Oblivion Remastered: A key improvement on Series X that surprises 🎮✨

🎮 Oblivion Remastered Its sudden release wasn't a surprise, as it was one of the worst-kept secrets of recent weeks. However, what was striking was the magnitude of its visual overhaul. According to creative director Todd Howard, the foundations—the core logic—of the original 2006 game were respected, but the Virtuos development team leveraged Unreal Engine 5 to completely transform the graphics. This update was necessary, and now the remaster offers the full experience, utilizing all of UE5's rendering capabilities.

Cyrodiil's lighting has been revolutionized thanks to Lumen technology, which simulates global illumination and reflections with approximate ray tracing and dynamic shadows. Character models, materials, and effects have been redesigned from the ground up. Additionally, a new locomotion system has been implemented to improve upon the rigid animations of the original. Quality of life improvements include a modernized user interface, an updated leveling system, a sprint button, and advanced lip-syncing technology for NPCs.

Xbox Series X and Series S Experience vs PlayStation 5: Current Status

Currently, our analysis on consoles is focused on Xbox Series X and S, as the recently released patch for these platforms significantly improves performance. The PS5 patch has not yet been released, so performance on that platform remains under observation. The analysis details the graphic quality and performance in performance and quality mode for Series X, and the only 30fps mode available for Series S.

Visual Quality and Performance on Xbox Series X

On Series X, Oblivion Remastered looks spectacular, featuring a software-based version of the Lumen lighting system. Models and materials pop with great detail, and both graphics modes deliver solid results. Quality mode improves global illumination (GI) and shadow quality, especially in interiors and long-range details like shadow filters and draw distances for trees and grass.

The 60fps-oriented performance mode sacrifices resolution—typically running at 1760x990 outdoors—and lowers the Lumen GI quality to maintain fluidity. However, despite these concessions, I recommend this mode for those who prioritize a smooth experience. Indoors or in small areas, such as dungeons or cities, it maintains 60fps with slight stutters related to autosaves or specific actions.

Performance Issues: Open World on Series X

The biggest performance challenges arise when exploring the open world at high speed, especially on horseback. In certain areas, such as descending mountains, latency spikes and frame drops are experienced, dropping the frame rate to as low as 40-50fps. These issues appear to stem from CPU limitations in handling the original game logic and world streaming. Walking slowly reduces these effects, but the issue persists in specific regions.

This analysis is based on the April 25 patch (version 233550), which significantly improves performance compared to the release version. Frame rates are now up to 16fps higher in benchmark tests, helping to make performance mode more viable, especially on VRR displays with an effective range of 40-60Hz. However, latency drops and spikes persist at the same points on the map.

Performance on PlayStation 5

For now, performance on the base PS5 is similar to the unpatched Series X. In 60fps mode, it runs well in dungeons at a peak resolution of 1440p, though the motion game drops to around 900p on average. The open-world experience shares the same stuttering and frame fluctuation issues, showing ranges between 35 and 50fps depending on the region. This indicates that PS5 needs a patch that matches Xbox's to improve stability and performance.

Quality Modes and Their Performance

Quality mode (30fps) on Series X offers improvements in average resolution, global illumination, and detail levels. However, its frame rate is inconsistent, alternating between 16, 33, and 50ms in time per frame, which generates annoying judder even in simple dungeons. In addition, the problem of hitches at specific points of the map persists, evidencing that the experience remains flawed despite the graphical gains.

Situation on Xbox Series S

On Series S, the experience is limited to a 30fps mode with inconsistent frame-pacing, with no 60fps option. The target resolution is 900p, dropping to 810p in extreme cases. Textures, shadow quality, plant density, and tree draw distance are all reduced to maintain stability. This results in the world looking less dense and detailed, especially in internal global illumination, which is inferior even to the Series X's performance mode.

Conclusions and Recommendations for Players 🎯

Virtuos has done an impressive job with Oblivion Remastered, elevating the classic into a next-gen game that takes advantage of the Unreal Engine 5. However, performance issues are noticeable and need to be addressed. Xbox Series S users are limited to a 30fps mode with reduced visual quality, while Series X users face a choice between smooth (60fps) with some dips or improved visual quality (30fps) with frame-pacing inconsistencies.

The biggest challenge remains the fluidity of exploring the open world, where constant stuttering impacts the experience. This should be a priority for Virtuos in future updates. Despite these flaws, the remaster represents a significant leap forward in graphics and technology for Oblivion and deserves to be enjoyed by fans and new players alike.

🚀 Want to get the most out of it? We recommend opting for the 60fps mode on Xbox Series X for smoother gameplay, and stay tuned for future patches that improve performance on PS5 and Series S. Don't forget to explore our insider guides to master every corner of Cyrodiil!