The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

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The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is a single player open world role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Bethesda Game Studios and was released on June 15, 2009. It received positive reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind® Game of the Year Edition is an open-world, epic RPG that allows you to create your own unique character and embark on various quests. This edition includes the main game and both expansions, Tribunal and Bloodmoon, offering new locations, quests, and challenges. With its immersive 3D graphics and detailed gameplay, Morrowind provides a rich and engaging gaming experience.

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Single-Player

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind screenshot

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96%

Audience ScoreBased on 21,512 reviews

story1.8k positive mentions

stability243 negative mentions

The rich lore and intricate narrative create an immersive world that stands out in the RPG genre, offering deep storytelling and engaging quests.
The game features extensive character customization and a unique blend of RPG mechanics, allowing for a high degree of freedom and creativity in gameplay.
Morrowind's atmosphere, combined with its hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, evokes strong emotions and nostalgia, making it a memorable experience for players.

The gameplay can be clunky and dated, with mechanics that have aged poorly, leading to frustrations for some players, especially newcomers.
Many quests are criticized for being uninspired or generic, with a significant number of fetch or kill tasks that detract from the overall experience.
The game is plagued by bugs and technical issues, requiring players to rely on mods for improved stability and performance, which can be off-putting.

story
5,859 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
66%
4%
The story of "The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind" is widely praised for its rich lore, intricate narrative, and immersive world-building, making it a standout in the RPG genre. Players appreciate the depth of the main quest, which revolves around the player's journey to fulfill the prophecy of the Nerevarine and confront the dark god Dagoth Ur, as well as the numerous side quests that enhance the overall experience. However, the lack of quest markers and the need for extensive reading can be challenging for newcomers, leading to a gameplay experience that rewards exploration and engagement with the story rather than straightforward navigation.
- “The more you read, the more you talk to people, the more layers of the story are unveiled and the more you become a part of the world.”
- “The game is praised for its intricate narrative and deep lore, with quests that often have multiple outcomes and moral complexities.”
- “Morrowind is an amazing game, with the richest story in the entire elder scrolls saga.”
- “The game features limited voice acting, which can detract from the overall storytelling experience compared to more recent RPGs.”
- “Half of the side quests are bland fetch/kill/guide-me-to-that-place quests, and most of the dungeons/caves are pretty generic.”
- “The quests are horrendously uninspired and cookie-cutter, save for a few more creative ones later on in the game.”
graphics
3,276 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The graphics of *Morrowind* are widely regarded as outdated, reflecting its 2002 release, which can detract from the experience for new players accustomed to modern visuals. However, many reviewers appreciate the game's unique art style and atmosphere, often suggesting the use of mods like the Morrowind Graphics Extender (MGE) or the Morrowind Overhaul to enhance the visual experience. Despite its graphical limitations, the game's rich lore, expansive world, and deep gameplay mechanics continue to resonate with players, making it a beloved classic in the RPG genre.
- “The art style, although dated by modern standards, exudes a unique charm, with handcrafted textures and atmospheric lighting that evoke a sense of mystery and history.”
- “Despite its age, Morrowind's visuals hold up remarkably well, especially considering the era it was released in.”
- “The graphics, while old, have a certain charm to them; I find it quite nice to look at.”
- “While groundbreaking at its release, the graphics may feel dated compared to modern standards, which can affect immersion for new players.”
- “The graphics are incredibly dated, but there is a beauty to it.”
- “The graphics are old, and the combat system is outdated, but the game is still a masterpiece.”
gameplay
2,510 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
71%
9%
The gameplay of "Morrowind" is characterized by its deep RPG mechanics, open-world exploration, and a unique blend of chance-based combat that can be both rewarding and frustrating for players. While many reviewers note that the mechanics and graphics have aged poorly, they also highlight the game's rich lore, extensive character customization, and the immersive experience it offers, especially for those willing to invest time in understanding its systems. Despite its clunky controls and outdated features, "Morrowind" remains a beloved classic, particularly for fans of traditional RPGs who appreciate its complexity and depth.
