Bethesda Game Studios officially announced, and released, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered to the delight of franchise fans and for newcomers to the games. For $50 on Steam, the remaster comes with the base game and all the DLC recreated utilizing the Unreal Engine 5 and looks to be a fantastic deal. There is no doubt that the Oblivion Remastered will top the best-selling charts (it already has), but it will also be interesting to see how many people will purchase, or go back to, the original game.
As of April 22, 2025 at 11:30 am EST, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition on Steam is $14.99 and was released back in 2009 (the base game was released 2006 Deluxe Edition is $19.99). It currently has 1,231 players on Steam (according to SteamDB), isn’t in the Top 100 Most Played on Steam (Stellaris is #100 with 14,134 players at this time), but is ranked #42 in Top 100 Sellers on Steam. What is even more surprising is that this 16-year-old version of the game is beating out Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows which is ranked at #45 (it hasn’t been doing too well sales-wise).
So why do we find it more fascinating to see how the 2009 GOTY edition will perform now that the Oblivion Remastered is out? For a number of reasons. We are seeing a remastered edition go up against the original in an economic environment that has been in a recession for years, with inflation constantly rising, and a depression looming in the near future. Not to mention President Trump’s Tariffs sending the world economy into quite an insane cascade of ever-shifting waters. People are working more, making less, and spending less which could translate into a shift in priorities when it comes to video game spending.
Especially in this particular case.
Given the shift in gaming and gamers wanting to be a part of the current trend and water cooler topics, it makes one wonder if new gamers will simply purchase the older version because of its $20 price tag in order to be a part of the conversation about Oblivion. After all, what better way to pretend you know what you are talking about, then to simply purchase the older, cheaper game and still be able to participate in chasing after the algo?
With these factors to consider, it is highly probable that the 2009 Game of the Year Edition for Oblivion is going to continue skyrocketing up in the Steam charts for Top Sellers. Where it will peak at, who knows? Yet could it be possible that the original might even knock the remaster out of the #1 spot? We think so.
At the very least, don’t be surprised to see The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition hit in the Top 10 Sellers on Steam quickly. That said, whatever happens doesn’t really matter because it’s all extra money for Bethesda who will be reaping the rewards of remastering Oblivion. Selling copies of the original game is just extra gravy and will probably result in additional sales for the remaster later down the road.
It’s an exciting time for Bethesda and The Elder Scrolls franchise!
What do you think?
UPDATE #1: While many will not care, it has already been revealed that the Oblivion Remastered replaced Male/Female options in the character creator with Body Type A/B which could affect potential sales with the anti-woke crowd as prominent figures possibly start promoting the idea that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is woke.
UPDATE #2: at 12:30pm EST, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition 2009 has reached Rank #24, even the soundtrack is making sales at rank 27 on Steam.
UPDATE #3: 1:30pm EST The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition 2009 has reached #14, Deluxe edition at #15, and the soundtrack at #18. At this pace, it is on track to quickly overtake Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which isn’t out yet, and Lords of the Fallen which as seen a big resurgence on Steam.
UPDATE #4: 2:30pm EST – The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition 2009 has reached #13, Deluxe at #14, and the soundtrack at #16.
UPDATE #5: 4:30am EST – The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition 2009 has mysteriously disappeared from the Top 100, along with the soundtrack, and only the Deluxe edition is there at rank #14.
UPDATE #6: 6:30pm EST Now all three products are no longer showing up on Steam’s Top 100 Selling titles: The GOTY Edition, the Deluxe edition, and the soundtrack. All three products are still available on Steam, but they are no longer being tracked sales-wise?
UPDATE #7: 10:00pm EST – all three products never popped up on Steam’s Top 100 Sellers again since their sudden disappearance. Pretty sure that the Oblivion GOTY edition and Deluxe edition are still selling. Just odd to see them drop like that so suddenly.
Do you think The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009) will knock Oblivion Remaster out of the #1 selling spot on Steam?#OblivionRemastered #Oblivion #PCGaming #XBOX #PlayStation #theelderscrolls #TES
— Sean D Knight (@SeanDKnight) April 22, 2025
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