A month after its release, only a small fraction of players have finished the main storyline of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. For a game of this nature, that’s hardly surprising — fans report they’re far too occupied with other activities.
I’m one of those players! I’ve been immersed in Oblivion Remastered since its surprise launch on April 22. After escaping the sewers and delivering the Amulet of Kings to Jauffre at Weynon Priory, I’ve done almost everything except follow the main quest. I joined the Fighters Guild, explored Cyrodiil, and completed numerous side missions. I even attempted to break through the map boundaries, something another player famously managed.
Why? For one, Oblivion’s side quests are wonderfully engaging (no spoilers here), but I’m also intentionally delaying the main story — and its tougher segments like Kvatch — while keeping my character level relatively low.
So my plan is to explore Oblivion freely until I feel ready to tackle the main campaign. But with a Bethesda game like this, is there really a “proper” way to play? That’s the beauty of it — you create your own adventure, and the world responds.
I’m clearly not alone. “I’m TOO BUSY doing OTHER THINGS, like hunting for SLAUGHTERFISH in Lake Rumare,” wrote Reddit user MrCrispyFriedChicken, commenting on the main quest completion rates.
“I’ve logged 160 hours already, and Kvatch is still waiting,” added Roffear. “I’m one of those oddballs who actually enjoys Oblivion gates, so I deliberately avoid finishing the main quest until I’ve found and closed all 60 gates,” shared Ellert0. PlayaHatinIG-88 said: “44 hours and a full in-game year later, I haven’t even visited Weynon Priory. Poor Kvatch guards never stood a chance.”
At the time of writing, just 2.97% of Xbox players and a slightly higher 4.4% on Steam had completed Oblivion Remastered’s main storyline. Why the gap? Likely because Xbox counts Game Pass users, some of whom only sample the game briefly. Steam players, by contrast, typically own the game outright.
Ranking the Best Races in Oblivion
Ranking the Best Races in Oblivion
Either way, completion rates are low for Oblivion Remastered, which has attracted over 4 million players. Yet, this trend isn’t unique — many games see surprisingly few players finish the campaign, regardless of length or genre. Whether it's a sprawling RPG like this or a short Call of Duty story, lots of players drop off after the first hour or tutorial. Gamers can be fickle.
With Oblivion Remastered, numbers might be skewed further since it’s a polished version of a classic many completed years ago. If you beat the original two decades back, why rush through it now? Maybe you'd rather soak in the enhanced visuals, explore side content, or — as one dedicated fan did — spend seven hours arranging books for the perfect Dominoes effect.
Thaddeus122 shared they were nearly 100 hours in without finishing even three main quests. In that time, they completed the Arena and the Mages Guild. And the rest? “Leveling up, earning gold for houses, closing every Oblivion gate, the Nirnroot quest, and loads of smaller missions. Oh, and I don’t use fast travel.”
