The Elder Scrolls Online

The Seasons model started in 2026. Season One runs from 8 July until 21 October on PC, Mac, Xbox and PlayStation, and the Update that carries the second half of it has been moved to 28 September.

What the base game already contains

You're playing Tamriel about a thousand years before Skyrim, and the base game is not a demo. It includes the Morrowind, Imperial City, Orsinium, Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood adventures on top of the launch content, which is several distinct regions and storylines before a season even starts.

Structurally it's an Elder Scrolls game with other people in it. You pick a class and then build on top of it with skill lines and gear, with class and combat refresh work announced for 2027. Questing, dungeons, 12-player trials, crafting, housing and PvP all sit in the same world rather than in separate modes.

Solo play is a supported path rather than a compromise, but it has a shape. Overland questing and the main storylines are entirely soloable. The group content is genuinely group: 12-player trials, group dungeons and the PvP zones want other people. Antiquities is the one to watch, because it is not in the base game today. It is scheduled to become free with Greymoor on 9 November, alongside a Golden Pursuit campaign.

Seasons change what the year looks like

The Seasons structure delivers new stories and experimental content every three months, with the season's gameplay features, systems and improvements included for owners of the game. The Tamriel Tome that runs alongside each one has a free track open to all and two paid tiers, for additional rewards.

Season One is a good example of the shape. It opened with a Thieves Guild storyline in Glenumbra, the Favors daily system and Dynamic Encounters in three zones, then added a Sheogorath questline. Update 51, scheduled for 28 September, carries the Nowhere Vault, a puzzle experience built for solo or group play with changing rooms, and the Rumors system, which turns clues scattered across the world into complete stories.

That update is also the base-game patch, so achievement pinning, the first iteration of a customisable HUD on keyboard platforms, hybridisation work and Antiquities improvements arrive with it. Three-sided Battlegrounds return permanently at the same time. One item has moved: the Crimson Veldt, the 12-player trial that was announced as part of this season, has been pushed to 2027, so that trial is outside the current season.

How a session actually goes

What decides whether you enjoy ESO is less about character power and more about what you decided to do before you logged in. It gives you several different jobs. Follow a story, explore a region for its own sake, take on a group challenge, or fight other players: they want different session lengths and different levels of attention.

That's why picking a purpose matters more here than in a single-player RPG. The Thieves Guild storyline starts from a free quest claimed in the Crown Store, Favors are daily quests posted per Alliance across 20 unique dailies each, and Dynamic Encounters are multi-stage world events that nearby players join. Dungeons and trials are where the group content sits, and Cyrodiil and the Battlegrounds are where the risk profile changes the moment you enter. Naming which one you're doing turns an enormous map into a plan instead of a backlog.

The money question

Buying the game once is enough to play the seasons. On top of that sit three optional layers. ESO Plus is the membership, and it lists full access to the DLC game packs sold in the Crown Store, unlimited crafting storage through the craft bag, 1650 crowns a month, and a Premium Tome Token each month. The Crown Store is the in-game shop, and it is where cosmetics, houses, mounts and various conveniences live. Chapters and older DLC are the third layer, sold as their own purchases.

That third layer is moving in your favour. The group versions of Moon Hunter Keep and March of Sacrifices become free for everyone on 12 October, ahead of Season Two's solo versions of both dungeons on 21 October, and the Greymoor Chapter and the Markarth DLC become free on 9 November. Those are the studio's announced dates rather than completed handovers. If you're buying in now, the Deluxe Edition bundles the base game with the 2025 Content Pass and all eight previous Chapters.

Should you play it

Yes, if you want a very large world you can chip away at at your own pace, with story content you can finish alone and group content waiting for the nights you want it. The Seasons change is the strongest argument for starting now: the season's content comes with the game, the three-month block gives you a natural place to pick up after a break, and no one is asking you to buy a Chapter before you can join in.

What to weigh is the reality of a live game in its second decade. Work that was promised for 2026 has been pushed: the new trial and Update 52 moved into 2027, and the class and combat refresh is targeting 2027. The upcoming dates remain announced plans and can change.