The Elder Scrollsis one of the longest-running RPG franchises in all of gaming, but since there are so many games in the series, it can be difficult to figure out the best order to play them in. Most players are familiar with the modern entries in the series, likeSkyrim,Oblivion, andThe Elder Scrolls Online, but the earlierElder Scrollsgames still have a lot to offer.
With that said, playing every game inThe Elder Scrollsseries is tough if you don’t have access to multiple platforms. With a few exceptions, there aren’t really anyElder Scrollsremasters to make the older games available on modern consoles. Thankfully, every game in the series is available on PC, and the older games can run on basically any machine.
Elder Scrolls Games in Release Order
The Elder Scrollsseries is over 30 years old, but there actually aren’t that many games in the series compared to other storied franchises. The franchise is comprised of the following titles:
It’s pretty easy to determine the order in which the numbered mainline games were released, but there are some spinoffs that muddy the continuity a bit.BattlespireandRedguardwere released in betweenDaggerfallandMorrowind, but they’re safely skippable. Still, they’re some of the only oldElder Scrollsspinoffs with modern ports, so you can check them out if you’d like.
The Elder Scrolls: Bladesis technically the most recentElder Scrollsgame, surprisingly. It’s a mobile-first dungeon-crawler with a Nintendo Switch port.Bladessupport is discontinued and there haven’t been any updates in years, but it’s still available for download. The same can’t be said for games likeThe Elder Scrolls: Legends, a collectible card game that wasdelisted from all platforms in early 2025. Mobile gamers can also enjoyThe Elder Scrolls: Castles, a fantasy-themed clone ofFallout Shelter, but there isn’t any story in that one, so it’s not included on the list.
Tge Elder Scrolls Games in Chronological Order
The Elder Scrollstimeline jumps around a bit with its spinoffs, letting players explore the eras in between numbered mainline titles. The following is the chronological order of the games:
The Elder Scrolls Onlineand all of its expansions are the earliest chronological entries in the series. Then,Arenais sandwiched betweenRedguardandBattlespire. From there, the numbered entries can be played back to back untilOblivion, where the timeline takes a break to focus onBladesbefore ending up atSkyrim.
Again, there are a fewElder Scrollsspinoffs not mentioned on this list (like theTravelsgames), but these are the games that are currently playable on modern platforms. There are hundreds upon hundreds of hours of content inThe Elder Scrollsseries, and you can’t really go wrong with any of them. That’s not even mentioning the vast sea ofElder Scrollsmodsfor every game.
