Oblivion Remastered on PS5 — A Charming Journey Back to Cyrodiil

There’s something irresistible about stepping back into a game world that defined a generation of RPGs. It’s clear from the moment the game boots up that this remaster doesn’t aim to be revolutionary. The textures are sharper, the lighting softer and more dramatic, and the draw distances extended just far enough to make those distant towers and rolling hills worth walking toward. But beyond the visuals, it’s the experience that matters. 

Glitches With a Side of Charm

Let’s be honest—bugs are part of the Elder Scrolls legacy. Even the most polished entries have their moments of unintended chaos. But in Oblivion Remastered, the glitches are far less intrusive. Gone are the game-breaking crashes and baffling AI meltdowns that haunted the original on console. Instead, you’ll encounter enemy twitching during combat, the occasional animation hiccup, and some noticeable pop-in if you’re sprinting or riding at full speed through densely populated zones.

Rather than frustrate, these quirks feel oddly comforting. They don’t upend the experience. If anything, they remind us of the game’s roots—a mid-2000s open-world title doing its best to simulate a complex, living world on limited resources. Sure, watching an NPC freeze mid-sentence before turning sharply on their heel is silly. But it’s the kind of silly that Elder Scrolls fans have come to love. It’s part of the package, like guards who shout about stolen sweetrolls or physics objects that occasionally have minds of their own.

Performance on PS5 helps reduce the sting (one of the reasons why we buy PS5 games). Load times are swift, stuttering is rare, and frame rates remain stable in most areas. Compared to the original, or even the early releases of Skyrim, Oblivion Remastered is an impressive leap forward in stability.

Preservation Over Reinvention

Remasters walk a tightrope—improve too much, and you risk losing the soul of the original. Change too little, and players wonder why you bothered. Oblivion Remastered manages that balance with care. It doesn’t strip away the personality of 2006’s Cyrodiil; it amplifies it.

Visual improvements are everywhere, but they’re subtle. Character models look cleaner, though still a bit stiff—especially in dialogue scenes. Animations have been tweaked just enough to reduce awkwardness without overwriting the original style. You’ll still see your avatar lean a bit too far during sword swings or sprint like they’re late for class, but it’s all part of the fun.

Voice lines and soundtrack remain intact, and that’s a blessing. Jeremy Soule’s music still wraps every moment in gentle grandeur, and the iconic delivery of lines like “Stop right there, criminal scum!” feels better preserved than replaced.

The UI, too, has been modernized—but thoughtfully. Menus are easier to navigate, the quest log is more legible, and inventory management has become less of a spreadsheet chore. Yet none of these changes feel disruptive. If anything, they make The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered easier to fall in love with, whether you’re returning after a long hiatus or starting fresh.

A World Built for Wanderers

Cyrodiil has aged gracefully. It may not have the vertical grandeur of Skyrim or the alien wonder of Morrowind, but its pastoral charm still stands out. Forests feel dense and inviting, towns bustle with just enough life to feel lived-in, and ruins beckon from hillsides without flashing neon signs or blinking waypoints.

Side quests emerge naturally—from conversations, rumors, chance encounters—and the main quest doesn’t rush you. Want to ignore the gates of Oblivion to explore the Shivering Isles or join the Dark Brotherhood? The game is perfectly content to let you.

The remaster smartly integrates all of the original’s downloadable content. From the sprawling madness of the Shivering Isles to the Knightly pursuits in Knights of the Nine, it’s all here, woven into the main game with care. This isn’t a separate menu or Dungeons feel handcrafted, not procedurally generated. ​And because of that, it all feels more intimate—even when you’re saving the world.

Welcoming Newcomers Without Alienating Veterans

One of the remaster’s greatest strengths is its ability to appeal across generations of players. If you played The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered on release, this is a comforting return. The big moments—the assassination of the Emperor, the handing off of the Amulet of Kings, your first trip through an Oblivion gate—feel just as impactful, now wrapped in cleaner visuals and steadier performance.

Combat is still a bit clunky by modern standards, but it’s responsive enough to feel engaging. Faction storylines, Daedric quests, exploration, loot hunting—it’s a deep, rewarding world that doesn’t require prior Elder Scrolls knowledge to enjoy.

A Mid-2000s Heartbeat You Can Still Feel

There’s a certain texture to mid-2000s RPGs that’s hard to replicate today. Maybe it’s the way dialogue pauses linger just a beat too long, or how quest markers don’t handhold as aggressively. Maybe it’s the earnestness—less irony, less edge, more worldbuilding and wonder.

Oblivion Remastered captures that perfectly. It doesn’t feel like a brand-new game, but that’s not a weakness. You can see the seams, sure. But you can also see the heart. The ambition. The love poured into a game that, even back then, wanted players to feel like heroes in a world worth saving.

It’s not trying to compete with Elden Ring or Horizon. It’s trying to remind you what made Elder Scrolls special to begin with—freedom, depth, and a touch of delightful weirdness.

Final Verdict: Worth the Trip, Worth the Time

Oblivion Remastered on PS5 is more than just a prettier version of a classic RPG. It’s a tribute, a polished and respectful update that keeps what made the original unforgettable while sanding down the parts that showed their age.

It’s not without flaws—some animations still amuse unintentionally, pop-in can distract, and certain NPC interactions remain clunky. But these are small wrinkles in an otherwise rich tapestry. They don’t spoil the adventure. If anything, they give it character.

For longtime fans, it’s a warm return to the gates of Cyrodiil. For newcomers, those who buy new PS5 games to play the latest RPGs, it’s a robust, welcoming experience that proves you don’t need flashy gimmicks or hyper-realism to tell a great story.

And Oblivion, even almost two decades later, still has that in spades.