Elder Scrolls 6 hits new internal milestone using Creation Engine 3

The Elder Scrolls 6 has reached a major internal development milestone and will be Bethesda’s first game built on Creation Engine 3, studio director Todd Howard revealed during a Kinda Funny Games podcast interview. Over 250 developers are now working on the project, with most of Bethesda Game Studios’ internal team focused on returning to the “classic style” that defined Skyrim.

Bethesda returns to classic Elder Scrolls formula with Creation Engine 3

“We do have a certain style that we like and our fans like that we want to get better at,” Howard said. “In many ways, Starfield and Fallout 76 are a creative detour from that classic Elder Scrolls and Fallout (style), where you’re exploring a world in a certain way. As we come back to Elder Scrolls 6, which we are working on now, we are coming back to that classic style that we’ve missed and know really well.”

Howard emphasized that Creation Engine 3 represents years of technical evolution. “We spent the last, you know, several years bringing Creation Engine 2, which powers Starfield, up to Creation Engine 3, that’s going to power Elder Scrolls 6 and beyond,” he explained. Not much is known about the transition from Engine 2 to 3, but hopefully it addresses the age and wear and tear of the now ancient engine.

Elder Scrolls 6 development ramping up after Starfield launch

The extended development timeline between The Elder Scrolls 6’s 2018 announcement and 2026 can be partly explained by the engine overhaul. Creation Engine 2 was designed specifically to power Starfield, which took roughly seven years to develop and release. The Elder Scrolls 6 has now progressed through two iterations of the Creation Engine while maintaining Bethesda’s distinctive design philosophy.

While Howard confirmed the game recently passed a major internal milestone, he did not share a release date. Most of Bethesda’s internal team now works on The Elder Scrolls 6 alongside third-party studios, while smaller teams handle Fallout 76 updates and Starfield post-launch support. The development team includes many veterans from Skyrim alongside new talent.

Howard appeared on the Kinda Funny Games podcast on February 18th, his first major interview since the Fallout Season 2 premiere in December 2025 where he last spike about ES6. The wide-ranging discussion covered Starfield’s reception, AI in game development, and Howard’s career at Bethesda.