The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered Faces Backlash as Steam Reviews Turn Mixed
2025-09-08 17:29:57The Steam platform has recently witnessed a significant shift in player sentiment towards The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, with the game's review score declining to a 'Mixed' rating. This change reflects growing dissatisfaction among PC gamers who have encountered numerous technical challenges since the title's unexpected release earlier this year.
Despite an impressive launch that saw over 200,000 concurrent players on Steam shortly after its surprise release, player numbers have experienced a dramatic decline. By July, peak concurrent players had dropped to approximately 10,000, and recent data shows this number has fallen even further to around 4,000 players. This substantial decrease cannot be attributed solely to the game's campaign length but appears directly connected to ongoing technical shortcomings.
The primary complaints from disappointed players center around persistent performance issues that have plagued the PC version since launch. Numerous reports cite frequent frame rate drops, extended loading times, and overall optimization problems that detract from the gaming experience. Interestingly, some community members claim the game actually performed better at initial release, suggesting that subsequent updates may have introduced new problems rather than resolving existing ones.
The development teams at Bethesda Game Studios and Virtuos have faced criticism for their slow response to these technical challenges. While back-to-back updates were released in June and July, many players feel these patches failed to adequately address the core performance issues. The extended periods between updates have left the community questioning whether additional fixes are forthcoming or if the July patch represented the final effort to improve the game's performance.
Another significant point of contention among players is the game's limited support for community-created modifications. The Elder Scrolls franchise has historically thrived on its vibrant modding community, with titles like Skyrim maintaining longevity and player engagement largely through user-generated content. The absence of robust mod support in Oblivion Remastered has left many fans feeling the experience falls short compared to other games in the series.
This limitation appears to be driving players back to previous titles in the franchise, particularly Skyrim, which continues to benefit from extensive mod support and community development. Many veterans of the series believe Skyrim offers greater replay value and has been consistently improved over time through community contributions, creating a stark contrast with the current state of Oblivion Remastered.