The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition

 PC
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 659 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 395 out of 659
  2. Mixed: 108 out of 659
  3. Negative: 156 out of 659

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  1. bellerophon
    Oct 28, 2016
    3
    Still very ugly vanilla version, and with the same bugs, the mods did actually a far better job than bethesda on these points. Not worth the "upgrade" from my point of view.
  2. x6po6go6x
    Oct 28, 2016
    10
    This website is full of unwarranted negativity. The PC version of this game was free to everyone who already owned the content included in the Special Edition. So to everyone that's complaining about how the game compares to a heavily modded version of the game, go back to playing that version and stop crying. This remaster is obviously meant to improve the console experience and itThis website is full of unwarranted negativity. The PC version of this game was free to everyone who already owned the content included in the Special Edition. So to everyone that's complaining about how the game compares to a heavily modded version of the game, go back to playing that version and stop crying. This remaster is obviously meant to improve the console experience and it succeeds. This is a massive improvement over the XBOX 360 and PS3 versions of the game.… Expand
  3. sebos80
    Oct 28, 2016
    3
    This edition adds only few effects, and improve performance. Bethesda just make ocassion to sell DLC, and make more money. This special edition its few days work for so big studio like bethesda. i expects at least HD textures.
  4. VendonJura
    Dec 1, 2018
    3
    Skyrim is definitely one of the best games of 2011, but my main problem with this game is the fact that if you want to use mods then your achievements will be blocked. The problem with this issue is that this game is by far one of the best rpg for the pc but it has so many game breaking bugs that it is rlly hard to play it without to have to modding it to reduce Bugs, Glitches and muchSkyrim is definitely one of the best games of 2011, but my main problem with this game is the fact that if you want to use mods then your achievements will be blocked. The problem with this issue is that this game is by far one of the best rpg for the pc but it has so many game breaking bugs that it is rlly hard to play it without to have to modding it to reduce Bugs, Glitches and much more. There are so many quests which are bugged and does not work. You can not finish them and what else can you do as a gamer? use mods to fix it BUT this will break the ability to earn achievements. Thanks to the guy with this idea. Also many modder can do the job much better than the dev itself that's a weird mystery. My biggest issue with this game is the PAID Mods system. You will not get an achievement block IF you pay for mods. Really???? I would rather pay the modder for a good mod than paying the dev who even made this horribly situation with mods and achievement issue. I love the game and I would totally give it max points but these 2 points are totally destroying the game for me. I never finished it, game breaking bugs did not allow me to do so because I am doing ALL quests in the game. 1st when finishing all sub quests then I am starting to do the main quests. I had reached lvl 60-80 on the xbox 360, bought this game for pc with the hope to mod the bugged quests but yeah..... This here is a Special Edition but it has the same old bugs which the normal Skyrim had. Also same issue with achievements and mods. The funny thing is that this games graphics looks like 2013 or something. Don't know why this is a remastered version when the graphics looks much worse than you can make with mods in Skyrim normal edition. The sad thing is that they've just copied the old bugs and posted in in the remastered version there is no excuse for doing this.… Expand
  5. harmit900
    Sep 14, 2020
    10
    i have no words for this game other than that this game is game of the decade i have played many games from 2011 to 2019 no other game is more entertaining than this and the plus thing of special edition is better lighting this version we will be playing after 5 years and 10 years thats plus point of this version if ray tracing version not arrived
  6. WhiterunGuard
    Oct 22, 2020
    10
    after a little while, its very fun, with alot of places to explore, and lots of quests. I recommend this game!
  7. Xonerix
    Dec 13, 2020
    10
    Absolute masterpiece of an undying game for those who love RPGs with magnificent lore, atmosphere and music.
    This remastered version makes everything look even better and more immersive, all 3 DLCs included.
    I strongly recommend to play it without any mods to get the best experience of true Skyrim.
  8. shatti
    Apr 20, 2019
    10
    extremely addictive to level up, at first you feel so overwhelmed by the dragons and everyone, so u just keep leveling and learning to be a powerful hero. ( the quests are fun, dlc's are great )
    and with ur sit of mods 1010
  9. Strizldizl
    Nov 9, 2019
    8
    The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim itself is an easy 10/10 game, yet the remastered version improved so few things that it wont be worth buying the game if you own the original. If you have never played Skyrim though, then I'd suggest the Special Edition since it is still better than the original.
  10. ForeverInfinite
    Oct 13, 2017
    6
    Skyrim special edition is a re-release of the poplar game Skyrim, released on November 11th, 2011. The special edition, released 5 years later includes the original game with better graphics, all DLCs and a whole lot of over hype. All Bethesda has done is improved its graphics, then put a price tag on it.

