Oblivion Remastered arrived unexpectedly and soon topped the charts, pulling in millions of curious players, including those reliving old memories and those playing for the first time.
Even with all the talk, only a tiny fraction of players made it to the end of the main quest. Across platforms, the completion rate sits somewhere between 3% and 7%.
That might seem bad on paper, but the story behind those numbers is way more complex. First things first: Oblivion has always been designed around freedom.
Once players exit the Imperial Sewers and pass off the Amulet of Kings, the game drops a “Go do whatever” on them. There’s no pressure to dive into the story right away. That main design stayed the same in the remaster, and honestly, that’s a big part of why it draws people in so much.
Players are off joining guilds, tracking down obscure items, closing random Oblivion gates, or just vibing around Cyrodiil doing odd jobs. For some, the main quest hums in the background as something they’ll reevaluate later.
The remaster is also a day-one release on Game Pass, which meant many players downloaded it casually, skipping a full playthrough. When the cost is lower, it’s easy to dip in for a few hours, get distracted by whatever’s new (like Clair Obscur or Atomfall), and leave it behind.
Game Pass titles usually see low completion rates, and Oblivion Remastered follows that trend. That’s not to say the game itself is to blame. In fact, most players (myself too) agree it looks and runs better than ever.
However, aside from the visual overhaul and some quality-of-life tweaks, the core game is still the same as it was in 2006. For longtime fans, that familiarity can be a double-edged sword. The initial excitement of seeing Cyrodiil in crisp modern graphics is strong, but once that novelty wears off, many realize that it is the same old story.
I genuinely like the side content again, but there’s zero drive to revisit the main campaign after so long. On top of that, Oblivion’s world is dense. Some players spend 100 hours wandering the map before even thinking about the first few major story beats.
Others intentionally delay main missions so they can finish guild storylines, complete specific achievements, or keep the Oblivion gates open longer. Chaos also sneaks in sometimes—I’ve accidentally locked myself out of progress when NPCs disappear or when I don’t realize the effects of some choices down the line.
Interestingly, completion rates for side quests like the Arena or Dark Brotherhood are higher than the main quest. This isn’t a criticism of the main story, but it highlights how players prefer the freedom and replay value found elsewhere in the game. In a title where you can ignore destiny and still feel fulfilled, people are choosing to blaze their own path.
It’s no secret that today’s gamers have shorter attention spans to deal with. Given today’s social media trends, nonstop new drops, and massive game libraries, committing to a remaster that doesn’t reinvent the wheel is tricky.
Many try it once or twice, then quickly lose interest. Although the data implies the story is often left unfinished, players clearly have a blast exploring Oblivion Remastered however they like. And that’s exactly how it was meant to be played.
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