Hey you, you’re finally awake. And, by “you” we mean the latest game in Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls series. Officially announced by Bethesda, The Elder Scrolls: Castles will become the latest addition to the beloved The Elder Scrolls series and is due for release in 2024.
But there’s a catch. The Elder Scrolls Castles is probably not the game you’re expecting or hoping for. Instead of being a sequel to Skyrim, and the sixth installment in the mainline series of games, The Elder Scrolls: Castles is a mobile spin-off aiming to join the ranks of the best mobile games. Developed by the same team behind 2015’s Fallout Shelter, Castles is a construction and management simulator in which you’re responsible for building your own long-lasting empire from the ground up.
In a post to X, Bethesda explained that Castles has been in development for the “last few years” and shared some clues as to what you should be expecting from the game: “build your own dynasty where every day in our world is a year in the game’s world. Citizens are born, they die, rulers change, and can be betrayed.”
Putting two and two together, it sounds like you’ll be able to create a great Game of Thrones-style ‘house’ in Castles, alongside infrastructure like a giant castle and a surrounding city. With this in mind, it’s likely that Castles isn’t too beholden to existing Elder Scrolls lore, which is deep and expansive. Instead, you’ll craft your own story within the world of Tamriel and make your own Jarl, Monarch, or Emporer while fending off opponents.
Castles is the third mobile game in The Elder Scrolls series, following on from Blades and Legends, and is currently only available in the Philippines while Bethesda tests the rollout of the game and gathers feedback on it before committing to a wider, international release. However, you can pre-register now for early access so that you can be among the first to step back into Tamriel once the game officially launches.
While The Elder Scrolls: Castles might not be the Skyrim sequel we’ve been waiting over a decade for (and The Elder Scrolls 6 release date is still very much unknown), that’s not a reason to dismiss it or diminish its potential. Too often gamers reject a game because it’s not what they wanted, rather than appreciating it for what it actually is. As a free-to-play mobile game set in Tamriel, Castles certainly has the potential to win over a lot of fans and be immensely entertaining, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on it as its release date nears.
For more Elder Scrolls fun, check out our guide for the Skyrim map, and our explainer on Skyrim’s Lydia. Or, see our list of the best Nintendo Switch RPGs.