The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® Game of the Year Edition (2009)

I'm going to be 100% honest in this review. I bought this game because I'm too broke for the remaster, but the 2009 edition is amazing. The graphics aren't even that bad and I love the concept of ranking up in guilds and factions, picking your race, buying items with gold, raiding dungeons, spells, and the side quests. I got the game for 5 bucks but honestly I would pay 10-15. Rating - 8.3/10

its so good and probably better than the remaster because nothing could capture the beauty of the shittiest 2006 graphics ever.

Recently replaced by the 2025 Oblivion remaster, you can still load this up and experience the original potato face NPCs. Bethesda jank is always the best jank.

A perfect prequel to the timeless Skyrim. Lets just say it wouldn't be crazy if you said this game was better, which I never thought possible to be better than Skyrim, but there's an argument to be made. Once you get past the janky-ness of the game, you'll start to realize that's exactly part of the boundless magical beauty this title holds. A timeless gem by Bethesda, and a must play if you haven't already! <3

Made before the rich destroyed the art of game making, flawed but wonderful.

Sure the graphics and gameplay are 20 years old but at least it doesn't eat up 100 GBs of space for graphics alone. At least you can fix the former with some mods.

well what else can i say, i got the freakin HORSE ARMOUR and all the dlcs for just 154rs which is like a little less than 2$. the games is pretty good for it's price now and the main thing i like about this game is that it has a lot of stuff to do which really make spending the money worth it.

The origin of the NPC memes...I used to play this game a lot in my childhood and it feels so nostalgic coming back to it. I'm pretty sure you came across the memes already so you know what this game is all about. It's a huge world with good graphics and a lot of areas to explore. Whether you like doing missions for certain people on your own or you'd like to join a guild, the choice is yours. Whether you like to play as a warrior or a magician, I'm sure you'll find the right role for yourself and there's so much stuff to do in this game. Besides the main storyline you get the chance to basically tell your own story and that's what makes it so cool for me. If you want to explore the origin of the NPC memes and play a great game, I'm pretty sure you'll like it. Just keep in mind that this version is only in English, but includes all the DLCs.

This game along with fallout 3 was the peak of Bethesda games, the quirky story line is something worth playing. After this, Skyrim and Fallout 4 really lost something and became boring.

what can i say? enormous world, infinite possibilities, great game, great combat, great lore.

One of the all time Classics. Top Notch Voice Acting Everybody looks like they are melting Less Racism than Morrowwind Recommend 10/10

Overall: 8/10 A very solid RPG & Elder Scrolls game :) The lore of the Elder Scrolls universe is hard to beat and Oblivion has some awesome additions to the lore, with Martin & the Oblivion Crisis, the Dark Brotherhood & Thieves Guild quest lines being rich in stories, and the Shivering Isles letting you experience Mantling a Daedric Prince. I really love some of the sidequest & books with great stories, like one of the first books you find in the game outside the sewers, detailing a vampire that tricks a vampire hunter to eliminate his competition, posing as a vampire hunter, then kills him once he's finished his usefulness :) The game does wear thin on some storylines, like in the Shivering Isles where I did stop caring very much to do sidequests and the novelty of everyone being crazy wore off after a bit. But the main guilds, Shivering Isles, and the Main Quest actually for me especially all had good stories. I was surprised how much I liked the Main Quest, as so many people talk down on it online. But Martin's character especially elevated the story so much and I really came to respect him & see him as a very worthy successor to the Empire, and was really sad when he had to sacrifice himself. The Knights of the Nine story for me fell flat, as the threat of Umaril was pretty far off and kind of random, with very little setup at least for me. I know the stories of Pelinal Whitestrake & Umaril fairly well and the game didn't do a great job setting up that history for the player, outside of the books you can read in-game. Pelinal is also not really a good/moral character, so the whole Knights of the Nine holiness and self-righteousness feels extremely hollow but I feel the game wanted you to think they are following a culture/leader who was on the side of good. Except Pelinal was an insane cyborg and/or time-traveller it seems who just was crazy and wanted to kill all non-humans :\ Anyways all the other main stories in the game were quite good, so this DLC's didn't bring the game down too much for me. The gameplay was better than I remembered from playing most of the game as a teenager. The sword play & magic systems work well imo, and I miss the ability to make your own spells in Skyrim. I honestly don't mind the sword & board gameplay of Oblivion & Skyrim and think they are fun overall :) The mix of meele, archery, magic, & sneaking is a great formula for Elder Scrolls game and brings lots of options & diversity to a build. The music is incredible, just amazing :) I would say its a 9/10 compared to like an 11/10 for Skyrim, and I downloaded some of the tracks for Oblivion, while I downloaded every single track from Skyrim. Jeremy Soule did really well to set the mood & atmosphere for Oblivion, but damn did he knock it out of the park with Skyrim. Lastly, the overall ability to experience what you wish and create a fantasy character to roleplay with is pretty vast and fun to experience. I recommend Oblivion to any fan of fantasy RPG games, as its one of the greatest and pinnacles in the genre :)

fun simple graphics but good for the time open world game....fast twitch or old reflexes friendly- CitrusDad

