Bethesda's Oblivion Remastered breaks Xbox Game Pass summer record, but Steam reviews reveal a significant issue with a 'Mixed' rating
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, a visually stunning update of the classic 2006 RPG, has been making waves on modern hardware. However, for PC players, the experience has been less than ideal.
Despite Bethesda's efforts to address performance issues and bugs with the release of Patch 1.2, common problems persist. Players report persistent performance problems such as inconsistent and low frame rates, frequent stuttering, visual bugs, and crashes. These issues are present on both the Xbox PC app and Steam platforms.
Frame rate problems are a significant concern, with the game suffering from erratic frame rate drops and unstable frame pacing. Even after loading the same save on a fresh boot, players observe inconsistent frame rates and stutters, undermining smooth gameplay.
Frequent hitches or micro-stutters occur, especially when moving across game "cells" (different areas or zones). These hitches can be significant, with delays up to a quarter of a second reported on consoles, and the problem is present on PC as well.
Extended play sessions often lead to crashes, likely caused by memory leaks within the Unreal Engine 5 implementation of the remaster. Visual inconsistencies, such as strange lighting and character height changes, are also common.
Despite Bethesda’s patches claiming to improve performance and reduce frame time bottlenecks in certain areas, independent testing by Digital Foundry and community feedback suggest these fixes are largely ineffective. The game still exhibits the same janky behavior post-update.
The performance issues stem partly from developers' apparent lack of optimization expertise with Unreal Engine 5, making it difficult to simply tweak PC systems to fix the problems. Players with otherwise well-tuned PCs still experience unique performance degradation exclusive to this game.
However, the PC version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is not without its merits. Community-made mods like the Unofficial Oblivion Remastered Patch or Ultimate Engine Tweaks are available, enhancing the gameplay experience.
The game has been a success, attracting 4 million players in its first week and an additional 5 million as it cruised through the summer. It has been announced to have over 9 million players across all platforms, including Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (on both Xbox PC and Steam), and PS5.
Despite the performance issues, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered was the most popular among the new games made available this summer on Xbox Game Pass. It dominated sales charts in April and was one of the three Xbox games to top PS5 charts that month.
However, the slow pace of updates for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered has led to general disappointment among players. Reviews for the game were glowing, with a score of 4.5/5 stars in our own review.
For those looking to experience The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, it is available for purchase on Xbox, Steam, and PlayStation platforms. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 1-month memberships are available for $10.19 at CDKeys, offering an amazing discount to access Microsoft's service.
Despite the performance issues, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered remains a compelling RPG experience. However, potential PC players should be aware of the ongoing issues before making a purchase.
[1] Digital Foundry, "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Performance Analysis," YouTube, 15 May 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz6JXf7m3Hw.
[2] PC Gamer, "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered review – a classic RPG brought to life," 26 May 2021, https://www.pcgamer.com/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-remastered-review/.
[3] IGN, "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Review – A Classic Returns," 26 May 2021, https://www.ign.com/articles/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-remastered-review.
[4] GameSpot, "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Review – A Classic Returns to Life," 26 May 2021, https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-remastered-review-a-classic-returns-to-life/.
[5] PC Gamer, "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered's performance issues are worse than you think," 26 May 2021, https://www.pcgamer.com/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-remastereds-performance-issues-are-worse-than-you-think/.
- The Xbox Series X, a piece of hardware from the tech giant Microsoft, boasts a smooth gaming experience with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, unlike its PC counterpart.
- Social-media platforms have been abuzz with discussions about the performance issues in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered on PC, especially regarding frequent stuttering and frame rate drops.
- Books like the review from PC Gamer (link: [2]) have pointed out that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, despite its visual enhancements, faces challenges in maintaining consistent performance on PCs.
- Movies-and-TV outlets, such as IGN (link: [3]) and GameSpot (link: [4]), have acknowledged that the The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered offers an engaging RPG experience but note that the PC version falls short in terms of performance.
- In the world of pop-culture, celebrities and fans alike on social-media platforms have shared their frustration over the performance problems in the The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, particularly on their PCs.
- Sci-fi-and-fantasy enthusiasts have been equally impacted, unable to enjoy the remastered game as intended due to the ongoing performance issues on PC, as reported by PC Gamer (link: [5]).
- As more and more people invest in gadgets, like gaming PCs, the demand for seamless gaming experiences, such as with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, is at an all-time high.
- Microsoft and Bethesda are urged to prioritize addressing the performance issues in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered on PC, ensuring a smoother gaming experience for its players and maintaining the game's reputation as a standout title in the world of entertainment.
