RELATED: The Best & Worst Things To Happen To The Elder Scrolls Franchise In The Last 10 Years
Despite having five main entries, there are many more Elder Scrolls titles that are either spinoffs or entire series in their own right. While Bethesda has settled on making open-world RPGs ever since Morrowind, Zenimax Online Studios and other studios have made Elder Scrolls games with strange alterations to the franchise for better or worse. Here are all The Elder Scrolls titles ranked from worst to best based on Metacritic critic scores.
Updated on February 9, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: The Elder Scrolls is one of the most popular Bethesda franchises of all time. The games are full to the brim with amazing locales, memorable characters, and brilliant stories that let players roleplay as the character they want. These games show the pinnacle of western open-world RPG design and what makes these games so incredibly popular. Of course, this franchise is way more extensive than the five mainline titles, and players looking to get into this series should have a fair idea of the critic and fan ratings for the games in this series.
16 The Elder Scrolls Travel Series (NA)
Most Elder Scrolls fans have forgotten about The Elder Scrolls Travels series. Developed for the N-Gage, these games were meant to give you an Elder Scrolls fix on the go.
The thing is, the technology severely limited these games. As a result, many critics and fans criticized this series of games for being clunky and having remarkably terrible combat.
15 The Elder Scrolls: Arena (NA)
The Elder Scrolls: Arena is the game that started it all. Originally intended as an arena simulator, the game quickly spiraled into a fully-fledged RPG with hub towns and quests to complete.
Its ambitious nature resulted in plenty of bugs and unpolished features, however. Arena has a cult following that adored the game’s open-ended nature and large degrees of freedom.
14 The Elder Scrolls: Blades (43/2.7)
Bethesda has repeatedly tried to make mobile-friendly versions of The Elder Scrolls franchise to mediocre or negative reception from fans. The Elder Scrolls: Blades is Bethesda’s most recent attempt.
RELATED: Video Game Worlds Bigger Than The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
his free-to-play title focuses more on dungeon crawling and building up a town than exploring the sprawling landscape of Tamriel. Critics dislike the game’s mundane combat, poor visuals, and a microtransactions model that verges on pay-to-win.
13 An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire (NA/5.2)
Take the open-ended nature of Daggerfall, strip out its open-world and progression system, and you end up with An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire. What was originally a planned expansion for Daggerfall, Battlespire is a linear dungeon romp that focuses more on combat than role-playing.
While not a horrible idea on paper, it inherits the game-breaking bugginess of Daggerfall while removing much of that game’s customization options, making this game more of a chore to play than a pleasurable experience.
12 The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (NA/7.4)
Yet another spinoff title, The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard is a game much more focused on telling a compelling narrative than creating an open world to explore. Players take control of Cyrus, a Redguard who is searching for his lost sister in Stros M’kai.
It takes heavy inspiration from Prince of Persia in its combat and exploration rhythms, although not as well as Ubisoft’s titles. Still, it’s a fun spinoff title that shows small glimpses of what the franchise would focus on—which is no coincidence considering this was Todd Howard’s first project he led at Bethesda.
11 The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall (NA/8.3)
Fans know of the internal schism between Morrowind and Skyrim fans, but this rivalry stretches even further to The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall. Veterans of the genre will sometimes hail this game as one of the best games Bethesda has ever created, and that is mainly because of the game’s unparalleled freedom.
Players could purchase property to sell, get loans from banks, purchase ships, or even appear in court to settle cases against them. Most know it for its labyrinthian dungeons and extensive customization. With that said, its age has made it near inaccessible to newer fans, and it is easily one of the buggiest games Bethesda has ever released.
10 The Elder Scrolls Online (71/5.8)
Zenimax Online Studios developed an MMO in Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls IP. It took years to find its stride after an arguably disastrous launch, but Zenimax has really turned The Elder Scrolls Online into a respectable game that stands against the current MMO giants in the industry.
RELATED: Common Misconceptions About The Elder Scrolls Online
ESO allows players to quest in nearly every province in Tamriel with the freedom you’d expect out of an Elder Scrolls game. At the same time, it has the mechanical depth and aspirational activities that most would want from an MMO, combining the best of two worlds. Those who wrote this game off after its launch should consider giving The Elder Scrolls Online a second chance.
9 The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor (73/4.9)
Vampires have been a staple of The Elder Scrolls mythos for quite some time. With the advent of The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor, players get to witness their impact on the overarching plot in a major way.
