The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an open-world RPG from Bethesda Game Studios. You play a character you create yourself, and in the northern province of Skyrim, where dragons are returning, you can do almost anything. The game came out on November 11, 2011, and it’s sold as the Special Edition from 2016 and the Anniversary Edition from 2021. We’re reviewing the current one, the Anniversary Edition. We’ll tell you what it does well, where it stumbles and which version to get.
Review
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Still one of the best open-world RPGs: a huge map, freedom and mods for years of play. The Anniversary Edition, though, mostly adds smaller Creation Club content. Points off for old bugs and the price of an old game.
- Genre
- RPG, open world
- Developer
- Bethesda Game Studios (published by Bethesda Softworks)
- Release
- November 11, 2011; Special Edition 2016; Anniversary Edition November 11, 2021
- Platforms
- PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2
- Price
- Steam: Special Edition €39.99 / $39.99, Anniversary Edition €49.99 / $49.99
- Players
- Single player
What works
- A huge world and the freedom to go anywhere and play as anyone
- All three add-ons are included
- Mods through the Creations menu on PC and consoles
- Fast loading on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
What doesn’t
- Bugs that have been in the game since 2011
- Some critics find the Anniversary Edition extras weak
- The Switch 2 version got poor reviews
- Graphics and animations show their age
Rated on player and critic reception as of October 21, 2026 · Steam 92.2% positive (381,442 reviews, Special Edition since 2016) · Metacritic 73 (Anniversary Edition 2021, PS5, 14 reviews)
What Skyrim is about
You start as a prisoner on a cart to Helgen, where an execution awaits you. Then a dragon attacks the town and you escape either with Ralof of the Stormcloaks or with Hadvar of the Empire. Soon you find out you’re the Dragonborn (Dovahkiin), and the main story revolves around the return of the dragons. According to UESP the main questline has 17 required quests and takes roughly 15 to 30 hours. Most players, though, spend far more time outside it: in guilds, dungeons and side quests across the whole map.
At the start you choose from 10 races, for example Nord, Khajiit or Dark Elf. Your race gives skill bonuses, but otherwise nothing holds you back. You level up by improving the skills you use: shoot a bow and your archery improves, cast spells and your magic does. Standing Stones give further bonuses, and you can switch between them at any time. How to get started is covered in our beginner’s guide.
Special Edition and Anniversary Edition
The 2016 Special Edition is a remaster with a 64-bit engine, better graphics and all three add-ons: Dawnguard with vampires, Hearthfire with house building and adopting children, and Dragonborn with the island of Solstheim. The Anniversary Edition from November 11, 2021 adds the Creation Club content released up to its launch, which means 26 new Creations with quests, dungeons, weapons and spells. If you own the Special Edition, you can buy just the Anniversary Upgrade. Owners of the Special or Anniversary Edition on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S also got a free update with better graphics and faster loading. The differences are in our edition comparison.
What critics praise and what bothers players
On Metacritic the Anniversary Edition has 73 on PS5 (14 reviews), 82 on Xbox Series X, 76 on PC and 60 on Switch 2. The Special Edition holds 84 on Switch and 81 on PS4, and the original 2011 Skyrim has 96 on Xbox 360. The score drops with every new version, even though the game underneath stays the same. Eurogamer Italy (90) writes that if you want to spend another lifetime in Skyrim, this is the best way to do it, and GameSpew (80) recommends it mainly to those who haven’t played it yet.
There are two complaints. The first is the price of the extra content: GameStar (78) writes that Skyrim is still magnificent, but moderately executed additional content doesn’t justify a new price for an old game, and GamingTrend (55) calls the new quests busy work. The second is bugs: But Why Tho? points out that many of them are more than a decade old. The Switch 2 version from December 2025 fared especially badly: Nintendo Life gave it 40 over performance, and TheSixthAxis 50 over the 30 fps cap and input lag. TechRadar Gaming later wrote that patches fixed the input lag. Players are kinder: the Special Edition has 92.2% positive out of 381,442 reviews on Steam, rated Very Positive.
