With so many games in the series to discover, it can be a daunting task to tackle the entire Elder Scrolls franchise from start to finish. Just how long does it take to beat every Elder Scrolls game from Arena to Skyrim? While the answer may depend on each individual players' gameplay style and decisions, there are a few ways to figure out the average playtime across the series.
As open-world RPGs, each mainline Elder Scrolls game tends to include hours' worth of side content and explorative opportunities. Although there have been multiple spin-off games in the Elder Scrolls series, from the mobile app The Elder Scrolls: Blades to the ongoing MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online, this article will only be examining the five numbered titles in the franchise: Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim.
The Elder Scrolls 6, was confirmed to be in development at E3 2018. However, the game is still in the early design stages and likely won't come out until after the release of Bethesda's 2022 sci-fi RPG Starfield. As such, it's difficult to predict exactly how long the next Elder Scrolls game could take to complete or how it will add to the series' total playtime.
How Long The Elder Scrolls I: Arena Takes To Beat
The website players travel across Tamriel to save the Emperor. Elder Scrolls fans looking to complete extra quests and exploration can expect around double that at 44 hours.
How Long The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall Takes To Beat
As time went on, the Elder Scrolls series grew more ambitious in of size and scope. As such, the second title - The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall - takes several hours longer to complete, on average, than Arena does. Players can expect to spend 30 hours or so completing the game's main storyline, and those who take the time to more fully explore the Iliac Bay will see triple that amount at nearly 90 hours worth of game time.
How Long The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Is
Morrowind is arguably one of the most beloved games in the Elder Scrolls series, and its expansive map and immersive gameplay opportunities present players with almost 44 hours' worth of story content to explore, more so if the game's two DLCs - Tribunal and Bloodmoon - are taken into . Morrowind players who spend longer exploring the island of Vvardenfell will find around 108 hours of extra missions and other content.
How Long The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Is
Oblivion takes place in the region of Cyrodiil, a vast landscape with plenty of caves and dungeons to explore. The game also features more DLC than most other entries in the Elder Scrolls series, presenting players with upwards of 10 hours' worth of additional content to explore.
On average, it takes players 30 hours to complete just the main story of Oblivion. This is a step back from the more time-consuming ventures of Morrowind. However, extra content pushes this up to 90 hours or so.
How Long The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Takes To Beat
As the most recent game in the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim still holds significant replay value for many fans of the franchise, especially given its expansive modding community and large map size. It takes, on average, 33 hours to complete the main storyline of Skyrim. However, there are several other side quests to explore, such as the Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood, and Civil War questlines. This extra content brings the total playtime to around 108 hours.
How Long Does It Take To Beat Every Elder Scrolls Game
All in all, it should take players approximately 160 hours to complete nothing but the main stories of each game in the Elder Scrolls series. More extensive exploration will result in around 450 hours' worth of content. So, depending on playstyles, these games will provide Elder Scrolls fans with plenty of opportunities to uncover the secrets of Tamriel ahead of The Elder Scrolls 6.
Source: HowLongToBeat