It’s a great addition to the lore of The Elder Scrolls. Getting to explore Blackreach in the past is also pretty exciting and shows why so many people still love the game, even though its rocky issues on launch and a rather clichéd plot didn’t sit well with most fans.
8 The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind (77/6.6)
The idea of exploring the vast landscapes of Morrowind on a new engine enticed most players to no end. This expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online was quite promising, especially given the legendary nature of the area it was trying to bring into the game.
All in all, The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind was a decent chapter in this long-running MMORPG. It might not be the biggest DLC around, but it still provides enough hours of entertainment to satisfy most fans.
7 The Elder Scrolls: Legends (80/5.5)
Unfortunately, The Elder Scrolls: Legends is a game that will likely not see a second chance after future development was halted in late 2019. That’s a shame considering how solid this trading card game is.
You read that right, The Elder Scrolls: Legends is a trading card game much in the same vein as Magic: The Gathering or Hearthstone. Legends brought some unique ideas to the genre with two-lane battlefield players had to manage. Its monetization model was fair by most free-to-play game’s standards, although many fans criticized it for being a game no one wanted and jumping on a current gaming trend.
6 The Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr (80/8.0)
One of the most well-received expansions for The Elder Scrolls Online lets players explore the dragon-infested lands of Elsweyr. Given the emphasis on one of the best enemies in the series, it’s easy to see why so many people love this expansion.
Hunting down hordes of powerful dragons is a blast, both solo and in a group. It’s just a shame that the Necromancer class added by this DLC feels like a last-minute add-on rather than a fleshed-out class.
5 The Elder Scrolls Online: Dragonhold (81/4.6)
Another expansion that lets players explore the southern lands of Elsweyr is The Elder Scrolls Online: Dragonhold. However, unlike the previous entry on this list, Dragonhold received widespread fan backlash.
This is a shame since Dragonhold actually has its fair share of interesting ideas and excellent dragon battles. However, the content featured in this pack is too minuscule and nowhere near worth the price of admission.
4 The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset (83/6.1)
From a critical point of view, The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset is the highest-rated expansion pack for this MMORPG. That being said, fans were nowhere near as happy with this expansion as the critics.
This mainly stems from what feels like copy-paste design, which is a shame since Summerset has some potential. Hardcore fans of The Elder Scrolls series will have a blast with this expansion, while others might have a more muted experience in comparison.
3 The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind (89/8.9)
There’s a meme amongst the Elder Scrolls community that suggests every time someone mentions Morrowind, a person reinstalls it. Regardless of whether it’s true or not, it hints at a key point that separates Morrowind from the rest: there isn’t any other video game like it.
RELATED: TES: Awesome Things Fans Didn’t Realize Happened Between Oblivion And Skyrim
Yes, other open-world RPGs have done exploration better, done combat better, or had a better narrative. But no RPG has nailed its lore and atmosphere quite like Morrowind. Players get a real sense of distinct cultures in this game that has conflicting theories and perspectives on the world, something so few RPGs even attempt.
It wouldn’t work nearly as well if not for Jeremy Soule’s fantastic soundtrack or the phenomenal writing this game has. Future games in the series nailed exploration much better than Morrowind, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a game with a better atmosphere and lore than this.
2 The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion (94/8.1)
Most will be shocked Oblivion is rated the second-highest by critics, but it becomes more clear when you look at the game’s technical accomplishments. Besides Radiant AI as its biggest selling feature, Oblivion did something that almost no RPG before it has.
It simplified the genre to be more accessible; many RPGs before Oblivion were obtuse and clunky due to their reliance on replicating mechanics from pen-and-paper RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons. Oblivion did away with the clunkiness of dice rolls in combat, added map markers for quests, and had a main narrative that was intense from the first quest and on.
More than that, the game evokes a sense of nostalgia with its vibrant color palette and soothing music that no game has replicated since. Top that off with some of the best guild quests and side quests out of any RPG, and it’s easy to see why Oblivion is frequently replayed and regarded as one of the best Elder Scrolls games ever made.
1 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim (94/8.4)
What is there to say about Skyrim that already hasn’t been discussed to death? This game changed the industry forever with its brilliant open-world, a plethora of quests to complete, and a fantastic modding suite that supports a talented and passionate modding community to this day.
Many argue that it dumbed down the series by simplifying mechanics from past games, but after how much of a nightmare Radiant AI and enemy scaling were in Oblivion, simplification was exactly what the next game needed.
The Elder Scrolls Online was released on April 4th, 2014, and is available to play on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Google Stadia.
MORE: Morrowind: The Things Cut From The Elder Scrolls Classic