    When starting up the game, the nostalgic memories that the main theme brings to my    Skyrim special edition is a re-release of the poplar game Skyrim, released on November 11th, 2011. The special edition, released 5 years later includes the original game with better graphics, all DLCs and a whole lot of over hype. All Bethesda has done is improved its graphics, then put a price tag on it.

    When starting up the game, the nostalgic memories that the main theme brings to my mind of the original game made me smile, as I sing along with the male choir. When entering the game to the execution in Helgen, I noted how good the graphics had improved since the original, although it does lack the quality that mods had brought to the game when I had played it previously. The controls are the same, letting my sub conscience take over to sprint and escape Helgen. However, the gameplay is still the same: The massive speeches by the Jarl of Whiterun, which makes the user just want to quick save and go on a killing spree; the boring grind of useless skills to accomplish a task you originally thought was quite awesome, but then realise you had just wasted a massive portion of your life. Without mods, all this game is is a repeat of the original. Sure, it was a great game in its prime, but surely good things should be just left alone, letting us remember it as a masterpiece?

    Apart from the improved graphics, giving it a decent look (although there are mods that have done a greater job at achieving this) the gameplay itself supplies no other difference, apart from a couple of bug fixes, however there are still many left within the game. The repetitive nature of the side quests is still mind-numbing for those players wanting to complete the game as far as they can is still there, as well as the boredom of trying to level up useless skills.

    Overall, the gameplay is still good… bringing back the nostalgia of a great game, however this does mean it I repetitive, and while it did let you replay great memories, it also means that you have to replay the bad games    … Expand
  11. UncleEd
    Feb 25, 2021
    10
    Skyrim, despite its flaws, is one of the most immersive video games I have ever played. The flaws are quite apparent as soon as you start the game. Melee combat sucks. Most questlines are not very good, a clear step back from Oblivion. But the world is so beautiful, cohesive and immersive, it’s easy to ignore Skyrim’s flaws.

    The attention to detail is astonishing. I have found myself in    Skyrim, despite its flaws, is one of the most immersive video games I have ever played. The flaws are quite apparent as soon as you start the game. Melee combat sucks. Most questlines are not very good, a clear step back from Oblivion. But the world is so beautiful, cohesive and immersive, it’s easy to ignore Skyrim’s flaws.

    The attention to detail is astonishing. I have found myself in awe in many situations where the world of Skyrim reacted in mind-blowing ways. I am not talking about scripted events, mind you. You can find your horse -Shadowmere- getting pissed at some enemies and climb hundreds of stairs to invade a bandit camp. You can become a vampire lord and play the game as such and it will still make sense within Skyrim’s world. On your journey to a mountain, you can see a dragon flying around, minding its own business. That said, you can engage with the dragon if you choose to. In Skyrim, you can pretty much go anywhere you like, anytime you like and engage with anything you see. For a game made in 2011, the ambition is spectacular. Even Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall was extremely ambitious when it came out in 1996, so you may think Elder Scrolls has always been an ambitious series. What takes Skyrim apart though is the fact that the game totally delivers in most aspects, despite being overambitious for a 2011 game. I loved Oblivion, but I can easily say Skyrim is the better game (except the questlines) and as far as the Elder Scroll series is concerned, Skyrim is up there with Morrowind.

