Avowed vs The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

Obsidian's tight, 35-hour RPG versus Bethesda's sprawling, remastered sandbox — both feature faction quests, but one respects your time more.

Avowed cover
Avowed 7.5/10 Strong

Smarter than the Skyrim-killer pitch suggested; smaller, too — Avowed is Obsidian writing in a tighter playground than fans hoped for.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered cover
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered 8.0/10 Strong

Bethesda's surprise remaster of the 2006 GOAT — Oblivion's best parts (Dark Brotherhood, Shivering Isles) finally look as weird as they always felt.

Steam popularity

Shared scale — sparklines are directly comparable across both games.

Avowed
Jun 2026 peak CCU 869 ↑ 48% MoM
All-time peak 19,161 (Feb 2025 · now at 5%)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
Jun 2026 peak CCU 2,500 ↓ 6% MoM
All-time peak 140,837 (May 2025 · now at 2%)

Key differences

World scope
Avowed's Living Lands is a hand-crafted ~35-hour region with Obsidian's reactive quest design.
Oblivion's Cyrodiil is a massive, simulation-heavy open world with hundreds of hours of content.
Combat style
Avowed offers first-person combat with bow, dual weapons, parry, and dash—takes time to click.
Oblivion retains classic 2006 first-person melee/magic with rough edges and no modern pacing.
Quest writing
Obsidian's branching dialogue and faction quests channel Pillars of Eternity's reactivity.
Oblivion's side-quests like Dark Brotherhood are peak Bethesda, but main campaign is unchanged.

Which one is for you?

Pick Avowed if

  • You came to RPGs via Pillars of Eternity or Fallout: New Vegas.
  • You prefer a focused 35-hour experience over a 200-hour sandbox.
  • You enjoy first-person combat that rewards timing and loot management.

Pick The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered if

  • You played Oblivion in 2006 and want the version matching your memory.
  • You love side-quest arcs like the Dark Brotherhood and Shivering Isles.
  • You are fine with leveled scaling and UE5 technical quirks.

Bottom line

Avowed for lore-hungry Obsidian fans; Oblivion if you crave a massive, nostalgic sandbox with legendary side-quests.