The Elder Scrolls Title You Might Have Overlooked Is Closing Soon

The Elder Scrolls: Blades, a free-to-play mobile RPG that launched in 2020, is set to permanently close its doors on June 30, 2026. This follows the shutdown of another mobile entry in the Elder Scrolls series, The Elder Scrolls: Legends, which was taken offline in January 2025 after development ceased in 2019. Once Blades is gone, the only remaining mobile title will be The Elder Scrolls: Castles, which debuted in 2024.

It’s a disappointing conclusion for a game that had a lot of promise but, according to players, suffered from long wait times and a heavy reliance on microtransactions. Players took on the role of a character tasked with rebuilding a devastated town by completing quests and battling through enemy-infested dungeons. However, it lacked many hallmark features of the Elder Scrolls franchise, such as an expansive open world, exploration, and memorable NPCs and foes.

Despite its shortcomings, some, like Zack Zwiezen, found merit in the early access version, describing the core gameplay loop as “fun and satisfying.” However, he noted that many players might find it too simplified for an Elder Scrolls title, with the wait times potentially being a dealbreaker. Overall, reviews were mostly negative, and the game struggled to cultivate a substantial player base, even with the addition of roguelike dungeon crawling and PvP modes.

While Blades had its flaws, it’s disheartening to see it being completely shut down rather than preserved. Other games, like Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete, have shown that it’s possible to remove microtransactions from a free-to-play model and transition to a paid offline version that players can still enjoy. It’s unfortunate that a similar approach wasn’t taken with The Elder Scrolls: Blades; without the burden of predatory microtransactions, it might have had the chance to truly shine.