    There is one more thing that should be mentioned. If you are into high fantasy, you likely have a special love for dragons. It has been 10 years since Skyrim came out, but it still is, by far the best dragon game ever made. Dragons are part of the game’s world and they never feel out of place. Yes, the fights can be quite easy, but it never feels scripted.

    Music is spectacular, although a more variety of songs would have been nice. Sound is really good too.

    In summary, Skyrim is the perfect comfort food. Yes, it is even more casualized than Oblivion. Combat Is bad. It’s very easy even in expert difficulty. But despite all these, Skyrim is extremely good at what it’s trying to achieve. Skyrim is the second-best Elder Scrolls game, second only to Morrowind.

    9.5/10

    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard:

    I played the vampire storyline as a diehard fan of vampires. I like the addition of vampires, but this DLC is a bit sloppy. There are way more bugs than the original game. You will have very long walks in between missions, which aim to extend the gameplay hours for no good reason. Ghost mount is quite cool and you will see some beautiful zones. It is Skyrim after all and although still better than most faction questlines, I expected better.

    8/10

    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn

    Definitely the best Skyrim expansion. It introduces a big island with full of quests to explore. The main questline story is not very good but the design of Apocrypha is amazing. What I loved the most about this expansion is the island of Solstheim where it takes place. It is an island from Morrowind and it does make you feel like you are playing Morrowind with Skyrim graphics.

    My major disappointment was riding dragons. It may be a good idea, but it’s very poorly implemented. Dragon control is weird and riding dragons in Skyrim is simply not fun.

    9.5/10

    My ranking of major questlines:

    Main Quest (great) > Dark Brotherhood (great) > Dragonborn (good) > Dawnguard (vampire) (good) > Civil War (imperial legion) (good) > College of Winterhold (alright) > Thieves Guild (ok) > Bard’s College (bad) > The Companions (bad)    … Expand
  12. TheCornflex
    Feb 1, 2018
    9
    One of the best PC-Games ever. DLCs are really cool and the base game of course too.
  13. DrFriendless
    May 13, 2018
    10
    I know Skyrim has its flaws, but I've been addicted to it twice - once for the original, where I played well over 100 hours, and once for the special edition where I did about the same again. It looks dated in 2018, but the variety of quests and the detail in the world remain the best out there.
  14. killer1237
    Oct 24, 2018
    10
    Skyrim is one of the best fantasy rpg games of all time and has the best mod support out of any game in existence. Expect 100-200 hours from the main game, 100 more from the dlc, and infinitely many hours from quest mods.
  15. StudMuffinOP
    Apr 2, 2020
    9
    Without mods I would have game this review probably a 7. It was free since I owned the regular one on PC so I can't complain. The modding community has made this game a completely new game for me and i'm not talking about the Creation Club or in game mod tab. I don't think I have anything vanilla in my game that couldn't be changed already. But overall with or without mods it's still aWithout mods I would have game this review probably a 7. It was free since I owned the regular one on PC so I can't complain. The modding community has made this game a completely new game for me and i'm not talking about the Creation Club or in game mod tab. I don't think I have anything vanilla in my game that couldn't be changed already. But overall with or without mods it's still a great game to spend hours on… Expand
  16. zNeverSleeping
    Jul 29, 2019
    9
    Definição: Incrivel!
    - Graficos: 7
    - Jogabilidade: 8 - Historia: 9 - Trilha Sonora: 10 - Direção: 9 - Densempenho (RTX 2060 + Ryzen 1600): 6. [O jogo está mal otimizado. Tive de baixar as configurações graficas pro High, porque no Ultra, eu tinha queda de quadros consideraveis, sendo quem nem 30% da minha placa estava sendo utilizado. Porém, vou desconsiderar na nota final, pois o    Definição: Incrivel!
    - Graficos: 7
    - Jogabilidade: 8
    - Historia: 9
    - Trilha Sonora: 10
    - Direção: 9
    - Densempenho (RTX 2060 + Ryzen 1600): 6. [O jogo está mal otimizado. Tive de baixar as configurações graficas pro High, porque no Ultra, eu tinha queda de quadros consideraveis, sendo quem nem 30% da minha placa estava sendo utilizado. Porém, vou desconsiderar na nota final, pois o jogo original não tem culpa]

