Oblivion Remastered: Bethesda’s Sneaky Nostalgia Bomb
Bethesda Stealth-Drops Oblivion Remastered Like It’s an Indie Game (??)
So, in classic Bethesda fashion—where logic and timing are optional—they just dropped The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered outta nowhere. No hype cycle. No cringey Todd Howard on a livestream whispering, “It just works.” Just boom—new (old) game.
Steam page. Go play it. Wild.
This felt less like a triumphant return and more like someone trying to slide back into a party they Irish exited five years ago. Zero fanfare, just that awkward, “Oh hey, I’m back. You guys still like… gates to hell, right?”
Image Source: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered | Bethesda Softworks
Let’s be clear—this isn’t some little “HD texture pack slapped on the corpse of a beloved classic.”
This is a full-on remaster.
New lighting engine, updated character models that (mostly) don’t look like melting potatoes, and that juicy 4K resolution support.
It’s the real deal. So why did Bethesda shadow-drop this thing like it’s trying to avoid eye contact?
Probably because they know what we know: Bethesda’s rep is a mixed bag of glory days and ragebait. Hype trains tend to derail quickly around here, especially when half the audience is still pissed off about Fallout 76 or the 11th re-release of Skyrim.
So rather than open the floodgates to a wave of pre-launch skepticism, they just nuked the launch button and said, “Deal with it.”
And weirdly? It kinda worked. People are playing it. People are talking. Nostalgia’s firing on all cylinders—and so is criticism. Let’s keep going.
Bethesda’s Infinite Milking Machine: A Masterclass in Copy > Paste > Profit
Listen, we all love The Elder Scrolls—some of us even have the Septim coin from the original Oblivion Collector’s Edition sitting in a drawer somewhere next to our sanity. But we gotta talk about how Bethesda’s been beating the same few IPs like a busted loot piñata for the last 15 years.
It all started with Skyrim, which has been released so many damn times it’s basically the gaming version of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Epic the first time. Still cool the second. But by the time you’re playing it on a fridge or an Amazon Alexa, you start to wonder if Todd Howard is holding us all hostage in a Groundhog Day time loop.
And now? Bethesda’s taking Oblivion for another spin around the block. Sure, it’s “remastered.” Sure, it looks better. But let’s not pretend this move isn’t textbook Bethesda. This is a studio that’s got two main moves:
Drop a buggy, broken game and let the modders fix it.
Re-release an old game with just enough polish to technically call it “new,” and charge full price like it’s 2006 again.
Image Source: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered | Bethesda Softworks
Don’t get me wrong—I wanted this remaster. Hell, half of Reddit’s been begging for a Morrowind or Oblivion remaster for years. But the fact that it showed up now, out of the blue, right as Starfield is fading into the background like a disappointing Tinder date? Feels suspiciously like a “Hey, don’t be mad at us. Here’s the good stuff you actually like.”
They’re playing it smart though.
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, and Bethesda has the keys to the pharmacy. And while we’re all screaming “STOP SELLING US THE SAME THING,” we’re also clicking “Buy Now” with tears in our eyes.
Because deep down… we’re all just waiting to hear the Oblivion soundtrack again while getting absolutely mauled by a mudcrab.
Next up: let’s bring back a classic—
Let’s Talk About the Horse Armor (Again)
Oh yes. You thought you were free?
You thought the cursed legacy of the $2.50 horse armor DLC had finally died in the digital graveyard where failed MMOs and broken promises go to rot.
But nope. It’s back—and this time it’s included in the damn Deluxe Edition like it’s some kind of prestige item.
To the younger gamers out there who weren’t online in 2006, let’s set the stage: Bethesda released cosmetic armor—for your horse—and charged real-world cash for it.
This was back when DLC wasn’t a guaranteed part of every game. It was the controversy. Gamers flipped their shit. Forums melted. The term “microtransaction” was still fresh and foul, and Bethesda was one of the first devs to say, “What if… we made people pay for dumb cosmetic crap?”
Years before Fortnite made it a billion-dollar business.
Image Source: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered | Bethesda Softworks
Fast forward to 2025, and we’ve come full circle. The infamous horse armor is now a nostalgic selling point. Bethesda leaned into the meme so hard, they made it a feature.
Honestly? I respect the audacity. It’s like if EA re-released Battlefront II and advertised, “Now with 40% less pay-to-win!”