One of the best game so far. I enjoyed it a lot. One of the best rpg game I have ever played. Gameplay is awesome for a 2009 game. The terrain, the greenery and the surroundings are very attractive and active thanks to the Radiant AI. Yup, I have got this game cuz my PC cannot handle the remastered version. But this game is a must play I can say that for sure. You may feel graphics are a bit dated as per today's standards but it gives a nostalgic vibe to it.

Game is very immersive I've sunk in 50 hours in a week without realizing, graphics are actually stunning and beautiful even by today's standards, best thing is it can most likely run on your potato laptop 60 fps 1920x1080 no problem

While this game may not achieve absolute perfection, its unique charm significantly enhances the overall experience. A highlight is undoubtedly the engaging non-player characters (NPCs); their distinct and often humorous personalities contribute greatly to the game's enjoyment. The narrative is largely compelling, though the recurring Oblivion Gate closures can occasionally feel repetitive. Despite this, the game maintains a high level of engagement due to its extensive content, including numerous side quests, the ability to pickpocket, diverse guild affiliations, and player housing options. While Skyrim often stands as Bethesda's pinnacle, Oblivion remains a highly recommendable and rewarding experience.

The best game I’ve ever played. There are video games… and then there’s Oblivion — in a league of its own. The fantasy visuals, the dreamy early-2000s color filter, and the feeling of wandering through the Imperial City and the provinces of Cyrodiil… it’s pure magic. The music touches your soul, and the way NPCs talk to each other — I don’t even know why, but it creates this strange, nostalgic feeling, like walking through a dream. There’s something deeply comforting about how imperfect it is — the stiff animations, the odd dialogues, the janky physics… they somehow make it even more charming. I honestly can’t put it into words — Oblivion is a timeless experience. A game etched into my memory forever.

This one is such a classic, although it is aged, it still is very atmospheric, the sounds, the scenes, there is a lot to it, and a lot that you can do, the lore is also very elaborate.

I just love with this game,so much. Skyrim is my first Elder Scroll games,and because Skyrim i can have interest to give try Elder Scroll past games like Oblivion,Morrowind,Daggerfall,and Arena. so far my most favorite its Oblivion. the side quest,main story,and other thing in this game can offer i really love it so much.

a amazing game though over shadowed by its sibling skyrim it is a game just as good so try it if you have the time

I have a lot of fond childhood memories of playing this on the PS3. It's janky as all hell, but I love it, and I think I prefer it a little over Skyrim in terms of its setting and story.