    Comentarios: Após muito tempo, resolvi jogar um dos games mais venerados de todos os tempos e posso dizer que me arrependi. Me arrependi de ter demorado tanto tempo a jogá-lo. O universo do jogo é muito bem construido, tudo é muito bem detalhado; A trilha sonora é absurdamente linda e imersiva, e alguns cenarios são de cair o queixo.    … Expand
  17. TaijitheBard
    Nov 2, 2020
    8
    Having played this game on various platforms and versions for well over 1000 hours, I can say two main things about Skyrim:

    1- If you're new to the RPG genre (Not like those new games that is categorized as "RPG" just because they have a skill tree. Yes, I'm looking at you Witcher and Assassins Creed. ) and want to delve into a whole new world, then this game is definitely for you. It's    Having played this game on various platforms and versions for well over 1000 hours, I can say two main things about Skyrim:

    1- If you're new to the RPG genre (Not like those new games that is categorized as "RPG" just because they have a skill tree. Yes, I'm looking at you Witcher and Assassins Creed. ) and want to delve into a whole new world, then this game is definitely for you. It's casual enough for everyone to understand the world and story, and it doesn't have a complex mechanical structure like those old cRPGs. It's much more focused on action elements while still providing tons of roleplaying chances in an amazing setting. However, if you've played games like The Witcher 3 and expect those kinds of things, don't. In terms of story and storytelling, this game is nothing like The Witcher 3. Both main and side stories are clunky and you won't even care about them except for a few questline.

    2- If you're an oldschool RPG fan who've played and liked games like Baldur's Gate, Planescape, Icewind Dale or even Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect, this game might not be for you. It's still a good game that you may enjoy, but don't expect anything like the games I've just mentioned. Combat is very action oriented with no room for tactics and all. Dialogue options can vary, but they're definitely not rich, it's mostly your typical "yes, no" type of options. (There's not even sarcastic yes.) However, if you're into tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons, the game gives you a HUGE chance to roleplay, even in vanilla.

    There are some good amount of class and profession variations that you can do to roleplay. You want to be a merchant who only trades by wandering town to town? You can do it. You want to be a fierce warrior who earns his living by killing monsters and bandits? Sure, go ahead. You want to be an evil elf with a secret lair who secretly kills nords because of an old trauma? Hell yeah you can do that. You want to be a loving family dad while being a town guard? You might need a few console commands but yes, you can also do that. I've played this game with anything from "imma go murder every single man in this land" to "I'm just a peaceful dude who lives in a shack and sells rabbit meat" and I can easily say that every playthrough has its own delight.

    Although, if you want to experience this game to the fullest, you definitely should install mods. Nearly all Bethesda games have an awesome engine in terms of mod support, so there are thousands of awesome mods for all your tastes that you can download for free and you don't even need a good PC to use most of them.

    Overall, awesome game with a lot of opportunity for roleplaying, albeit with a mediocre gameplay/story.

