Despite a 12-Year Development, GTA 6 Surpasses The Elder Scrolls

Grand Theft Auto 6 is on track to make its debut later this year—a 12-year gap since the last game in the series. But if you think that’s a long wait, take a look at The Elder Scrolls, which has left fans hanging for 14 years and counting. As game development drag their feet, it raises important questions about the well-being of developers, the health of these franchises, and whether such a model can keep going.

Bethesda’s drawn-out development timelines are nothing new. Back in 2011, a five-year span between Oblivion and Skyrim seemed lengthy by the standards of that time, as many games turned around within two to three years. But the unending delay of The Elder Scrolls 6 stands out, especially with GTA 6 set to eventually arrive.

Rockstar’s next big release is anticipated to shake things up in the gaming scene of 2025, poised to command a price tag rumored around $100. Known for being a trendsetter, Rockstar often forces other publishers to reconsider their own release schedules. Bethesda, however, may not be in a rush to worry.

Trying to pin down a release window for The Elder Scrolls 6 is like aiming in the dark. Bethesda gave us a teaser way back in 2018, a whopping seven years after Skyrim first enchanted players, and we’re now just hearing crickets from them. Fans are hopeful for a 2026 release at the earliest, but without any updates, that timeline feels overly optimistic.

Bethesda hasn’t exactly been resting on its laurels. Since the release of Fallout 4 in 2015, they’ve rolled out Skyrim’s Special Edition in 2016, launched Fallout 76 in 2018, and unveiled Starfield in 2023. Despite that, the trend of extended development cycles is there for all to see.

Spin-offs and re-releases do eat away at development time, and that, in turn, extends the gaps between major franchise entries. From two years between Oblivion and Fallout 3, we stretched to four between Skyrim and Fallout 4, then eight until Starfield, with Fallout 76 thrown in somewhere there.

Bethesda is a sizable studio capable of juggling multiple projects. It’s plausible that TES 6 has been in the works for some time, evident in their promo material featuring the beloved Skyrim Grandma. Yet the full development likely kicked off only after closing the chapter on Starfield.

This predicament introduces another challenge. Starfield’s delay, which pushed its release by nearly a year, might have redirected efforts away from The Elder Scrolls 6. When Starfield finally emerged in 2023, it sparked debate among the community over Bethesda’s approach to game design—likely prompting the studio to revisit what players truly want from TES 6, potentially causing further internal delays.

The prolonged wait creates a tricky balance. A sooner release means fans won’t have to endure endless anticipation, but more time in development usually means a more polished final product. Regardless, as the wait grows longer, so do player expectations. Whatever comes next, don’t hold your breath for TES 6 to drop anytime soon—there’s still a mountain of work to be done for it to surpass Skyrim, a game whose appeal only continues to grow over time.