A character in Oblivion Remastered balancing a staff in his hand.

Bethesda’s RPGs are known for their extensive mod support, but The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is breaking from a core underpinning of what made mods so viable. Since Morrowind, titles in the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series have traditionally been developed in Gamebryo or its successor, the Creation Engine, establishing an unbroken lineage of adaptability. Oblivion Remastered pivots to Unreal Engine 5, which escapes some of the Creation Engine’s awkward limitations while inherently posing some new challenges.

This isn’t the first time that Bethesda has given the modding scene a shake-up with a remaster, and Skyrim —Special Edition broke compatibility with many classic mods. Without an engine change, however, converting existing projects to Special Edition was often a very doable process, and many iconic mods available for the game today are built for Special Edition rather than the original release. Unfortunately, it looks like the modding scene for Oblivion Remastered won’t have the same easy path that previous Bethesda games have established.

Oblivion Remastered Doesn’t Support Mods

Bethesda Might Be Breaking Tradition

Emperor Uriel Septim VII clutching the Amulet of Kings in Oblivion Remastered. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered Environment The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion Remastered Key Art Emperor Uriel Septim VII clutching the Amulet of Kings in Oblivion Remastered. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered Environment The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion Remastered Key Art

Per Bethesda’s official support page, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered does not support mods. While this doesn’t mean mods won’t exist for the game on PC, it does mean they won’t have the same support as other Bethesda games, potentially limiting the possibilities and making total conversion projects with new stories and settings less likely. Bethesda games have also frequently broken the norm by supporting mods on console, but no console mods will be possible for Oblivion Remastered without support.

Will Mod Support Come To Oblivion Remastered Later On?

Never Say Never

Starfield DLC tower with a player in front of it looking to the stars.

Although the wording of Bethesda’s current support notice doesn’t suggest any planned mod support in the future, it’s not impossible that things could change. Mod support is sometimes a post-launch addition, and it took a number of months to come to Starfield. Oblivion Remastered is off to a strong start, shooting to over 150,000 concurrent players on Steam (as recorded by SteamDB) hours after its release, which could help make mod support a priority in the future.

That being said, the switch to Unreal Engine 5 does make it less likely than in other examples, as the Creation Kit template that Bethesda has used for other recent games wouldn’t transfer in the same way. For now, Bethesda recommends uninstalling mods and then verifying game files if mods cause problems on PC.

If you’re looking to play a radically different version of Oblivion, you might be better off installing overhaul mods for the original games rather than diving into the remaster. With a fresh coat of paint and some new mechanics and quality-of-life features, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered might still provide a better experience, but it’s not one that will have the same level of freedom to change things up anytime soon.