    8/10 in Vanilla.
    11/10 with mods.    … Expand
  18. Mehrshad_MB
    Feb 9, 2021
    8
    Undoubtedly, Elder Scrolls V Skyrim is one of the best open world RPGs that has been made. I'd call it "Mother of all RPGs" because I believe most of the elements in todays RPG games, are taken from Skyrim.
    Graphics weren't improved really, but it was still OK and playable. Story and mechanics were good. Atmosphere and building designs were incredible. Music was the only thing that    Undoubtedly, Elder Scrolls V Skyrim is one of the best open world RPGs that has been made. I'd call it "Mother of all RPGs" because I believe most of the elements in todays RPG games, are taken from Skyrim.
    Graphics weren't improved really, but it was still OK and playable. Story and mechanics were good. Atmosphere and building designs were incredible. Music was the only thing that prevented me from Fast Travelling.
    And at last, this game will teach you to save your game!
    (January - February 2021)    … Expand
  19. Geralt123
    Apr 15, 2021
    9
    Unmodded: disgusting
    Modded: one of the best games ever
    ------------ Seriously, unmodded this game is unplayable. Graphics look ugly. So I installed about 10 mods (only!!!!) and the game looked like a different game. Just go to Nexusmods and download the first 10-20 most popular mods using their Mod Manager "Vortext" and install them. After modding, you will have "another" game, I    Unmodded: disgusting
    Modded: one of the best games ever
    ------------
    Seriously, unmodded this game is unplayable. Graphics look ugly. So I installed about 10 mods (only!!!!) and the game looked like a different game.

    Just go to Nexusmods and download the first 10-20 most popular mods using their Mod Manager "Vortext" and install them.

    After modding, you will have "another" game, I promise you! A game that can be played in 2021 with a great immersion!    … Expand
  20. Mister_Jey
    Jan 12, 2021
    8
    → Je suis Dovahkiin !
    L'indémodable Skyrim reste une aventure toujours au top des années après sa sortie. Il faut dire que la mission principale se sépare entre la guerre civile qui sévit en Bordeciel et les quêtes de l'enfant du dragon, de quoi faire donc, sans parler des DLC qui sont bien sûr présents dans cette Spéciale Édition. Et bien sûr, comme à chaque fois avec la franchise The    → Je suis Dovahkiin !
    L'indémodable Skyrim reste une aventure toujours au top des années après sa sortie. Il faut dire que la mission principale se sépare entre la guerre civile qui sévit en Bordeciel et les quêtes de l'enfant du dragon, de quoi faire donc, sans parler des DLC qui sont bien sûr présents dans cette Spéciale Édition. Et bien sûr, comme à chaque fois avec la franchise The Elder Scrolls, il y aura bien d'autres choses à faire en parallèle. En parlant de Bordeciel, la région enneigée du Nord, elle est vraiment sympa mais avec un peut trop de montagne et donc de relief à mon goût, obligeant parfois à faire quelques détours. Skyrim est toujours à ce jour un monstre dans le secteur des RPG.

    Sortie en octobre 2016 / Développé par Bethesda Softworks.    … Expand
  21. ItzHexie
    Aug 2, 2022
    10
    I love this game, IT JUST WORKS, I'm glad that the in-game features are still in the game and that makes the game even better.

    Hopefully we see more Skyrim re-releases
  22. Bruterake
    Oct 15, 2020
    10
    Um dos melhores jogos que eu já joguei na minha vida de longe, instala uns 200 mod que mds é um jogo absurdo da pra ter tudo que você quer, comunidade top demais concertou tudo que tava ruim no jogo.
  23. mr_krol
    Jan 10, 2021
    8
    Отличнейшая база для создания и использования модов! Обновление движка очень хорошее! Жать не все моддеры захотели переносить моды.
  24. Honusan
    Aug 12, 2020
    10
    Очень крутая игра с глубоким и интересным сюжетом, крутой боевкой и захватывающим геймплеем. Благодаря огромному количеству модов, спустя многие годы в игру все так же интересно играть.
  25. GustaCNXFL
    Mar 9, 2021
    10
    melhor RPG singleplayer de todos os tempos Skyrim e uma Obra Prima da Industria dos jogos
  26. ErayTellezi
    Feb 8, 2021
    10
    116 saatin sonunda şunu söyleyebilirim, oynadığım en iyi iki oyundan birisi. Diğeri Witcher 3. Hangisi daha iyi bilmiyorum. Skyrim çok daha serbestlik tanıyor. Olabileceğiniz ve yapabileceğiniz şeyler, dünyasının genişliği hakikaten benzersiz. Witcher ise duygusal olarak daha çok etkiliyordu. Hikayesindeki ara sahneler falan daha güzeldi. Tabii grafik kalitesi de epey önde. İkisine de116 saatin sonunda şunu söyleyebilirim, oynadığım en iyi iki oyundan birisi. Diğeri Witcher 3. Hangisi daha iyi bilmiyorum. Skyrim çok daha serbestlik tanıyor. Olabileceğiniz ve yapabileceğiniz şeyler, dünyasının genişliği hakikaten benzersiz. Witcher ise duygusal olarak daha çok etkiliyordu. Hikayesindeki ara sahneler falan daha güzeldi. Tabii grafik kalitesi de epey önde. İkisine de 10/10 veriyorum.

