Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion Remastered release time (and whether you can play early with New Zealand trick)

Bethesda finally released the highly anticipated Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion Remastered on April 22, 2025. While the publisher revealed the gameplay trailer and shadow-dropped this title simultaneously, many Oblivion aficionados may wonder whether the famous New Zealand trick can be used to play this game early.

This article will explain whether you can use the New Zealand trick to access Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion Remastered early.

---

The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion Remastered release time

Following numerous months of speculation and leaks, Bethesda Game Studios presented a gameplay reveal video for Oblivion Remastered on April 22, 2025, at 11 am EST. At the end of the trailer, Tom Mustaine, the External Projects and Studio Director at Bethesda, said that the title would be playable immediately. This announcement came around 11:15 am EST on April 22, 2025.

The title can now be played on several platforms, including PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5. Furthermore, players can access the new release on Xbox Game Pass from Day 1.

---

What is the New Zealand trick to play games early?

The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion Remastered could feature upgraded graphics rendered in UE5 (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

For the uninitiated, the New Zealand trick is pretty old and lets you play new games before the rest of the world. Most titles are launched at 12:00 am, and since New Zealand reaches midnight first, people in that region get to play new games before they are officially released in other locations.

To use the trick, you must change the Time and Date settings on your console or PC to those of New Zealand. After doing so, online game stores (Steam, Xbox Store, PlayStation Store, etc.) will believe you are in New Zealand and will let you play newly released titles early.

However, note that this trick only works for games that have a global launch date. Many new titles have region-locked releases (especially online games), which can make this trick useless unless New Zealand is one of the countries getting an early release.

---

Can you play The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion Remastered early using the New Zealand trick?

The answer to this question is no. You cannot play The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion Remastered early using the New Zealand trick since Bethesda shadow-dropped this title at the same time globally. Furthermore, since no one knew when the game was going to come out, using the trick would've been impossible.

---

For more related articles, check out:

• The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion remake rumored to be releasing in 2025
• UE5 Oblivion Remake: A complete timeline of major leaks and details