Avowed vs The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
Obsidian's packed first-person RPG versus Bethesda's faithful remaster — pick your flavor of fantasy freedom.
Updated 26d ago
Dual-wielding a wand and a flintlock is genuinely great — but the open world is empty and the choices never branch, so it misses the Obsidian reactivity you came for.
Shivering Isles and the Daedric questlines hold up 20 years on — but a stutter-riddled UE5 port and a year of dev silence make this one to wait for on sale.
By the numbers
Prices checked Sep 22; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.
Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Sep 22.
| Measure | Avowed | The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered |
|---|---|---|
| Value The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered wins on value | ||
| Price now | $44.99 −10% · PlayerLand | $31.49 −37% · Fanatical |
| All-time low | $29.99 | $28.36 |
| Cost / hour | $2.23/hr $44.99 · 20 h main story | $1.81/hr $31.49 · 17 h main story |
| Off its low | +50% low was Jun 2026 | +11% low was Nov 2025 |
| Main story | 20 h | 17 h |
| Health Avowed wins on player health | ||
| Steam reviews | 77% 13k reviews | 75% 70k reviews |
| Recent reviews | 77% 141 votes · vs 77% lifetime | 47% 354 votes · vs 75% lifetime · souring |
| Peak players | 1,289 Aug 2026 · ↑ 28% MoM | 2,940 Aug 2026 · ↑ 12% MoM |
| Launch peak | 7% of Feb 2025 launch peak · as of Aug 2026 | — |
| All-time peak | 19,161 Feb 2025 | 140,837 May 2025 · now at 2% |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | 6 months ago | 15 months ago |
| Patch cadence | 0 in last 90 days | 0 in last 90 days |
| Steam Deck | Gold | Platinum |
Shared scale — same months across the bottom, same player-count axis up the side, so the two lines are directly comparable. A shorter line means a younger game.
What players say
Patterns from long-haul reviewers, taken from each game's verdict. Not live sentiment — each side is dated below.
Avowed
The combat's magic toolkit — dual-wielding wands, guns, and swords with flashy spells — keeps long-haul players coming back.
The open world feels big for no reason, and choices don't matter, leaving progression gated and exploration unrewarding for many 100-hour vets.
from our August 2026 verdict
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
The quest design and world charm hold up over 100 hours — the Shivering Isles and Daedric questlines are what veterans replay.
The stutter and crash-riddled UE5 port is the wall long-time players hit, made worse by a year of silence from the devs.
from our August 2026 verdict
Key differences
Which one is for you?
Pick Avowed if
- You crave fast first-person combat without heavy systemic simulation.
- You're fine with a 20-hour campaign and prefer tight pacing over huge maps.
- You want a polished RPG with no need for mods, despite a smaller world.
Pick The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered if
- You loved the original Oblivion and want just a visual refresh, not a remake.
- You're willing to mod to fix performance and accept launch glitches.
- You value open-world freedom and side quests over a focused story.
Bottom line
Choose Avowed for a tight, action-first campaign at a lower cost per hour; choose Oblivion if you want sprawling exploration and can tolerate technical issues.
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