Oblivion Remastered: What Happens If You Commit a Crime (And How to Get Out of Jail)
Wondering what happens if you commit a crime in Oblivion Remastered? Here’s how the bounty system works, how to yield, and how to break out of jail if you get caught.
Oblivion Remastered: What Happens If You Commit a Crime (And How to Get Out of Jail)
RPGs love giving players the freedom to go full outlaw if they want to—and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is no different. Whether you’re pickpocketing, stealing horses, or taking a not-so-friendly swing at an NPC, the game lets you live that criminal lifestyle.
But, as always, crime comes with consequences. If you’re wondering what happens after you cross the line—and how you can wiggle your way out of jail after getting caught—this guide will walk you through everything you need to know.
What Counts as a Crime in Oblivion Remastered?
Pretty much anything shady counts as a crime:
- Stealing items or horses
- Pickpocketing NPCs
- Lockpicking doors or containers that don’t belong to you
- Trespassing into restricted areas
- Breaking out of jail
- Assaulting or murdering non-hostile NPCs
Every crime you commit adds a bounty to your head. The more serious the crime, the higher the bounty.
- Murder is the worst (huge bounty).
- Stealing a horse is second worst.
- Stealing valuables can also rack up a crazy bounty depending on the item’s value.
What Happens When You Commit a Crime?
Once you have a bounty, guards are gonna come after you. If they catch you, they’ll confront you and you’ll get three options:
- Go to Jail: Serve your time. (You’ll lose some skill progress randomly.)
- Pay Bounty: Hand over your gold and lose all your stolen goods.
- Resist Arrest: Fight the guards, but they’ll keep chasing you until you surrender—or kill you.
Pro Tip: If you don’t have enough gold to pay your bounty, the pay option won’t even show up. You can always check your bounty amount in the Character Menu > Details section.
What Happens to Stolen Items?
If you choose to pay your bounty or go to jail, all your stolen items (marked with a little red hand in your inventory) are confiscated.
Want to avoid losing them? Stash them in a safe spot (like a player home chest) before getting arrested.
How To Yield and Stop Guards From Attacking You
If you decide to resist arrest, guards will pull their swords and come swinging. But you can still surrender if you act fast.
To yield:
- Press your Block button (Right Mouse Button on PC) + Interact key (E) at the same time while facing a guard.
If they accept your surrender, you’ll go back to the same dialogue options (Jail, Pay, Resist).
⚠️ Guards might refuse your yield if you’re in the middle of a jailbreak or other serious offenses. And if you kill a guard while resisting? Yup, your bounty just went way up.
How to Break Out of Jail in Oblivion Remastered
Sometimes, you just don’t feel like serving time—and in Oblivion, you can absolutely bust out of jail.
Here’s how:
- You wake up in jail with just some rags and a single lockpick.
- Quick save immediately—you only have one lockpick to open your cell door.
- Pick the lock carefully. If you break it, reload your save.
- OR pickpocket a guard for a key. Riskier though—if they catch you, they’ll try to kill you on the spot.
- OR pickpocket a guard for a key. Riskier though—if they catch you, they’ll try to kill you on the spot.
- Sneak out of the dungeon.
- Grab your stuff from the Evidence Chest near the exit. If you don’t grab your gear before leaving, everything will be flagged as stolen later.
- Escape without being seen—guards won’t accept a yield while you’re breaking out.
🚨 Heads-up: Escaping adds even more bounty to your record, and you’ll still have to deal with it later. Honestly, unless you really want to roleplay a daring jailbreak, it’s often smarter to either resist arrest and fight free or just serve your sentence.
Crimes in Oblivion Remastered are fun, chaotic, and sometimes a little too easy to fall into. Whether you’re planning a stealthy heist or accidentally got caught pickpocketing the wrong noble, knowing how the bounty system works—and how to escape when things go sideways—can save your playthrough.
Just remember: crime pays… until the guards show up. ⚔️🏃♂️💨
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