The Elder Scrolls Online
An MMORPG set in Tamriel during the Second Era.
The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game from ZeniMax Online Studios and Bethesda Softworks. It takes place on the continent of Tamriel during the Second Era, with a story that loosely connects to other games in the Elder Scrolls series. The game spent seven years in development before launching in April 2014 for Windows and macOS, followed by PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions in June 2015, and PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions in June 2021. It originally required a monthly subscription to play.
Critics gave the game mixed reviews at first. That changed in March 2015, when the game was re-released and rebranded as *The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited*. This version dropped the mandatory subscription in favor of a buy-to-play model, adding microtransactions and an optional subscription. By 2020, ESO had sold over 15 million copies, and by 2024, it had earned more than $2 billion.
In December 2024, ZeniMax Online Studios announced a major change to how content would be delivered. Starting in 2025, the game moved away from its usual annual chapter releases to a seasonal content model, designed to give players more frequent and consistent updates throughout the year.
**Gameplay**
Like earlier Elder Scrolls games, ESO can be played from a first-person or third-person perspective. The gameplay is mostly non-linear, mixing quests, random events, and free-roaming exploration. There is no offline single-player mode, though the developers promised plenty of content for solo play online.
Players choose from ten races: Nords, Redguards, Bretons, and Imperials (the last requires a separate purchase) among humans; Dunmer (Dark Elves), Altmer (High Elves), Bosmer (Wood Elves), and Orsimer (Orcs) among elvish races; and Khajiit and Argonians among bestial races. There are seven classes: Dragonknight, Sorcerer, Nightblade, Templar, Warden, Necromancer, and Arcanist. Each class provides different attacks, spells, and passive effects. Characters can also become vampires or werewolves, each with its own skill tree. As of Update 49, released on March 9, 2026, becoming a vampire or werewolf is more accessible, and the Crown Store no longer sells cures or the ability to purchase vampirism or lycanthropy.
Quick Facts
- Title
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- Developer
- ZeniMax Online StudiosBethesda Game Studios consulted on development.
- Publisher
- Bethesda Softworks
- Director
- Nick Giacomini
- Producer
- Ala Diaz
- Designer
- Nick Konkle · Richard Lambert
- Programmer
- Daniel Dunham
- Artist
- Jared Carr · Mathew Weathers
- Writer
- Wynne McLaughlin · Lawrence Schick
- Composer
- Brad Derrick / Jeremy SouleAdditional and ambient music by Rik Schaffer & Inon Zur
- Engine
- Improved Gamebryo engine
- Series
- The Elder Scrolls
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Elder Scrolls Online is set on the continent of Tamriel during the Second Era, approximately a millennium before the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and around 800 years before The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The game features two concurrent conflicts: one against the Daedric Prince Molag Bal, who seeks to merge the plane of Mundus with his realm of Coldharbour, and another for control of the vacant imperial throne, contested by three alliances. The player character begins as a soulless husk (a soul shriven) in the Wailing Prison of Coldharbour, having been sacrificed to Molag Bal, and the recovery of their soul is the primary objective.
The three warring factions are the First Aldmeri Dominion (Altmer, Bosmer, Khajiit) led by Queen Ayrenn; the Daggerfall Covenant (Bretons, Redguards, Orsimer) led by High King Emeric; and the Ebonheart Pact (Nord, Dunmer, Argonian) led by Jorunn Skald-King. The Empire itself, led by Empress Regent Clivia Tharn, is a non-joinable faction. Players may choose from ten races (including Imperials via separate purchase) and seven classes: Dragonknight, Sorcerer, Nightblade, Templar, Warden, Necromancer, or Arcanist. Characters can also become vampires or werewolves, each with its own skill tree; as of Update 49 (March 9, 2026), becoming a vampire or werewolf became more accessible, and monetization of cures and purchases for these conditions was removed from the Crown Store.
Reader's Guide
The Elder Scrolls Online is notable as the first massively multiplayer online entry in the long-running Elder Scrolls series, developed over seven years by the newly formed ZeniMax Online Studios. Its initial launch in 2014 was met with mixed critical reception, largely due to its mandatory monthly subscription model, which was abandoned in March 2015 with the Tamriel Unlimited rebranding that shifted to a buy-to-play model with optional subscription and microtransactions. This change, along with ongoing content updates, helped the game achieve strong commercial success, selling over 15 million units by 2020 and generating over $2 billion in revenue by 2024. The game's significance lies in its expansion of the Elder Scrolls universe into the MMORPG genre, offering a persistent online world with non-linear gameplay, first- or third-person perspectives, and a mixture of quests, random events, and free-roaming exploration. In December 2024, ZeniMax Online Studios announced a major shift in content delivery, moving away from annual chapter releases to a seasonal content model beginning in 2025, designed to provide more frequent and consistent updates. The game's legacy includes its long-term support and adaptation to player feedback, as well as its role in demonstrating that a single-player RPG franchise could successfully transition to a live-service MMO format.
Did You Know?
- The Elder Scrolls Online was in development for seven years before its 2014 release.
- The game launched with a mandatory monthly subscription, which was dropped in March 2015 with the Tamriel Unlimited rebranding.
- By 2024, the game had generated over $2 billion in revenue.
- In December 2024, ZeniMax Online Studios announced a shift to a seasonal content model starting in 2025.
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