But let’s be real—if the remaster’s big draw is, “Now with armor for your steed, again,” then we might have a problem.
Especially when the Deluxe Edition is clocking in at an extra $20+ just for some nostalgic junk and a digital art book nobody’s gonna read.
120 Gigs for Oblivion? Bruh… What’s in There, Cyrodiil’s Entire Tax Records?
Alright, time to talk about the elephant in the server room: this thing takes up 120GB of storage.
For Oblivion.
A game that used to fit on a CD and still had enough room left over for that iconic janky lip-syncing and the exact same voice actor for 90% of NPCs.
Image Source: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered | Bethesda Softworks
Sure, it’s prettier now. They’ve added new textures, high-resolution assets, redone lighting, and reworked environments to not look like they were built out of wet cardboard.
But still—120GB?
You could download Witcher 3, Dark Souls 3, and half of Genshin Impact in that space and still have room for memes.
And here’s the kicker: a big chunk of that bloat is tied to remastered audio and higher-fidelity cutscenes.
Which is cool and all, until you realize most of the characters still sound like they’re reading from a medieval teleprompter while trying to remember if they’re a guard or a beggar this time.
Minimum and Recommended Specs (Or: Can Your Potato Survive the Daedric Invasion?)
Before you install this beast, make sure your rig didn’t crawl out of Morrowind. Here’s what you’re lookin’ at:
Oblivion Remastered Minimum PC Specs
OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
Processor: Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: GTX 970 or Radeon RX 570
Storage: 120 GB available space
Oblivion Remastered Recommended PC Specs
OS: Windows 11 (64-bit)
Processor: Intel Core i7-10700K or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: RTX 3060 Ti or Radeon RX 6750 XT
Storage: 120 GB (SSD strongly recommended unless you hate yourself)
So yeah, this ain’t your dad’s potato PC Oblivion anymore. You’re gonna need a decent mid-range rig to enjoy all the upgraded visuals without your fan sounding like it’s launching a Daedric portal IRL.
Image Source: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered | Bethesda Softworks
Which—again—is wild considering the original game ran on computers that couldn’t even handle Google Earth without choking.
But hey, welcome to 2025, where every remaster needs to look like Cyberpunk and eat storage like it’s Pac-Man.
Let’s Get Real: Oblivion’s Main Story Still Slaps
Oblivion’s main story is peak Elder Scrolls drama: the emperor’s assassinated, the heir is missing, and literal gates to hell are popping up across the land like evil fast food franchises.
You?
You’re the nobody who’s supposed to stop it. Classic Bethesda.
Image Source: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered | Bethesda Softworks
There’s something raw and beautiful about the way the game throws you into chaos from the get-go.
Patrick Stewart’s warm, “You are the one from my dreams,” monologue hits hard, and from there, you’re off to the races—closing Daedric gates, collecting ancient armor, and trying to survive the cultists of the Mythic Dawn who all shop at the same creepy robe store.
And sure, it’s not as high-fantasy-political as Morrowind or as dragon-hype as Skyrim, but Oblivion’s story has this epic, fast-paced urgency that still hits in 2025.
Also: the Daedric quests? Chef’s kiss. Sheogorath alone carries half the game with pure unfiltered chaos and cheese wheels.
Don’t Sleep on the DLC (Even Though One Is Literally About Vampires)
Included in the remastered package are the original expansions—Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles, plus some of the minor DLC like Wizard’s Tower and (yes) the infamous horse armor.
Knights of the Nine: Classic holy crusader energy. Great gear. Feels like you’re roleplaying a paladin before WoW made it cool.
Shivering Isles: Straight-up art. Pure madness. The best DLC Bethesda ever made. A psychedelic descent into the realm of the Daedric Prince of Madness himself. It’s basically Alice in Wonderland if Alice was unhinged and carried a mace.
Shivering Isles deserves special mention here—this thing still outpaces most modern DLCs in terms of writing, world design, and how much batshit weirdness it serves up on a silver plate.
If you haven’t played it before, this alone justifies a revisit.
The Deluxe Edition – Or: How Much Would You Pay for Fancy Horse Armor in 2025?
So here we are again, staring into the polished eyes of Bethesda’s greatest inside joke turned business model: Horse Armor.
Yes, the Oblivion Remastered Deluxe Edition includes it. No, we’re not joking. And yes, they still want more money for it.
