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Bethesda's project queue is finally visible: Elder Scrolls VI leads, Fallout fills the pipeline
Bethesda Game Studios spent years with a very simple public roadmap: Starfield first, The Elder Scrolls VI next, Fallout 5 eventually. That description no longer fits. Elder Scrolls VI now has most of the team, Fallout has split into several parallel projects, and Starfield still has another year of announced content ahead of it.
By Maëlle 
One scope note before opening the project board: this is Bethesda Game Studios, the developer of The Elder Scrolls, Fallout and Starfield, rather than every studio and game published under the wider Bethesda Softworks label.
Even with that distinction, the board has become crowded. Bethesda's July studio update confirmed where its big RPGs sit in production and, more unusually, exposed several projects designed to keep its franchises moving without waiting for a single development team to finish one enormous game at a time.
The Elder Scrolls VI finally owns the main production slot
Bethesda calls The Elder Scrolls VI its primary development focus and says the majority of its team is working on it. The studio also says the game is being played internally every day and that development is where it expected it to be.
There is still no release year. Bethesda has not committed to a launch window or final platform list, which is worth keeping separate from the much firmer production update. The meaningful change is simply that this is no longer the project waiting behind Starfield.
It is also one of the first two announced games using Creation Engine 3, Bethesda's new shared technology platform. The company describes new rendering, systems and development tools, but has not shown enough of the technology to turn those claims into a detailed technical assessment yet.
Fallout 5 is real, but it is still in pre-production
Fallout 5 now has an official production status: pre-production. Bethesda calls it the franchise's long-range destination and says it will also run on Creation Engine 3.
That leaves a lot unresolved. There is no setting, release window, platform announcement or other game detail. The studio is explicit that Elder Scrolls VI has most of its development attention today.
Fallout is not waiting for Fallout 5, though. Bethesda has effectively built a bridge of other projects across that gap.
Fallout 3 and New Vegas remasters are both underway
Bethesda says it has been working on remasters of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. Neither project has a date.
The word remaster is the only safe description of their scope for now. Bethesda has not said that either project is being rebuilt to the same degree as Oblivion Remastered, and it has not established which one is further along.
Obsidian is back on Fallout
A separate Fallout project is being developed with Obsidian Entertainment. The announcement deliberately stops there.
There is no official title, setting, release target or confirmed creative lineup. Calling it New Vegas 2 would turn a very understandable fan association into a fact Bethesda has not announced.
The production decision is more interesting anyway. Fallout can now move on another track while Bethesda Game Studios keeps most of its own staff on Elder Scrolls VI.
Fallout 76 has its own road into 2027
Fallout 76 remains in active development after nearly 70 free updates at the time of Bethesda's roadmap announcement. Its next major named expansion is Raven Rock, due in 2027 and described by Bethesda as a prequel story to Fallout 3.
That creates a surprisingly dense Fallout period before Fallout 5: a Fallout 3 remaster, a New Vegas remaster, Obsidian's new project, continued Fallout 76 development and the eventual numbered sequel all exist on the public roadmap.
Fallout Shelter is also continuing with new Seasons, another reminder that Bethesda is treating the franchise as a portfolio rather than a single five-year production cycle.
Starfield still has work scheduled
Starfield did not disappear when Elder Scrolls VI took over the main development slot. Bethesda says the game remains important to its future.
After the PlayStation 5 launch, Free Lanes update and Terran Armada expansion in April 2026, Bethesda says it will continue adding stories, targeted gameplay improvements and further updates. It also announced new Starborn content for 2027 without defining its exact format.
The studio reported more than 17 million players and almost one billion hours played by July. It also said more than 40% of players were using Creations, tying Starfield into a broader creator strategy now shared with Skyrim and Fallout 4.
The larger project is parallel development itself
Bethesda's old release pattern made each major RPG feel like a gate in front of the next one. Finish Starfield, move Elder Scrolls VI forward, then eventually free enough people for Fallout 5.
The new structure is designed to loosen that dependency. Creation Engine 3 is being built as a shared platform for multiple projects. ZeniMax Online Studios is working more closely with Bethesda Game Studios around The Elder Scrolls franchise. Obsidian has a Fallout project of its own. Live teams keep Starfield and Fallout 76 moving while the main RPG group advances Elder Scrolls VI.
That does not mean all of these games are equally close. Bethesda's own language gives us a clear hierarchy: Elder Scrolls VI is the primary development focus, Fallout 5 is in pre-production, and most of the other projects sit somewhere between continuing live support and confirmed development without dates.
The roadmap is finally crowded enough that Bethesda's problem has changed. We know a remarkable amount about what is being built. What we mostly do not know is when it will arrive.