- “This is the greatest open world RPG ever made, and the sheer insanity of its lore, mechanics, and side quests give this game such a unique feel that you can't really compare it to any other game of its genre, not even other TES games.”
- “The open world, rich lore, and freedom of choice remain unmatched, offering countless hours of immersive gameplay.”
- “Once you get used to the dated gameplay, this truly has the best quests, the best RPG mechanics, and the most fun spells you can make in any Elder Scrolls game.”
- “The gameplay is simply exhausting, and even after dozens of hours of playing, there’s still the feeling that you’re in some sort of demo with tutorial elements and that the real game hasn’t started yet.”
- “The mechanics have aged poorly and have been much more refined in later installments of the series.”
- “The gameplay is dated but as long as you approach all combat as a stat check, it's rather digestible.”
music
854 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
50%
2%
The music in "Morrowind" is widely praised as one of its standout features, with many reviewers highlighting the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack composed by Jeremy Soule. Players describe the music as immersive and nostalgic, enhancing the game's atmosphere and emotional depth, making it a memorable part of their gaming experience. While some note the limited variety of tracks can lead to repetition, the overall consensus is that the soundtrack is iconic and significantly contributes to the game's enduring appeal.
- “The music and art direction perfectly capture the atmosphere of this strange and mysterious world.”
- “The soundtrack complements the setting beautifully, blending ambient sounds and evocative music that draw players further into the game's complex and mysterious world.”
- “The music resonates with the themes of exploration, mystery, and the unknown, becoming as much a part of the game’s identity as the world itself.”
- “The game likes to re-use the same sounds and music often, which got quite irritating to me.”
- “The music score to this game is quite poor as it does not enhance, but rather dissipates the experience, yet it did introduce an important theme in video game music.”
- “The music will get repetitive very quickly.”
atmosphere
444 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
48%
1%
The atmosphere of "Morrowind" is widely praised for its unique, immersive qualities that transport players into an alien world filled with rich lore and intriguing environments. Reviewers highlight the game's haunting soundtrack, detailed world-building, and the sense of mystery that permeates every location, making exploration feel rewarding and engaging. Despite its dated graphics and some gameplay flaws, the game's atmosphere remains unmatched in the RPG genre, often described as a captivating blend of fantasy and existential intrigue that keeps players returning for years.
- “The music and art direction perfectly capture the atmosphere of this strange and mysterious world.”
- “The atmosphere is thick with intrigue, mysticism, and a healthy dose of existential dread.”
- “Morrowind has such a unique alien-like atmosphere that you get sucked into exploring the vast and wonderfully weird world.”
- “The atmosphere just doesn't resonate anymore.”
- “The atmosphere is very barren, and it really makes you feel like an outcast in an unknown land, as you have to explore around to discover the map.”
- “Despite its many flaws, nothing comes close to its atmosphere, and it is worth playing for that alone.”
stability
256 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
The stability of "Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind" is widely criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and crashes that are characteristic of Bethesda games. While many acknowledge that the game is a "buggy mess," some find the experience enjoyable, especially with the use of mods like OpenMW or the Morrowind Code Patch to enhance stability and performance. Overall, players recommend being prepared for a clunky experience and frequent technical issues, but also highlight the game's charm and depth despite its flaws.
- “You can place any item you can pick up into the world and it will be shown as a fully modeled item; items stay where you place them (no buggy physics).”
- “One of the greatest of all time... played it as a launch title on the Xbox and have been playing ever since... they don't make them like this anymore, runs great on Steam.”
- “With the additions of modern mod support to keep the game up-to-date, bug-free, stable, and looking better than ever, now is a great time to pick up Morrowind and immerse yourself in one of the best fantasy games of its time... and maybe even today!”
- “It's a clunky, messy, buggy peak that remains unapologetic in its design and content but peak nonetheless.”
- “The game is buggy, dated, clunky, and doesn't explain anything.”
- “Despite being old and buggy, Morrowind is a very deep and interesting action RPG with an open world and great replayability value.”
grinding
247 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
7%
92%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it excessively tedious and time-consuming. Critics highlight slow movement, clunky combat, and a convoluted leveling system that requires significant effort to progress, often leading to frustration. However, some players appreciate the depth and immersion that come from this grind, suggesting that those who enjoy exploration and character development may find the experience rewarding despite its challenges.