The original version of this game honestly holds up better than the remaster imo, for a few key reasons: 1. The remaster is basically in the dark ages of modding right now as of June 2025, the date of this review. There are mods for the game, which are awesome, but no mod manager has been created yet. Sooooo that's a massive issue right out of the gate, largely due to- 2. The remasters insistance of UE5 visuals baked on the LOOOONG dated Gamebryo engine. Which, as I've heard, is horribly optimized for performance. And the remaster is exceptionally bad at performance right now. 3. The price is better. Admittedly 50 bucks is better than 60, or god forbid EIGHTY, but I was planning to get the remaster for the summer sale. It's 20% off. 20% off a game with no mod manager and shit performance, I'm keeping my hard earned money thank you very much. If it were 50% off or preferably more I MIGHT have gotten it. Might. The original GOTY deluxe edition is only 20 bucks, runs infinitely better, and has DECADES of mods and a rich history behind it all. 4. Ok now, this is gonna be a hot take. I think the visuals of both the original and the remaster are pretty good in their own right. However, I LOVE the "painted world" aesthetic of the original to death, which the remaster does not have AT ALL. But that isn't exactly a bad thing per se. Just a different visual style. 5. Even minor things like physics, the original does better! If you cast a powerful enough shock spell, anyone hit with it will be sent flying 20 meters across the sky! In the remaster...they just kinda...drop dead....realistically....yeahhhh...I really don't like how they botched up the physics in favor of "rEalIsm!!"...in a fantasy game no less! 6. Now yes, the original absolutely has aged poorly in some aspects. The character models are notoriously ugly, but a key part of Oblivion's charm nonetheless, but there are even worse things, like the leveling system and unbalanced enemies as a result of the leveling system. My biggest gripe with the original was the combat. You always kept getting randomly staggered while enemies move way too fast, and combat generally consists of blocking following by circling the enemy and spamming attack while preventing them from being able to. Power attacks don't stagger enemies unlike in Skyrim, and honestly don't even do that much more damage! The magic system, while MUCH better since you can make your own spells, is also really flawed, and I don't mean the absolute fun you can have in making broken shit, but I mean the unfun aspects, like the strange balancing of certain spells causing them to be underpowered as fuck, (why do bound weapons only last FIFTEEN SECONDS by default? Where are the "on target" Absorb Health spells?!) and some levels of spells not even being present on mages, so you have to make your own. (Drain Fatigue has Novice, Apprentice, and Expert variations, but no Journeyman spells? WTF??) Initally I was attracted to the remaster, hyped even! Because it seemed to have finally fixed the combat system and made many QOL changes, enemies even reacted to your attacks, which the original didn't have! But then, the issues kept growing. And growing. And growing! I actually went back to my modded original game, and honestly, I had LOADS of fun there! And it actually made me stop...and realize....why did I want the remaster again? C-Can you even CALL it a remaster?! It looks more like a reMAKE to me! Generally the rule of thumb for all Elder Scrolls games is this: If there is something you don't like or something you want for whatever reason, a mod will fix/create it. If it doesn't exist, someone out there will make it. Tbh, I really wish we didn't have to mod our games to fix things like performance or crappy combat systems that really don't hold up today, but alas, that's kinda how it just works, pun very much intended. But yes, the modding community has done great strides in fixing a lot of issues I have with the game, including the combat, thanks to a recent mod. It's FAR from perfect, even in my modded setup, and could use much improvement, but it feels SO much better than vanilla! And hey, if you can appreciate the vanilla game, warts and all, or even genuinely enjoy the original combat system, that's not a bad thing at all! I do appreciate the vanilla game for what it is, and my first experience was Oblivion on the Xbox 360, and I had an awesome time there! Unfortunately, due to my experience with the game, I don't think I can ever go back to pure vanilla. Mods have spoiled me. The best part about the remaster was actually making me appreciate the original version all the more! Who would've thought? Oh! Here's something the remaster doesn't have! There's a mod for the original Oblivion where every time a guard says "You have my ear, citizen" they will literally give you one of their ears! ...as an alchemy ingredient, but honestly, that's even funnier! Humor like that is something we need in games today. TLDR: Remaster bad, original good, don't waste your time with the remaster and just get the GOTY deluxe edition, you won't regret it

It's bethesda game. Interesting side quests. There are lot of things you can do in this game.

My favorite game of all time! A world you can lose yourself in for hundreds of hours.

This is the original oblivion in all its beauty and bugs... i played it since my pc can t run the remastered edition

Not sure what went wrong but I came back to play this game as i havnt in along time now it does not run at all Immediate CTD with no warning or reason why.... From a fresh reinstall no mods just DLC that came with it... I think I got this for free I cant remember

Oblivion might be showing its age with dated graphics and occasionally clunky mechanics, but beneath the surface lies one of the most immersive and charming fantasy worlds ever created. The voice acting can be hilariously repetitive and the level-scaling system is far from perfect, but none of that stops the game from delivering countless memorable quests, unique guild storylines, and a genuinely magical atmosphere. With mods, the game becomes even more enjoyable, fixing many of its shortcomings and enhancing visuals to near-modern standards. While it’s not as polished as Skyrim or as deep as Morrowind, Oblivion strikes a perfect balance between accessibility and depth. If you're willing to look past some 2006 jank, Cyrodiil still has plenty of adventures waiting.

played this game as a skyrim kid, got infuriated how much more depth there is that is no longer in skyrim. now i cry because skyrim mods still don't restore a fraction of the personality this game has D:

best game ever made, found glitches in character creator screen, now i have an argonian with human lips above his mouth

I haven't played this game for long but it's awesome. I heard of the oblivion remastered coming out and I don't have a great computer so I got the original. Was I disappointed? Absolutely not. This is a great game and I love how camp it is.

Great first-person point of view with over-the-shoulder camera option. Immersive stories and enormous open world environment.

Loved the aesthetic, music, and quests. But the dungeons, levelling and the dialogue could have been better.

Great all time classic. Hard to believe this came out in 2006. Going to try out the remastered version after this one.

Like most Elder Scrolls games, Oblivion hails supreme. Despite it's many bugs and defects, the game is absolutely flawless. The charm brought in by these bugs make for some hilarious moments and honestly was one of the key reasons I fell in-love with it. The story and lore, the side missions, the attention to details, every piece unique and special in it's own quirky way. Oblivion is a highly appealing game and I have no doubt the new remake is just as or more so beautiful. For me though, I love the classic styles, the older graphics, the more buggy feature, from stiff movements to graphical errors and texture problems that never go away. They all present a charm that brings a smile to my face. I suppose the only thing I wished we could've had in this game was a choice of story moral where you could play a Dremora or secret Daedric entity, probably sent from Dagon to kill Martin and end the septim line, but alas it's not part of the game. I will always love these games for what they are. Imperfect and splendid. In my mind, that is a true masterpiece ^^

A really decent older game, part of the elderscrolls. It has great quests, and good for its day

As casual player, I always loved side quests from elder scrolls games. This one is no different: old, but gold! So much fun... not like the news AAAA titles... well, play it vanilla and moded. It does not matter. Just play it. And you will not regret it!!

it's a pretty good game ngl. ESPECIALLY for people who have potatoes instead of pcs like me pretty good

It says I own the deluxe version but it doesn't let me install it, its probably good tho

Best game ever! I have spent thousands of hours on this masterpiece of a game when I was a teenager!

