The Elder Scrolls: Arena vs The Elder Scrolls Online
The Elder Scrolls: Arena is an action-RPG game from Bethesda Softworks (1994) while The Elder Scrolls Online is an action-RPG mmorpg game from ZeniMax Online Studios (2014).
Quick answer: The Elder Scrolls Online rates higher, 7.4 to 6.7 on the GamingPickz Score, and The Elder Scrolls: Arena is the cheaper at Free.
What each one is
The Elder Scrolls: Arena is filed under Action-RPG. In contrast, The Elder Scrolls Online under Action-RPG and Mmorpg.
THE LEGEND BEGINS
Every legend starts somewhere and in The Elder Scrolls Online, it starts with you. Join millions of players in an online, fantasy RPG set in a vast living Elder Scrolls world.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
The game's setting begins in Tamriel on the 389th year of the Third Era when Emperor Uriel Septim VII summons his advisor and Imperial Battlemage Jagar Tharn over concerns of betrayal from within the court. His concerns are justified when Tharn is revealed to be the traitor, magically trapping the Emperor and his general, Talin Warhaft, in another dimension. When Tharn proceeds to magically disguise himself as Emperor to usurp the throne, his conspiracy… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception When previewing the game in December 1993, Computer Gaming World noted Arena s "huge world split into nine provinces", many races and terrains, NPC interactions, and absence of level limits. The magazine stated that the game had sophisticated graphics "without forgetting the lessons of the past in terms of game design" or being "more like [console] action games", citing similarities with Ultima IV , Wasteland , Dragon Wars , and Darklands . The… (Wikipedia)
Plot
The Elder Scrolls Online is set on the continent of Tamriel during the Second Era, but not all places in Tamriel are playable. The events of the game occur a millennium before those of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and around 800 years before The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion . Its structure is broadly similar to Skyrim , with two separate conflicts progressing at the same time, one with the fate of the world in the… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Original release The Elder Scrolls Online received "mixed or average" reviews from critics for the PC version, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . PC Gamer gave it a score of 68/100, writing that it is "an MMORPG of moderate scope with a few good ideas" but cautioning that "'okay' isn't good enough when you're facing down this much of a premium. " ZeniMax addressed many of the game's early criticisms and released major updates. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| The Elder Scrolls: Arena | The Elder Scrolls Online | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 6.7/10 | 7.4/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (80%, 2,574) | Very Positive (81%, 161,491) |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | 80/100 |
| Price | Free | $19.99 |
| Install size | 0.02 GB | 150 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | verified |
| Released | 1994 | 2014 |
| Developer | Bethesda Softworks | ZeniMax Online Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
The Elder Scrolls: Arena vs The Elder Scrolls Online, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
The Elder Scrolls: ArenaAction-RPG gameThe Elder Scrolls OnlineAction-RPG mmorpg gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
The Elder Scrolls: ArenaNo descriptive tagsThe Elder Scrolls OnlineRPG, MMORPG, Open WorldThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
The Elder Scrolls: ArenaScore 6.7 · 80% on SteamThe Elder Scrolls Online ✓Score 7.4 · 81% on Steam · 80 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
The Elder Scrolls: Arena2,574 reviews · 0.02 GBThe Elder Scrolls Online161,491 reviews · 6 add-ons · 150 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
The Elder Scrolls: Arena ✓FreeThe Elder Scrolls Online$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
The Elder Scrolls: ArenaPlayableThe Elder Scrolls Online ✓VerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
The Elder Scrolls Online takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueThe Elder Scrolls: Arena and The Elder Scrolls Online on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: The Elder Scrolls Online (GamingPickz Score 7.4)
- The cheaper right now: The Elder Scrolls: Arena (Free)
- Better on a Steam Deck: The Elder Scrolls Online (verified)
- Lighter on storage: The Elder Scrolls: Arena (0.02 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: The Elder Scrolls Online (161,491 reviews)
Where they differ
RPGMMORPGOpen WorldFantasyAdventureMultiplayer
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, The Elder Scrolls: Arena is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. The Elder Scrolls Online is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| The Elder Scrolls: Arena | The Elder Scrolls Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | Direct X 11.0 compliant video card with 1GB RAM (NVIDIA® GeForce® 560 |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel® Core™ i5 2300 |
| Minimum RAM | — | 4 GB |
| Install size | 0.02 GB | 150 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: The Elder Scrolls: Arena · The Elder Scrolls Online.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for The Elder Scrolls: Arena and 6 for The Elder Scrolls Online. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are The Elder Scrolls: Arena and The Elder Scrolls Online in scope?
The Elder Scrolls: Arena has drawn 2,574 Steam reviews and installs in 0.02 GB. The Elder Scrolls Online has drawn 161,491 Steam reviews, ships 6 add-ons and installs in 150 GB.
Is The Elder Scrolls: Arena or The Elder Scrolls Online better?
By the GamingPickz Score, The Elder Scrolls Online rates higher (7.4 to 6.7). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, The Elder Scrolls: Arena or The Elder Scrolls Online?
The Elder Scrolls: Arena is cheaper right now at Free, against $19.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get The Elder Scrolls: Arena or The Elder Scrolls Online?
The Elder Scrolls Online rates higher, 7.4 to 6.7 on the GamingPickz Score, and The Elder Scrolls: Arena is the cheaper at Free. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.