- “It feels like a realistic world wherein many of the quests are mundane, but not grindy.”
- “Morrowind is a game to remember, not because it was good or not tedious and not rage inducing, yet because there hasn't been a game since like it.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The game is ultra hardcore tedious.”
- “The leveling process for many skills has not been thought through very well, which makes it incredibly tedious for some, and trivial for others.”
replayability
166 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
58%
2%
The game is widely praised for its exceptional replayability, attributed to its complex dialogue system, non-linear structure, and extensive character customization options. Players can explore numerous factions and questlines, leading to vastly different experiences in each playthrough. Additionally, the active modding community significantly enhances the game's longevity, offering countless hours of new content and gameplay variations.
- “With the complex dialogue system and the numerous ways to play the game, it seems to have near infinite replayability, not even getting into the DLCs.”
- “The game’s non-linear structure means that players can approach objectives in multiple ways, leading to different outcomes and replayability that keeps the experience fresh.”
- “Morrowind has incredible depth and replay value.”
- “Once you know how the game mechanics work, there really isn't any replayability since you can power level through the game.”
- “Even after playing the game in its entirety when it came out, the replay value is still high years later with a very enjoyable storyline.”
- “I don't recommend this game for people just exploring out of boredom, even if they liked the other Elder Scrolls games, as it's just a chore to try and pick up nowadays.”
humor
158 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
The humor in Morrowind is a standout feature, characterized by its quirky NPC interactions, absurd quests, and the game's inherent glitches that often lead to hilarious situations. Players appreciate the blend of dark and light-hearted humor, with memorable moments arising from the game's unique mechanics and character designs, such as the comical animations of Khajiits and Argonians. Overall, the game successfully balances its serious storytelling with a rich vein of humor, making for an entertaining and immersive experience.
- “A game that asks the simple question: "What if you took a fantasy world, made it incredibly weird, and then let the players break it in beautiful and hilarious ways?" You're the Nerevarine, a prophesied hero, but let's be honest, you'll probably spend most of your time picking mushrooms, joining bizarre cults, and trying to figure out how to levitate across the entire map.”
- “You can do so many hilarious, amazing, stupid things.”
- “The atmosphere of Morrowind is fantastic, with funny and strange characters, like the man who is in a river with no pants, the Nord whose clothes were stolen by a witch, and the Hlaalu councilor who wants you to take off your clothes, no matter your race or gender.”
- “The humor is often insignificant or relies on humorous glitches.”
- “Character creation is a downside as there aren't many looks to choose from, but they vary just enough that different save profile characters can sometimes look funny.”
emotional
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a profound emotional connection to "Morrowind," highlighting its immersive world, rich storytelling, and nostalgic value. Many reviewers describe the game as a heartfelt journey that evokes strong feelings, from joy and nostalgia to sadness, particularly through its music and character development. The game's complexity and lack of hand-holding foster a deep sense of achievement and attachment, making it a memorable experience that resonates long after playing.
- “I haven't played Morrowind in 4 years and I've returned to this game and started a new game, and I cried when I went to the city of Balmora because of how nostalgic it looked. I started playing this since I was 16 and had no friends, back then I dedicated a good portion of that year to this game since I didn't have anything worthwhile in my life; I also started playing Oblivion and I've played Skyrim before Morrowind, but this game is something else, it's very calming.”
- “This game was an eye opener to me; I learned that video games can be more than just games, they can be heartfelt experiences, a part of your life.”
- “The entire atmosphere is immersive to the point where I can get lost in this game for hours upon hours without even touching the main quest one bit.”
optimization
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
68%
13%
The optimization of the game is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly on low-end hardware and can achieve high frame rates with the right mods, many players find it poorly optimized for modern systems out of the box, often requiring third-party engines like OpenMW for improved stability and performance. Community mods can significantly enhance graphics and fix bugs, but players still report occasional crashes and performance hiccups. Overall, while the game retains its charm and depth, it demands some effort to achieve an optimal experience.
