking NPC faces (lol), and the voice acting, this game is highly recommended for TES fans. As a Skyrim player, I found Oblivion easy to understand and not overly complicated or complex.

a amazing game though over shadowed by its sibling skyrim it is a game just as good so try it if you have the time

I have a lot of fond childhood memories of playing this on the PS3. It's janky as all hell, but I love it, and I think I prefer it a little over Skyrim in terms of its setting and story.

The original version of this game honestly holds up better than the remaster imo, for a few key reasons: 1. The remaster is basically in the dark ages of modding right now as of June 2025, the date of this review. There are mods for the game, which are awesome, but no mod manager has been created yet. Sooooo that's a massive issue right out of the gate, largely due to- 2. The remasters insistance of UE5 visuals baked on the LOOOONG dated Gamebryo engine. Which, as I've heard, is horribly optimized for performance. And the remaster is exceptionally bad at performance right now. 3. The price is better. Admittedly 50 bucks is better than 60, or god forbid EIGHTY, but I was planning to get the remaster for the summer sale. It's 20% off. 20% off a game with no mod manager and shit performance, I'm keeping my hard earned money thank you very much. If it were 50% off or preferably more I MIGHT have gotten it. Might. The original GOTY deluxe edition is only 20 bucks, runs infinitely better, and has DECADES of mods and a rich history behind it all. 4. Ok now, this is gonna be a hot take. I think the visuals of both the original and the remaster are pretty good in their own right. However, I LOVE the "painted world" aesthetic of the original to death, which the remaster does not have AT ALL. But that isn't exactly a bad thing per se. Just a different visual style. 5. Even minor things like physics, the original does better! If you cast a powerful enough shock spell, anyone hit with it will be sent flying 20 meters across the sky! In the remaster...they just kinda...drop dead....realistically....yeahhhh...I really don't like how they botched up the physics in favor of "rEalIsm!!"...in a fantasy game no less! 6. Now yes, the original absolutely has aged poorly in some aspects. The character models are notoriously ugly, but a key part of Oblivion's charm nonetheless, but there are even worse things, like the leveling system and unbalanced enemies as a result of the leveling system. My biggest gripe with the original was the combat. You always kept getting randomly staggered while enemies move way too fast, and combat generally consists of blocking following by circling the enemy and spamming attack while preventing them from being able to. Power attacks don't stagger enemies unlike in Skyrim, and honestly don't even do that much more damage! The magic system, while MUCH better since you can make your own spells, is also really flawed, and I don't mean the absolute fun you can have in making broken shit, but I mean the unfun aspects, like the strange balancing of certain spells causing them to be underpowered as fuck, (why do bound weapons only last FIFTEEN SECONDS by default? Where are the "on target" Absorb Health spells?!) and some levels of spells not even being present on mages, so you have to make your own. (Drain Fatigue has Novice, Apprentice, and Expert variations, but no Journeyman spells? WTF??) Initally I was attracted to the remaster, hyped even! Because it seemed to have finally fixed the combat system and made many QOL changes, enemies even reacted to your attacks, which the original didn't have! But then, the issues kept growing. And growing. And growing! I actually went back to my modded original game, and honestly, I had LOADS of fun there! And it actually made me stop...and realize....why did I want the remaster again? C-Can you even CALL it a remaster?! It looks more like a reMAKE to me! Generally the rule of thumb for all Elder Scrolls games is this: If there is something you don't like or something you want for whatever reason, a mod will fix/create it. If it doesn't exist, someone out there will make it. Tbh, I really wish we didn't have to mod our games to fix things like performance or crappy combat systems that really don't hold up today, but alas, that's kinda how it just works, pun very much intended. But yes, the modding community has done great strides in fixing a lot of issues I have with the game, including the combat, thanks to a recent mod. It's FAR from perfect, even in my modded setup, and could use much improvement, but it feels SO much better than vanilla! And hey, if you can appreciate the vanilla game, warts and all, or even genuinely enjoy the original combat system, that's not a bad thing at all! I do appreciate the vanilla game for what it is, and my first experience was Oblivion on the Xbox 360, and I had an awesome time there! Unfortunately, due to my experience with the game, I don't think I can ever go back to pure vanilla. Mods have spoiled me. The best part about the remaster was actually making me appreciate the original version all the more! Who would've thought? Oh! Here's something the remaster doesn't have! There's a mod for the original Oblivion where every time a guard says "You have my ear, citizen" they will literally give you one of their ears! ...as an alchemy ingredient, but honestly, that's even funnier! Humor like that is something we need in games today. TLDR: Remaster bad, original good, don't waste your time with the remaster and just get the GOTY deluxe edition, you won't regret it

It's bethesda game. Interesting side quests. There are lot of things you can do in this game.

