Even if you’re a casual gamer, you’ve almost certainly at least heard of the Elder Scrolls series. A quick recap: it’s a fantasy-based RPG franchise created by the Maryland studio Bethesda, beginning with Arena in 1994 and going all the way to the 2023 mobile game, The Elder Scrolls: Castles.
Over time, it’s become one of the most successful role-playing series ever, turning its developer into an industry powerhouse. But say you’ve never played one before. Which Elder Scrolls game do you start with? There are five mainline entries so far, as well as an MMO set in the same universe, not to mention all the expansions and spinoffs.
While it’s important to understand that it doesn’t technically matter which order you play them in – as each installment has its own storyline – I’ve got some advice on which ones to go with first, based on what it is you might want to experience.
As a note, I’m limiting this to mainline entries only and consider expansions part of their respective main game. With that, here’s a guide on which Elder Scrolls game to start with if you’ve never played one.
Chronologically (release date): Arena
Perhaps this one will make the most sense to some of you. If you’re going to play a series of significant role-playing games, there’s a solid argument for going through them in the order in which they came out. After all, you’ll get to see how Bethesda improved upon its original formula over the course of a few decades. That’s got to count for something.
That being the case, you’ll want to play The Elder Scrolls in this fashion:
- Arena (1994)
- Daggerfall (1996)
- Morrowind (2002)
- Oblivion (2006)
- Skyrim (2011)
The one thing that will become immediate is the visual quality as you make your way through each game. Given how old some of the past entries are, there’s inevitably going to be a lot of noticeable aging in terms of how each one looks (and how they play).
If you’ve never played an old-school RPG before, then there’s also the question of getting used to the mechanics. One thing that will become apparent is how much emphasis is put on the actual role-playing aspects in things like Arena and Daggerfall (the latter especially), as well as how little the games will hold your hand.
Given this, a few of you may be immediately put off by some of the classic TES entries, but it will give you a sound appreciation for just how far not only this series has come, but video game development on the whole.
I should hasten to add that both the first games are free on GOG. However, for Daggerfall, it is highly recommended to check out the Unity remake of it, which is also free. This will give you the most authentic experience of the original while adding some modern tweaks and quality-of-life changes.
Chronologically (timeline): The Elder Scrolls Online
The history and world of The Elder Scrolls is pretty vast. There are countless resources online where you can trek back through the timeline, trawling through all the most important events that happened, though they’ve yet to be actualized in any of the games.
Spread out over the course of six eras (two prehistoric and four modern), the timeline of Bethesda’s fantasy universe covers an enormous range. As an example: the events of TES Online occur around 1,000 years before Skyrim, the latter of which takes place in the fourth era.
What’s interesting about this is none of the games are set in the first era or before, which means there are huge swathes of Elder Scrolls history that have not been explored in any installment so far.
Technically, if you want to play them in order of story timeline, it’s the exact same list as above, starting from Arena and going through to Skyrim, especially if it’s the history you’re interested in. There are tons of in-game books and documents you can read through at your leisure.
What I will say is, if you actually want to go as far back as you can across the timeline, it’s best to start with The Elder Scrolls Online. It’s not technically a mainline entry in the series, but it takes place in the second era, so it’s the earliest in terms of historical significance.
More action than role-playing: Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls franchise is, at its heart, about role-playing. It always has been and it always will be (check back with this statement when TES6 comes out). But it also has action in droves. No matter which game you play, there’s always a need to battle monsters, bandits, Daedric beings, dragons, and cliff racers (IhatethemihatethemIHATETHEM).
However, most who have played the games over the years will be aware that a shift has taken place. The first entries in the series had a much stronger emphasis on role-playing. Leveling up is more in-depth, with the older games very much taking cues from tabletop RPGs like Dungeons ‘n’ Dragons. It’s noticeable in the likes of Daggerfall, for example, in which you literally “roll” the numbers to generate your character’s stats.
Games 1-3 also have a greater lean towards encouraging exploration, with no quest markers or arrows pointing you to where you need to go. This can be troublesome for people who are used to games giving hints, so they may prefer the later installments.
As such, I would recommend Oblivion or Skyrim. It’s honestly hard to decide between the two. Both games are accessible, especially for people who are relatively new to the RPG genre, but have downplayed the actually role-playing aspects somewhat.
If I were to be pushed for a more certain suggestion, I would go with Oblivion first. It’s technically a prequel to Skyrim, though not in any obvious way, and it’s a good entry point into the series for anyone who prefers their fantasy gaming with a bit more action.
Play the best one first: Morrowind
I really mean it when I say there’s no correct order in which to play The Elder Scrolls in. You don’t have to have played previous installments to enjoy any of them. They exist as separate stories, which is why I’ve split this article into different sections. But if you just want to start with what is arguably considered one of the best entries in the franchise, there really is only one answer: Morrowind.
Seriously. Look on just about any list that ranks the games in order of quality and, chances are, TES3 will be at the top. I’m not just following the crowd, either. I’m inclined to agree with them (though I might rank Daggerfall slightly higher for its greater sense of nostalgia and the game’s sheer scope).
What makes it so special? Everyone will have their own opinion, but for me, it represents an ideal blend of RPG aesthetics and action combined with a huge leap in visual quality. I will acknowledge that it’s aged horribly as the years have gone by. No one can deny that. However, between Daggerfall and Morrowind — about six years — the difference in graphics is jaw-dropping. I mean, you look at this and then look at this; night and day, really.
In short: if you just want to experience what many consider the crème de la crème of The Elder Scrolls, this is the one to go for as your first game.
In order of review scores upon release: Skyrim
There’s a point at which you have to consider what all the fuss is about. As a long-standing series, The Elder Scrolls has made a huge impact on the world of gaming. Maybe it wasn’t the first of its kind (it took inspiration from the likes of Ultima, which technically began in 1979 and is considered one of the first computer-based RPGs in history), but it’s certainly one of the most famous, and it’s still going strong to this day.
For that reason, it’d be interesting to play the games in order of their success, based purely on review scores. However, as some data is missing from Metacritic, I’m going to use the percentage (out of 100) scores from each entry’s Wikipedia page, taking the highest number given at the time of each release. Strap in:
- Skyrim: 96/100
- Oblivion: 95/100
- Morrowind: 90/100
- Daggerfall: 90/100
- Arena (PC): 88/100
Well, would you look at that. It’s exactly the same order as the years they were released in, and the respective timelines they take place in. It almost seems unanimous, really.
If you wanted to play them in a slightly different order, you could go off what the user scores on Metacritic say, but that would just swap Skyrim and Oblivion around. And there’s little data for Arena. You know what, let’s not get bogged down in the minutiae of how successful each game in the Elder Scrolls series has been.
If you want to keep it simple, it seems fairly clear that the best way to play them is basically in order of when they came out, which will also make sense chronologically (if you add in TES Online) as well as how well each one did. There. I’m glad I got out of bed this morning to tell you all that.