- “You just point it to the data files, and you're good to go--it's the same game, just better optimized and far less prone to crashes.”
- “With a little bit of modding for optimization and visuals, the game is still a very wonderful experience and possibly my favorite Elder Scrolls game.”
- “I recommend that if it's your first time playing Morrowind, you play as close to vanilla as possible, use OpenMW to get better performance and stability; I've played for 5-6 hours straight without a crash, and I'm sure I could play for way longer without one.”
- “Technical issues like bugs, clipping problems, and performance hiccups can occasionally disrupt gameplay, but many of these issues have been addressed through community mods and patches.”
- “Sure, it's not optimized for modern hardware, and you need to fix it through modding.”
- “However, in its base form, it's rather unpolished and unoptimized for the modern playing experience, so I highly suggest taking the time to install the OpenMW engine, a fan project which recreates the game to be a lot more stable, featuring bug fixes, quality of life improvements, and the same modding support as the base game, if you decide to go down that route later on in your playtime.”
character development
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
63%
7%
Character development in the game is widely praised for its depth and customization, allowing players to create unique heroes tailored to their playstyle. Reviewers highlight the engaging story, rich lore, and meaningful player choices that enhance the overall experience, despite some criticism of the dated visuals and complex mechanics. The character development system is considered one of the standout features, offering a level of freedom and experimentation that sets it apart from more modern RPGs.
- “The deep character development system allows you to create a unique hero, tailoring them to fit your playstyle.”
- “Morrowind features depth in character development, lore, dialog, and faction stories that is unparalleled, even by modern standards.”
- “One of the things that makes Morrowind shine is the character development.”
- “Character development, role playing, quests, the feeling of achievement & growth, and the whole strange alien world with deep lore that just makes you want to explore it!”
- “Negatives of it include that there is a lot of reading as it is not spoken, the ability to hit an enemy is semi-random, and there is not much to the character design.”
- “While its combat is not always satisfying mechanically and lacks a lot of the modern conveniences of Skyrim, it instead grants you a huge degree of freedom and creativity in character development, spells, and even fast travel.”
monetization
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
27%
60%
The reviews express strong criticism of Bethesda's monetization strategies, particularly highlighting concerns over microtransactions and the perception that recent titles prioritize profit over quality content. Many users lament the shift from traditional RPG elements to a focus on cash grabs, contrasting this with the more substantial expansions of older games like Morrowind, which they feel offered genuine value without exploitative practices. Overall, there is a call for Bethesda to return to its roots and prioritize player experience over monetization.
- “It's fresh air from Skyrim dumbing systems down and there's no microtransactions.”
- “Does this game use real money for in-game purchases?”
- “It's a shame Bethesda will never make another game as good as this and, even if they did, they would add some barbaric monetization to it.”
- “Hopefully that would show Bethesda that to take Elder Scrolls to the next step, they should look at all the things that made Morrowind one of the best RPGs ever made, rather than focusing all their attention on microtransactions and radiant quests.”
- “If Bethesda weren't focusing on dumbing content down for modern day 'RPG fans' and god-awful cash grabs like Fallout 76 and TES Blades, they would make a game of this caliber but with next-gen graphics and controls.”

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85%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews

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76h Median play time

216h Average play time

44h Main story

327h Completionist

13-249h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 130 analyzed playthroughs

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The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is a open world role playing game with fantasy theme.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is available on PC, Windows, Epic Games and Xbox.

The main story can be completed in around 44 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 327 hours to finish. On average players spend around 216 hours playing The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind was released on June 15, 2009.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind was developed by Bethesda Game Studios.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is a single player game.

Similar games include The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game, Fallout, Gothic 3 and others.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

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