The Deluxe Edition drops in with a handful of added goodies—some of them cosmetic, some slightly gameplay-influencing, and all of them wrapped in that sweet, sweet “Collector’s Edition” branding.
But let’s be real for a second: Does it justify the upcharge?
Let’s break it down:
What Do You Get With the Oblivion Remastered Deluxe Edition?
All previously released minor DLCs, including:
Horse Armor Pack (both Elven and Steel. Yes. Both.)
Mehrunes’ Razor (short but solid quest)
Wizard’s Tower, Fighter’s Stronghold, Vile Lair, Thieves Den (essentially player homes with different flavors)
Plus, you also get:
A few cosmetic weapon/armor variants
Some in-game bonuses like unique mounts and a slight XP boost item
Digital artbook and soundtrack
A warm reminder that you’ve been playing Elder Scrolls games long enough to see them resold like five times
What’s not included?
Any sort of physical content that would’ve actually been cool—like the original Collector’s Edition coin, the fold-out map, or that sick faux-leather-bound pocket guide.
Nope, this is strictly digital fluff, and while the convenience is meh, the vibe just ain’t the same.
So is the Oblivion Remastered Deluxe Edition Worth It?
Honestly? That depends on your vibe:
If you’re new to Oblivion, then the Deluxe Edition might be the most complete way to experience it. You’ll get all the content, some decent quality-of-life boosts, and a fully loaded nostalgia bomb.
If you’re a veteran player, you’ve probably played most of this before. You remember when the horse armor cost actual money back in 2006 and everyone rightfully dragged Bethesda for it.
Paying extra now for the exact same thing feels less like a deluxe upgrade and more like a prank from Todd Howard.
Image Source: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered | Bethesda Softworks
Let’s not sugarcoat it—this isn’t a reimagining or a full-on remake, it’s a remaster with a shiny coat of paint and the same awkward animations underneath.
Charging more for cosmetic content and old DLC packs is classic Bethesda, and if that kind of upsell annoys you, skip the Deluxe and wait for the inevitable Steam sale.
TBH, you’ll probably be able to pick it up for five bucks and a promise to close one Daedric gate by 2026.
Welcome Back to the Chaos Realm, Champ
Let’s not get it twisted—The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered isn’t some genre-defining, ground-up reimagining.
It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel or outshine modern RPGs that were built with two decades of hindsight. It’s a fresh coat of nostalgic paint, slapped on top of a game that walked so Skyrim could sprint and so Starfield could trip over its own shoelaces.
Sure, the release was sneakier than a Khajiit with maxed-out Sneak and a stolen sweetroll.
Bethesda basically whispered it into the void and hoped the hype would carry the rest. And sure, the file size is enough to make your SSD cry real tears. And yeah, there’s still horse armor. Because of course there is.
But here’s the thing: Oblivion is still stupid fun.
Image Source: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered | Bethesda Softworks
This game has that special sauce. That janky, radiant-AI-went-too-far, guard-chased-me-for-picking-up-an-apple, “STOP RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM” energy that made it feel alive back in 2006 and somehow still works in 2025.
The Daedric gates? Pure, chaotic fun.
The quests? Sometimes goofy, sometimes brilliant.
The cities? Distinct, memorable, and packed with enough weird side content to make you forget the main quest even exists. (Cough cough until Mehrunes Dagon stomps in like Mecha Godzilla.)
No matter how many times Bethesda tries to milk this cash cow, it’s hard not to still feel something when the title screen music hits. It’s like muscle memory for the soul.
Image Source: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered | Bethesda Softworks
So is Oblivion Remastered perfect? Not even close.
Is it overpriced? Depending on what version you grab…maybe?
Does it fix all the old issues? Hell no.
But does it remind you why you fell in love with RPGs in the first place?
Absolutely.
And if you’re like me, and the first time you stumbled into a flaming gate to hell felt more like adventure than a threat—you’ll be glad you picked it up again.
Because Oblivion, for all its flaws, remains one of the most uniquely chaotic, charmingly broken, and accidentally brilliant RPGs of all time.
Now excuse me while I go make a stealth-archer again. Don’t judge me—we all have our coping mechanisms.
Grab Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered for yourself on Steam!
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Tuco
April 23, 2025
Ha already playing, 8 hours in. I really missed this game