The Elder Scrolls The Elder Scrolls ( often abbreviated as TES ) is a series of role - playing video games developed by Bethesda Softworks . The development of " The Elder Scrolls " series began in 1992 , when the staff of Bethesda Softworks — which had until then been a predominantly sports game - producing company — decided to shift the focus of their upcoming " Arena " from arena combat into role - playing . The team , pulling influences from " Ultima Underworld " and " Dungeons & Dragons " , released the massive , open , but ultimately derivative , first - person RPG in 1994 for DOS PC systems . The game began a tradition of games based on the principles of " being who you want and doing what you want " that has persisted throughout the series ' history . To date , there are five titles in the main series of the game . Two expansions were published for , two more accompanying < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s installment , and three others for . While beginning on , the series has expanded to video game consoles , starting with " Morrowind " on and eventually expanding to Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 ( " Oblivion " and " Skyrim " ) , Xbox One and PlayStation 4 ( " Online " and " Skyrim : Special Edition " ) . Four " Elder Scrolls " titles were released for Java - enabled cell phones , Nokia ' s N - Gage , and the PlayStation portable . These titles are known as " The Elder Scrolls Travels " . Two based on the " Elder Scrolls " universe , and , were published by . An MMORPG adaption set in the Three Banners War , called " The Elder Scrolls Online : Tamriel Unlimited " , was released for PC , PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June 2015 . was released in 2016 , and was be the first game available on iPad . Main series . Arena . The very first game in the series was known as . Though originally planned to be a gladiatorial game where the player and their three other companions would go from city to city fighting enemies , the idea of the game drastically changed during development . Resulting in many changes to the game , Arena became an all - out full exploration RPG game . Many of the promotional images had already been drawn and printed , meaning that the game could not be renamed . After missing the planned 1993 Christmas deadline , Arena was released in the spring of 1994 . Daggerfall . The next " Elder Scrolls " series game — — was published in 1996 . Fueled by the modest success of " Arena " , " Daggerfall " was even more ambitious than its predecessor . " Daggerfall " attempted to create a game world twice the size of Great Britain , rendered in a truly 3D engine , and build a skill - system that revolved around skill building rather than experience gains . However , " Daggerfall " suffered at the hands of that very ambition : " Daggerfall " , rushed to publication , was found torturously buggy , and prohibitively hardware - intensive . In the opinion of one commentator , despite " Daggerfall " s commercial success , " " the game still bears the mark of bad code . " " Morrowind . After Bethesda ' s purchase by Zenimax in 1999 , work on began . With " Morrowind " , Bethesda tripled their staff and pushed again towards hardware - intensive gaming . " Morrowind " saw a return to the old - style expansive and non - linear gameplay , but also a shift towards individually detailed landscapes and items , and a smaller game - world than past titles . " Morrowind " was released on both the Xbox and the PC , and saw popular and critical success on both , selling upwards of 4 million units by mid 2005 . Two expansion packs were quickly developed and released for " Morrowind " between late 2002 and early 2003 : , and . Oblivion . Work began on in 2002 , immediately after " Morrowind " ' s publication . " Oblivion " focused on providing a tighter storyline ; improved AI , courtesy of Bethesda ' s proprietary Radiant AI ; improved physics , courtesy of the Havok engine ( used in " Half - Life 2 " ) ; and impressive graphics . The game was released , following much press coverage , on the PC and Xbox 360 in early 2006 , and the PS3 in early 2007 . Bethesda released two expansion packs for " Oblivion " in late 2006 and early 2007 : and . " The Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion " received a 9 . 5 / 10 average out of many different gaming site ' s reviews , with or without the expansions . Skyrim . In 2011 Bethesda released for the PC , Xbox 360 , and the PlayStation 3 . The game is considered to be a spiritual successor to " Oblivion " , allowing for non - linear gameplay , with a large number of quests and side quests . In " Skyrim " , the " Last Dragonborn , " or player character , starts as a prisoner awaiting execution , as in its predecessors , " Oblivion , " " Morrowind , " and " Arena " . " Skyrim " excluded the conventional class - bases system of its predecessors in favor of more unique customization through skills and perk trees . The Birthsigns from other titles were exchanged for changeable Standing Stones , similar to the Doomstones in " Oblivion " only with effects that reign permanent until another stone is encountered and activated . The Mysticism school of Magicka was also eradicated and new spell - based attacks known as Dragon Shouts were introduced . " Skyrim " s first DLC , released in June 2012 . The storyline revolved around a group of Vampire Hunters known as the Dawnguard , opposed by the villainous Volkihar Clan . The plot