Just over a decade since its launch, The Elder Scrolls Online is still going strong. Things are changing throughout Tamriel, though, as Zenimax Online Studios details what lies ahead in its 2026 ESO roadmap. You can expect a wealth of changes over the next few months, including ongoing discussion around finally making crossplay possible. While that's exciting, could we see a Nintendo Switch 2 port take shape?
In a recent preview session for The Elder Scrolls Online's forthcoming updates, Zenimax Online Studios executive producer Susan Kath discusses the possibility of crossplay integration. According to a report from True Achievements, Kath notes that the feature "is definitely coming, but it's going to be a while […] we are working on it. It is a complex problem for a game like ESO, as it was never built with this in mind. There are a lot of considerations we have to make."
ESO initially launched on PC in 2014, before expanding to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2015, and then to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2021. As a result, Kath expresses the huge task of merging these communities, adding that "there are economic differences between the console realms and the PC realms, and we have to find a way to merge them in such a way that is fair for everyone who's participating in this." However, Kath says that "it's going to be a while, but I assure you that we are working on it" and that initial tests for the feature may appear throughout the year.
Surprisingly, despite a considerable roadmap to dig into, there's no mention of whether the game could get a Nintendo Switch 2 release. On the original version of the handheld, it wouldn't have been possible, that's for sure. The recent Skyrim Switch 2 port might have you thinking it wouldn't work on Nintendo's latest console, too. Yet, ESO works just fine on consoles of a similar power scale like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally Z1e. It isn't like there isn't a hunger for it, either.
Over on the game's subreddit, just three weeks ago, players were asking for it to happen. I understand that ZOS is likely to focus on getting crossplay working before considering a Switch 2 version, but the lack of at least some acknowledgement for the platform is still strange. With the handheld becoming a third-party beast with RPGs like Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring finding homes on it, I'd like to see ESO become part of the fold.
I'm freshly back into the game after a couple of years away, and it's completely taken up my spare time. Now is the best time to hop back in, too, as 2026 marks a huge shift for how ZOS is approaching new content. Rather than zeroing in on enormous annual updates, ESO is transitioning to seasonal updates. Similar to Fortnite, ZOS says that each season "could contain new adventures to experience, realms to explore, and ways to play, all the things you expect from ESO content, but contained within a three-month period."
In the same development diary, the developer adds that "because the team is no longer working on a singular major yearly update, content will arrive continuously throughout the year (and throughout each season), allowing for greater choice and variety." The first season, Dawn and Dusk, begins on April 2, 2026.