# OpenMW

> OpenMW is an open-source engine that plays The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and its expansions on Windows, macOS and Linux, with longer view distances, shadows and Lua modding.

Web page: https://emulationking.com/microsoft/windows/games/morrowind/ports/openmw/
Page updated: 2026-10-26

- Developer: OpenMW Team
- Port type: Reimplementation (The game was rebuilt in new code that plays like the original and loads its data from your own copy.)
- Game: [The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind](https://emulationking.com/microsoft/windows/games/morrowind/index.md)
- AI use: Not stated
- Source code: https://github.com/OpenMW/openmw
- Runs on: Windows, Linux, macOS

What you need: The data files of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (the `Data Files` folder with `Morrowind.esm` and the `.bsa` archives), from a CD, Steam or GOG install. Tribunal and Bloodmoon are optional. Windows 10 or later, macOS 14.8 or later, or 64-bit Linux.

OpenMW is a new open-source engine for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Bethesda Softworks' 2002 role-playing game. It reads the original game's data and plays the whole of Morrowind, Tribunal and Bloodmoon: all three main quests can be finished, and side quests rarely misbehave.

On top of the original it offers distant land and objects, real-time shadows, better lighting and water, stable performance on modern hardware and a reworked, scalable interface. Many old bugs are fixed, and new options cover things such as headbobbing, better AI pathing and gameplay tweaks.

Modding goes beyond the original engine: OpenMW adds Lua scripting and comes with OpenMW-CS, a replacement for Bethesda's Construction Set. Older Morrowind mods often work, although some that relied on quirks of the original engine need fixes.

## How to set it up

1. Download the Windows installer, the macOS disk image for your Mac, or the Linux archive, and install or unpack it.
2. Start the OpenMW Launcher. Its first-run wizard finds or asks for your Morrowind folder, and can also install the game straight from the CD.
3. Pick the content files to load (Tribunal, Bloodmoon and any mods) on the launcher's Data Files tab, then press **Play**.

## Latest builds

Download these from the web page: https://emulationking.com/microsoft/windows/games/morrowind/ports/openmw/#download

- Installer for Windows (x64): 0.51.0 (2026-06-19)
- for Linux (x64): 0.51.0 (2026-06-19)
- for macOS (Intel): 0.51.0 (2026-06-19)
- for macOS (Apple Silicon): 0.51.0 (2026-06-19)