divided at a quest called " Bloodline " , where the Dragonborn decided whether to assist the Vampire Hunters , or become a member of the undead themselves . This was the first instance in which vampirism became a key element in an " Elder Scrolls " game ; it also marked the creation of the Vampire Lord and werewolf skill tree perks . " Dawnguard " also saw the return of the crossbow , a projectile weapon first appearing in " Morrowind " . Skyrim ' s second DLC is known as , allowing house building and adoption elements to the game . It allows the player to design and build a homestead , hire a steward , and adopt children . The third DLC , , was released on December 4 , 2012 . The plot involves traveling to the island of Solstheim and the return of a mysterious former Dragon Priest and one - time ruler of the island . Unlike the ancient Dragon Priests of Skyrim , he is purportedly the first individual to be gifted with the dragon blood , much like the Dragonborn , and possesses the ability to absorb Dragon souls . The DLC adds new quests , characters , locations , weapons , armor , and the ability to tame and fly a dragon . Spin - offs . Battlespire . After the success of " Daggerfall " , Bethesda began work on a DLC for the game . The DLC was originally titled " " Dungeon of Daggerfall : Battlespire , " " but after extensive work , the DLC became a standalone game . In 1997 , was released . It is the only game with the title " An Elder Scrolls Legend " to date . The Elder Scrolls Adventures . In the fall of 1998 , Bethesda released . Redguard was much more unique compared to any game and was very limited , having a pre - generated character with his own backstory named Cyrus and took place on the small island of Stros M ' kai . Redguard was the first game to have 3D - generated characters and no further need for sprites . It was also the first game to have fully voiced dialogue . Two more sequels were planned , named " The Elder Scrolls Adventures II : Eye of Argonia " and " The Elder Scrolls Adventures III : Paradise Sugar " . Due to poor sales of " Redguard " and " Battlespire " , the sequels were ultimately set aside as Bethesda flirted with bankruptcy . After Bethesda ' s purchase by Zenimax in 1999 , the sequels were never developed and work shifted to Morrowind and its DLCs . The Elder Scrolls Travels . Following the release of Morrowind in 2002 , four mobile phone games were created . The first was in 2003 , followed by in 2004 and continuing with in the same year . The last game in the series was " " , but instead of being a standalone game with its own storyline the game was a mobile adaptation of " Oblivion " . The game was released on mobile phones in 2006 , but development of the game on the PlayStation Portable was canceled . The Elder Scrolls Online . In May 2012 , ZeniMax Online Studios , a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media and a sister company of Bethesda , officially revealed , an MMORPG set in the Elder Scrolls universe due for release in late 2013 . The game was initially to be exclusive to PC , but in June 2013 it was announced that the game was going to be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One , as well as PC , with a release in Spring 2014 . It is the first game in the series to feature online play . The PC version of the game was released on April 4th , 2014 , with heavy criticism . The game suffered from a rocky launch and the game was criticized for having issues with grouping , poor combat mechanics , and its utilization of a subscription model . A delay was announced for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions in May 2014 , with those versions expected to come in 2015 . ZeniMax eventually announced that the game was being relaunched as " The Elder Scrolls Online : Tamriel Unlimited " in March 2015 , which aimed to fix most of the problems that critics pointed out initially . ZeniMax also announced that the game was dropping its subscription model in favor of a Buy - to - Play business model . The company also announced a definitive release date for the console editions — June 9th , 2015 . " Tamriel Unlimited " was praised by several critics . " The Elder Scrolls Online " currently has eight DLCs : The game also has two " chapters , " which are essentially larger DLCs : The Elder Scrolls : Legends . On June 14th , 2015 , Bethesda released information regarding an Elder Scrolls strategy card game titled . It will in some way involve a number of races such as Khajiit and Nords , and will be available on the PC and iPad for free . The initial release date was set to be Fall 2015 , but has now been delayed to a later date . Game mechanics . " The Elder Scrolls " games can be safely categorized as role - playing games , although they do include elements taken from action and adventure games . However , in contrast to other games of the genre , " The Elder Scrolls " maintains a unique , skill - based approach to character advancement . A multitude of skills can be raised through use , and once a character ' s skills have increased sufficiently , their level increases in reflection of those skills . Because of this , players are allowed immense flexibility and choice in character advancement . This is perceived as both a strength and a weakness in the series by gamers , although the flexibility of the games ' engines has facilitated the release of game extensions ( or mods ) through the Construction Set that change the skill and level mechanics . " The Elder Scrolls " main series of games emphasizes different aspects of the gaming experience from most computer role - playing games . A brief by Joystiq in early November 2006 contrasted BioWare ' s creations to Bethesda ' s by noting a difference in emphasis . Bethesda ' s creations focused on " aesthetic presentation and open - ended adventuring " ; BioWare ' s on a combat system and modular architecture . The series ' overarching aim has been noted by their designers as well . Bethesda has described their motivations in creating the first series game , " Arena " , as those of any good pen - and - paper RPG : creating an environment in which the player could be what the player wants and do what the player wants . ' s manual begins with a sort of design manifesto , declaring the developers ' intention to " create a book with blank pages , " and " a game designed to encourage exploration and reward curiosity . " Choices , in the form of paths taken by the player , to do good , to chase after evil , are left open to the player , " just like in real life . " This design trend continued with " Morrowind " , following the hiatus of similarly epic games in the interim , though Joystiq ' s previously noted insistence on graphics came again to the fore . During the development of " Morrowind " , Bethesda tripled its staff , so as to perfectly color its newly hand - made world . In their own words , " We knew we had to exceed the visual polish of the other games on the market , and we made it our goal to put The Elder Scrolls back into the forefront of game innovation . " The " Elder Scrolls " series ' emphasis on freedom remained . In the words of Bethesda ' s " Morrowind Prophecies " , " Experience it as you wish . " The series ' grand ambitions have put some members of the gaming press into an apparent position of subdued skepticism prior to the release of each new game , incredulous as to Bethesda ' s capacity to surmount its obstacles . Nonetheless , whether this be a grab for reader interest or a true sentiment on behalf of the game press , such feelings evaporate by the end of each unvaryingly warm review the series ' games receive . These mechanics exist in contrast to most RPGs , where experience points are the sole measure of a character ' s advancement , and leveling up drives skill increases . Cosmology . The world of " TES " is known for its attention to detail , realism , and the long , complex lists of names , dates , and places . They constitute its extensive history and the vast , interconnected structure of its various societies , cultures , and religions much more than most players are familiar with . Furthermore , there is no one compilation of all information pertaining to " TES " , and , within the games , historical references are often vague or unsure . Players are encouraged to draw their own conclusions about situations and events for which the records are few and incomplete or when competing viewpoints obscure the truth . This has spawned a subculture amongst TES players of history and philosophy debaters affectionately called " loremasters " . " The Elder Scrolls " games take place on the continent of Tamriel , a large landmass divided into nine provinces . An exception is " Battlespire " , which takes place between the realm of Oblivion , an alternate dimension ruled by the Daedra , and the mortal realm of Mundus . It is known that there are continents besides Tamriel in " The Elder Scrolls " planet known as Nirn , but there is yet to be an official game that takes place in one . The nine provinces of Tamriel and some other continents are : The other continents of Nirn : While each of the ten playable races has a " home province " or province of origin , they are not limited to this province and can be found outside its borders , though they are a minority . It should also be noted that the home province of the Orcs is , in fact , a city - state called Orsinium , which lies within the borders of High Rock . Other races included in " TES " lore are Ayleid , Chimer , Dwemer , Falmer , Hist , Imga , Kamal , Ka Po ' Tun , Maormer , Sload , Tang Mo , and Tsaesci . The Dwemer were destroyed for unknown reasons before " Arena " , but this is explained in " Morrowind " . Mythology and religion . " The Elder Scrolls " places great emphasis on the idea of the dualism and equality of opposites . This dualism is not the Abrahamic dualism of good and evil , but more closely resembles a fusion of Eastern and pre - Christian Western beliefs on the subject , being the duality of order and chaos . According to " Elder Scrolls Lore " , the concepts of order and chaos can be translated collectively into everything . These notions might be more exactly approximated using the words " stasis " ( unchanging continuity ) and " change " ( unknowable energy ) . Almost all Tamrielic religions strongly feature the idea that the world was created through an " intermingling " of these two things , some saying that time is in essence a synthesis of continuity and alteration , and most religious creation - theories deal with one or more mythological characters representing these absolutes either procreating or engaging in combat ( or both , as the case may be ) . The thought experiment of the irresistible force is often invoked , and much of the Elder Scrolls theosophical lore is devoted to developing and examining hypotheses as to how such a thought experiment might actually play out on all levels , were it metaphysically possible .