Mods and Creations
Mods are a big part of why Skyrim has lasted so long. You download official mods and paid Creations directly in the Creations menu, on PC and on consoles. Update 1.7.99 from August 20, 2026 raised the mod storage on PS5 and Xbox to 15 GB. Mods do disable achievements and trophies, though; the only exceptions are Creations marked Achievement-Friendly or Trophy-Friendly. On PC you can also get mods from Nexus Mods through Vortex or Mod Organizer 2. How it works is in our mods guide.
Price and platforms
On Steam the Special Edition costs €39.99 or $39.99, the Anniversary Edition €49.99 or $49.99, and the Anniversary Upgrade on its own €19.99 (prices as of October 21, 2026). On PlayStation the Special Edition is in the PlayStation Plus Extra catalogue. The game is on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch and Switch 2. On PC a GTX 470 and 8 GB of RAM are enough, and it’s Verified on Steam Deck.
The Special and Anniversary Editions have full voice acting in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian and Japanese. A separate Skyrim VR exists for PC and PlayStation VR.
Who Skyrim is for (and who it isn’t)
It’s for you if you’ve never played Skyrim and you love big open worlds where you choose your own path. For €39.99 you get the Special Edition with all add-ons and a game for hundreds of hours, with mods easily for years. Go for the Anniversary Edition if you want the Creation Club content bundled in.
Skip it if dated graphics, animations and bugs that Bethesda hasn’t fixed in 15 years bother you. And if you’re on Switch 2, check the current state first; that version got the worst reviews.
Verdict: Is Skyrim worth it?
Yes, if you don’t own it yet. Skyrim is still one of the best open-world RPGs, just buy the version that makes sense for you. We’re giving it 8/10.
The game itself would score higher: the world, the freedom and mods have kept Skyrim alive for over 15 years, and players on Steam still love it. But we’re rating the current Anniversary Edition, and it mainly adds smaller Creation Club content that didn’t win critics over. Points also come off for old bugs and the weak Switch 2 version.
Playing Skyrim? All our guides are on the Skyrim hub. Start with our beginner’s guide, and see which edition to buy in our Special vs Anniversary Edition comparison. You can find people to talk about the game with on the GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
We’re giving it 8 out of 10. The score is based on player and critic reception: the Special Edition has 92.2% positive out of 381,442 reviews on Steam, and the Anniversary Edition has 73 on Metacritic on PS5 from 14 reviews. The original 2011 Skyrim has 96 on Metacritic, but critics rate the newer editions lower because of the price and old bugs.
The Special Edition contains the base game with all three add-ons (Dawnguard, Hearthfire, Dragonborn). The Anniversary Edition adds the Creation Club content released up to November 11, 2021. If you own the Special Edition, you can buy just the Anniversary Upgrade for €19.99 on Steam.
On Steam the Special Edition costs €39.99 or $39.99 and the Anniversary Edition €49.99 or $49.99 (prices as of October 21, 2026). On PlayStation the Special Edition is included in PlayStation Plus Extra.
According to UESP the main story has 17 required quests and takes roughly 15 to 30 hours depending on your character’s level. With guilds, add-ons and side quests you’ll spend much longer in Skyrim.
Mods disable achievements and trophies. The exceptions are official Creation Club content and Creations from Verified Creators marked Achievement-Friendly or Trophy-Friendly.
The Anniversary Edition is on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. It’s Verified on Steam Deck. A separate Skyrim VR exists for PC and PlayStation VR.
This review is based on player ratings on Steam and critic scores on Metacritic, on reviews from Eurogamer Italy, GameSpew, GameStar, GamingTrend, But Why Tho?, Nintendo Life, TheSixthAxis and TechRadar Gaming, on the UESP wiki and on official information from Bethesda. Information verified on October 21, 2026. All our guides to the game are on the Skyrim hub.