Skyrim, Fallout, Starfield – Which Bethesda game is your favorite?

Bethesda Game Studios has existed in its current form since 2001. But even before that, the team based in Maryland, USA, had developed some well-known games.

Bethesda is currently a hot topic of conversation like never before. There are two main reasons for this: the immensely popular Fallout series on Amazon and the big mega update for Starfield.

We also take this as an opportunity to follow up with you in more detail: Which Bethesda game is your personal No. 1?

Just roleplaying? Not at all!

Over the past few weeks, we've asked about your favorite Fallout and your favorite Elder Scrolls part. But now it gets exciting: Who will win if we send all the role-playing games into the arena?

Strictly speaking, it wouldn't just be role-playing games. Bethesda has been working on games since the late 80s, including shooters like The Terminator and sports games like the unforgettable Wayne Gretzky Hockey – ahem.

But we don't dig quite that deep. Despite the large selection, we enjoyed ourselves limited to The Elder Scrolls, Fallout and Starfield. If, contrary to expectations, your favorite is Wayne Gretzky Hockey, you will also find an option for that in the survey, promise!

Enough of the preliminaries, let's get going!

A journey into the past

If, like Géraldine, you don't still dream about The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion every night, it's possible that you could use a little refresher on your memory with one or two titles.

• The Elder Scrolls: Arena: The first part of the now legendary role-playing game series was already a real insider tip back then and would change the fate of Bethesda forever.
• The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall: A game world the size of Great Britain? What was just crazy in the '90s is now…still crazy.
• An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire: The action role-playing game was the first offshoot of the main series and was streamlined in many ways. There weren't even any traders in the game world – and no gold either.
• The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard: The second spin-off was a huge commercial failure and put Bethesda in troubled financial waters. A hit was needed, otherwise the lights would soon go out.
• The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind: Yikes, there you have it, the hit! Morrowind is cult, despite the nasty cliff runners who always poke us in the back as we stroll across Vvardenfell. The unforgettable game world and the dense atmosphere were just too good.
• The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion: In 2006, the fourth part of the series was a graphic bomb. If you closed your mouth in amazement after half an hour, you could devote yourself to the great quests, the huge game world and the cult, grotesque German translation.

PLUS

19:02

For Géraldine, nothing beats Oblivion – not even Skyrim!

• Fallout 3: The first attempt after taking over the license from Interplay was a direct hit. Fallout was now set in the third dimension and showed us how much fun you can have in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
• The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim: Do we need to say anything else about Skyrim? You all played it. We played it. So may we continue? Thanks!
• The Elder Scrolls Online: Strictly speaking, the long-running MMO is not a game from Bethesda, but from Zenimax Online. But we're not like that, because when we think of Elder Scrolls, each of us immediately thinks of the studio with the capital B.
• Fallout: Shelter: A free smartphone game that doesn't overwhelm us with advertising and is also really good? In 2015, Bethesda proved that it was possible with this Vault Simulator.
• Fallout 4: The fourth part of the main series was also released in the same year. This time the action took place in the Commonwealth around Boston. Despite great quests, fans were particularly bothered by the stripped-down role-playing mechanics. On the other hand, the extremely extensive settlement construction was captivating.

• Fallout 76: The launch of the online branch was anything but smooth. But after six years, Fallout 76 has made a much better name for itself and enjoys a large player base that is regularly supplied with new content.

• The Elder Scrolls: Blades: A smartphone game whose great graphics and entertaining gameplay are overshadowed by the unpopular microtransactions.
• Starfield: The youngest of Bethesda's big role-playing games and a truly mammoth project. A lot of hype before the launch was followed by a sharp decline afterwards. Meanwhile, the game is asking frightened fans for a second chance. Regular updates and the story DLC coming out in the fall should fix it.
• The Elder Scrolls: Castles: Instead of wandering around Tamriel and slaying goblins, in this smartphone game you are a lord of the castle who has to look after the well-being of his people and his own dynasty.

The fun really starts in the comments

Did you vote? Very good, thank you very much for that! But your work here is not done yet. Because what's missing now is you Participate in the comments.

Because of course it's not enough for us to just vote for your favorite and then just leave again. We are far too interested in why you voted that way. What memories do you associate with the game? What made it so damn good in your eyes? And why did you want to vote for Wayne Gretzky Hockey?

You see, there are just too many good questions that demand an answer. So come on, head to the comments section and get to the keys!

The results of this survey are unlikely to have any impact on Bethesda's future games. The team is currently working at full speed to revitalize Starfield and release The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 before the start of the new century. We have linked exciting articles on all of these topics above.