The Elder Scrolls: Arena, the very first Elder Scrolls game, is 25 years old this week, and to celebrate, Bethesda is giving away the critically acclaimed third entry in the series, Morrowind, for free.
Not just the base game, but the Game of the Year Edition, which includes both the Tribunal and Bloodmoon expansions. Just head on over to Bethesda.net and redeem the code “TES25TH-MORROWIND” and you’ll be the proud owner of Morrowind and all its DLC! The offer is only good through March 31 though, so be sure to snag your copy by then.
While Morrowind was an absolutely groundbreaking game when it released, it hasn’t aged very well at all. It’s ugly, the draw distance is awful, and most of its systems are obtuse and confusing. However, there’s still value in checking it out. Playing Morrowind gives you a window into what gaming was like almost two decades ago, and it’s fascinating to see how many trends that are commonplace in open world games today started with this little game back in 2002.
Morrowind doesn’t have a lot of the quality of life features that Oblivion and Skyrim do, and it definitely does not hold your hand as much as those two do, but Vvardenfell is a world full of deep and complex characters that is 100 percent worth exploring, especially if you’ve never played before. The gameplay systems take a while to get used to, especially the combat, but if you stick with it, you’ll find yourself engrossed in one of the greatest adventures in gaming history.
The Elder Scrolls: Arena and its sequel, Daggerfall, are also available to download for free, but there’s no rush to grab these two as they’ve been free for a while. They don’t hold up quite as well as Morrowind, and Morrowind is definitely an acquired taste for those used to newer games, but all three are worth playing if only just to experience a part of gaming history. Plus, they’re free and they run on pretty much any computer, so you might as well give them a shot.