It may feel less fleshed out than Skyrim but some mechanics are genuinely better and it's overall very enjoyable even from someone who played skyrim first

Playing this again in 2025, after last playing it sometime in 2011. 10 years later, it still holds up great. Maybe the graphics aren't the pseudo-realistic ones that we see in recent games, but they hold up just fine. Also... System requirements - 512 MB RAM. When was even the last time that RAM was measured in MB? And the non discount price being ~10% of the remaster. Amazing

All i can say is this game runs near perfectly on my System, probably only crashes every so often but that easy fixed with a few community mods. I personally dont run any mods to play this and other than keybinding being weird its next to flawless in my honest opinion.

Classic open-world RPG experience that overflows with quirky charm, containing dozens of hours worth of adventure. Oblivion is a landmark title and remains a must-play for fans of the genre.

Great game, fun and engaging quests, lots of them as well. Funny dialogs and smaller glitches. Only thing I HIGHLY recommend is installing 2 mods, one that fixes leveling attributes and another for fixing leveled items. Otherwise it's a gem of a game.

I didn't like Oblivion 15 years ago, but since I came back a few years ago and modded the hell out of it, it is an extremely relaxing game. The leveling is atrocious, the combat is not good, and it rides a fine line between being a poorly-written fantasy and a cute, charming fairy tale. However, if you're willing to download 100 or so fan made mods and edit the .ini to your liking, it can be a very soothing time waster.

After the remaster basically set my PC on fire, I though I'd try the original with the mega-sale. This game is absolutely wonderful- don't get me wrong, it looks like claymation and combats not great, but the story is amazing, and traversing and exploring this world is so much fun!

i like it because storywise, its freaking awesome. i might say its better than skyrim. although graphics and dialogue are buns, all the pros outweigh that con. 10/10. would 100% recommend to anyone who really wants a good story, with nice character building.

fun i really like creating spells and the story is good

Needs to have controller support activated with purchase, given subsidy to the standing Nvidia now circumstances. Why would most buy this if they had a PC? Not generally relevant. Thus, it should have the big picture access in desktop, or simply leave the controller support activation in the access of a product key. .. ... .... Jazz!

[h1]Introduction[/h1] The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is an action RPG developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. Set in the Imperial province of Cyrodiil, you play as a prisoner turned hero, who escapes from prison after you are the only two survivors of a plot to the assassinate Emperor Uriel Septim VII. [h1]Pros[/h1] [list] [*]Graphics look pretty good for their time. [*]The main story and side content are good, especially the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood quest lines. [*]Hundreds of hours of content. [*]Outstanding world-building. [*]The game is fairly immersive. You can easily lose track of time while exploring its world, which offers tons of things to discover. [*]Each city has its own unique look. [*]Unlike in Skyrim, you can cast spells without having to unequip your weapons and shield. [*]Spellcrafting, so you can create some absolutely ridiculous spells. [*]NPCs comment on your skills, which is pretty cool. [*]Varied types of enemies. [*]DLCs are really good, except for the infamous Horse Armor DLC. [*]You can cosplay as the biggest racist in the Elder Scrolls universe, Pelinal Whitestrake. [*]Fantastic soundtrack. [/list] [h1]Cons[/h1] [list] [*]The game has tons of bugs. I recommend installing the unofficial patches. [*]The game frequently crashes. Save often to avoid losing too much progress. [*]Really bad pop-in. Entire fortresses and Aylied ruins only appear at close distance. It's probably a limitation of the time, but it's annoying nonetheless. [*]Character faces are fugly. [*]Minor skills don't contribute to leveling up. [*]Level scaling breaks the sense of progression because enemies become much stronger than you. I recommend turning down the difficulty. [*]The combat is clunky. It really isn't fun to get staggered every few hits. [*]Both the dungeons and the oblivion gates get repetitive very fast. [*]Very limited number of voice actors. [*]Some of the voice lines don't correspond with the subtitles, which are usually correct. [/list] [h1]Conclusion[/h1] If, like me, you played Skyrim first, there's a lot here that will be familiar to you. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a fantastic game with great stories and characters, as well as a fantastic world to explore. However, it's not without its faults, as there are a lot of issues.