My favorite game of all time! A world you can lose yourself in for hundreds of hours.

This is the original oblivion in all its beauty and bugs... i played it since my pc can t run the remastered edition

Not sure what went wrong but I came back to play this game as i havnt in along time now it does not run at all Immediate CTD with no warning or reason why.... From a fresh reinstall no mods just DLC that came with it... I think I got this for free I cant remember

Oblivion might be showing its age with dated graphics and occasionally clunky mechanics, but beneath the surface lies one of the most immersive and charming fantasy worlds ever created. The voice acting can be hilariously repetitive and the level-scaling system is far from perfect, but none of that stops the game from delivering countless memorable quests, unique guild storylines, and a genuinely magical atmosphere. With mods, the game becomes even more enjoyable, fixing many of its shortcomings and enhancing visuals to near-modern standards. While it’s not as polished as Skyrim or as deep as Morrowind, Oblivion strikes a perfect balance between accessibility and depth. If you're willing to look past some 2006 jank, Cyrodiil still has plenty of adventures waiting.

played this game as a skyrim kid, got infuriated how much more depth there is that is no longer in skyrim. now i cry because skyrim mods still don't restore a fraction of the personality this game has D:

best game ever made, found glitches in character creator screen, now i have an argonian with human lips above his mouth

[h1]Introduction[/h1] The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is an action RPG developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. Set in the Imperial province of Cyrodiil, you play as a prisoner turned hero, who escapes from prison after you are the only two survivors of a plot to the assassinate Emperor Uriel Septim VII. [h1]Pros[/h1] [list] [*]Graphics look pretty good for their time. [*]The main story and side content are good, especially the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood quest lines. [*]Hundreds of hours of content. [*]Outstanding world-building. [*]The game is fairly immersive. You can easily lose track of time while exploring its world, which offers tons of things to discover. [*]Each city has its own unique look. [*]Unlike in Skyrim, you can cast spells without having to unequip your weapons and shield. [*]Spellcrafting, so you can create some absolutely ridiculous spells. [*]NPCs comment on your skills, which is pretty cool. [*]Varied types of enemies. [*]DLCs are really good, except for the infamous Horse Armor DLC. [*]You can cosplay as the biggest racist in the Elder Scrolls universe, Pelinal Whitestrake. [*]Fantastic soundtrack. [/list] [h1]Cons[/h1] [list] [*]The game has tons of bugs. I recommend installing the unofficial patches. [*]The game frequently crashes. Save often to avoid losing too much progress. [*]Really bad pop-in. Entire fortresses and Aylied ruins only appear at close distance. It's probably a limitation of the time, but it's annoying nonetheless. [*]Character faces are fugly. [*]Minor skills don't contribute to leveling up. [*]Level scaling breaks the sense of progression because enemies become much stronger than you. I recommend turning down the difficulty. [*]The combat is clunky. It really isn't fun to get staggered every few hits. [*]Both the dungeons and the oblivion gates get repetitive very fast. [*]Very limited number of voice actors. [*]Some of the voice lines don't correspond with the subtitles, which are usually correct. [/list] [h1]Conclusion[/h1] If, like me, you played Skyrim first, there's a lot here that will be familiar to you. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a fantastic game with great stories and characters, as well as a fantastic world to explore. However, it's not without its faults, as there are a lot of issues.

Honestly if you want to play a piece of Elder Scrolls history, go play Morrowind, otherwise just play Skyrim.

Game STILL crashes randomly during play, as it did 15 years ago. That STEAM never fixed THAT issue really makes me rethink any further purchases from STEAM. I stopped playing the game when I owned actual disks with actual content on them, because of this issue. This was a waste of money. I've given up playing repeatedly since purchasing. Yes, I put hours of play into this thing. You have to, because every couple of hours, or sometimes minutes, it crashes, just like it always did. NOW, I've lost files, corrupted saves, etc. This game needs to be removed from sale, and given away, AT BEST. I WANT MY EFFING MONEY BACK.