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Todd Howard Confirms Elder Scrolls 6 Will Run on Creation Engine 3 and Is Approaching a Major Milestone

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19 February 2026 10:04

TL;DR

Todd Howard has confirmed that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be powered by Creation Engine 3, the next generation of Bethesda's in-house engine, which will also support future projects beyond ES6.
Speaking on the Kinda Funny Gamescast, Howard said the studio is satisfied with the game's current direction and indicated it is approaching a significant development milestone, though he stopped short of any specifics.
Howard also admitted that if he had complete freedom, he would never announce games in advance, a candid admission given that Elder Scrolls 6 was first teased back in 2018.

Seven years have passed since Bethesda Game Studios showed a brief, landscape-only teaser for The Elder Scrolls 6 at E3 2018. Since then, the studio shipped Fallout 76, released and re-released Skyrim in what felt like every format known to humanity, and launched Starfield to a mixed reception in 2023. For a lot of Elder Scrolls fans, the wait has started to feel less like patience and more like a test of faith.

Todd Howard has not said much to ease that feeling over the years. But a recent appearance on the Kinda Funny Gamescast offered a few genuine pieces of new information, and for those still holding out hope, it is probably the most substantive update on Elder Scrolls 6 in a long time.

Creation Engine 3 Is Real, and Elder Scrolls 6 Will Use It

The most concrete piece of news to come out of the interview is the confirmation that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be built on Creation Engine 3. This is a step forward from Creation Engine 2, which powered Starfield, and it continues Bethesda's pattern of developing or significantly upgrading its proprietary engine in step with each major release.

Howard described CE3 as the foundation not just for Elder Scrolls 6 but for what comes after it as well: "That's going to power Elder Scrolls VI and beyond."

For context, Creation Engine has been the backbone of Bethesda's open world RPGs since it was first used for Skyrim in 2011, itself an evolution of the Gamebryo engine that powered Oblivion and Fallout 3. CE2 brought meaningful improvements to Starfield, including a new procedural generation system for planets and updated rendering technology, though critics noted the engine still showed its age in certain areas. The move to CE3 suggests Bethesda is investing in addressing those limitations rather than building on a foundation that many felt had become a bottleneck.

Howard framed it in terms of immersion and novelty: "We have a game style that we really, really like, and I think people expect from us. There's a lot of innovation to be done there still, so that when you step into a world, you feel like you're experiencing it really for the first time, a game like that. I think we're happy with where it's headed right now. That's what I could say."

That phrase, "really for the first time," is interesting. It implies Bethesda is aware that the open world RPG formula, which the studio effectively defined for a generation of players, now exists in a far more crowded landscape than it did when Skyrim launched. Games like The Witcher 3, Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077 have raised expectations significantly. Elder Scrolls 6 will need to feel genuinely new, not just bigger.

A Significant Milestone Is Coming

Howard also touched on where development currently stands, and while he did not use specific language, the implication was positive. He indicated that the project is about to pass what he called a significant development milestone, without elaborating on what that milestone actually involves.

Howard Wishes He Had Never Announced It

One of the more candid moments in the interview came when Howard was asked directly about the seven years that have passed since the ES6 announcement. His answer was honest in a way that feels rare for someone in his position.

He said that if he had his way, he would never announce anything. His preferred approach would be to simply release a game one day without any prior announcement at all.

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Tags: Elder Scrolls 6 Bethesda

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Todd Howard Confirms Elder Scrolls 6 Will Run on Creation Engine 3 and Is Approaching a Major Milestone

More

19 February 2026 10:04

Tags: Elder Scrolls 6 Bethesda

TL;DR

Todd Howard has confirmed that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be powered by Creation Engine 3, the next generation of Bethesda's in-house engine, which will also support future projects beyond ES6.
Speaking on the Kinda Funny Gamescast, Howard said the studio is satisfied with the game's current direction and indicated it is approaching a significant development milestone, though he stopped short of any specifics.
Howard also admitted that if he had complete freedom, he would never announce games in advance, a candid admission given that Elder Scrolls 6 was first teased back in 2018.

Seven years have passed since Bethesda Game Studios showed a brief, landscape-only teaser for The Elder Scrolls 6 at E3 2018. Since then, the studio shipped Fallout 76, released and re-released Skyrim in what felt like every format known to humanity, and launched Starfield to a mixed reception in 2023. For a lot of Elder Scrolls fans, the wait has started to feel less like patience and more like a test of faith.

Todd Howard has not said much to ease that feeling over the years. But a recent appearance on the Kinda Funny Gamescast offered a few genuine pieces of new information, and for those still holding out hope, it is probably the most substantive update on Elder Scrolls 6 in a long time.

Creation Engine 3 Is Real, and Elder Scrolls 6 Will Use It

The most concrete piece of news to come out of the interview is the confirmation that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be built on Creation Engine 3. This is a step forward from Creation Engine 2, which powered Starfield, and it continues Bethesda's pattern of developing or significantly upgrading its proprietary engine in step with each major release.

Howard described CE3 as the foundation not just for Elder Scrolls 6 but for what comes after it as well: "That's going to power Elder Scrolls VI and beyond."

For context, Creation Engine has been the backbone of Bethesda's open world RPGs since it was first used for Skyrim in 2011, itself an evolution of the Gamebryo engine that powered Oblivion and Fallout 3. CE2 brought meaningful improvements to Starfield, including a new procedural generation system for planets and updated rendering technology, though critics noted the engine still showed its age in certain areas. The move to CE3 suggests Bethesda is investing in addressing those limitations rather than building on a foundation that many felt had become a bottleneck.

Howard framed it in terms of immersion and novelty: "We have a game style that we really, really like, and I think people expect from us. There's a lot of innovation to be done there still, so that when you step into a world, you feel like you're experiencing it really for the first time, a game like that. I think we're happy with where it's headed right now. That's what I could say."

That phrase, "really for the first time," is interesting. It implies Bethesda is aware that the open world RPG formula, which the studio effectively defined for a generation of players, now exists in a far more crowded landscape than it did when Skyrim launched. Games like The Witcher 3, Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077 have raised expectations significantly. Elder Scrolls 6 will need to feel genuinely new, not just bigger.