    Tüm loncalara girdim. Hepsinin hikayesini bitirdim. Ana göreve benzer yan görevlerin hemen hemen hepsini yaptım. Ufak tefek yan görevlerin de çoğunu yaptım. Dlc'ler bitti. Bir kaç eksiği dışında hakikaten muazzam oyun.

    Hiç beklemediğin yerlerde küçük hikayelere, maceralara denk gelmek, oradan işin saçma sapan fantastik yerlere varması... İşte bir oyunda aradığım bu. 10 metre ileride ne olduğunu asla bilmiyorsun. Rastgele bir npc ile konuşurken seni hangi maceraya yollayacağını, gittiğin yerde başına ne geleceğini asla bilmiyorsun. Oyunu oynarken fantastik dünyasından ötürü game of thrones ve lord of the rings'i özlediğimi fark ettim.    … Expand
  27. FirstSpawn
    Feb 28, 2021
    10
    Одна из лучишх игр, когда-либо увидивших свет, на мой взгляд! Обожаю эту игру ♥
    10/10
  28. imreviewingstuf
    Mar 29, 2022
    10
    100s of hours of entertainment in the base game with mods adding thousands more.
  29. TurboDog777
    Nov 6, 2016
    8
    WARNING: DO NOT BUY THIS GAME ON PC! ONLY ACCEPT IT FOR FREE! That being said, if you did get it for free, this is such a non-issue for PC but I felt it was worth saying anyway. The main thing you need to know about SE on PC is that it runs on a 64 bit executable rather then a 32 which is what the original skyrim ran on. This means the architecture of the game is technically superior toWARNING: DO NOT BUY THIS GAME ON PC! ONLY ACCEPT IT FOR FREE! That being said, if you did get it for free, this is such a non-issue for PC but I felt it was worth saying anyway. The main thing you need to know about SE on PC is that it runs on a 64 bit executable rather then a 32 which is what the original skyrim ran on. This means the architecture of the game is technically superior to the original. Thats it really... thats really the only thing its got going for it. PC mods took care of ALL of the visual improvements years ago and a huge down side to the SE is the mod community has to transfer EVERYTHING over. Which takes a lot of time and some stuff isnt going to make it over at all. You cant use base skyrim mods with SE so it all has to be redone. You know, as of right now I wouldn't even bother with the SE but in the future when all the mods are out, you may want to swap over. Everything I have just said however is conditional on if you have received the game for FREE. You get this game for free if you has Skyrim and all the DLC but if you are even missing ONE DLC, you have to pay full price for the SE.… Expand
  30. beehive2
    Oct 29, 2016
    9
    This game is still great, but don't expect to be blow away by the visuals until the modding community has had its way with it. If you completed the original already including the DLC, this might not be for you, but in all other cases, this game is still epic.
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Games Master UK
    Jan 1, 2017
    80
    The original version with graphics mods installed still looks better, so it's not worth the upgrade. [Christmas 2016, p.73]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Dec 12, 2016
    60
    Purely graphical upgrade with support of the Gen4 console modes that PC owners of the original game and all expansions get for free. [Issue #269]
  3. GameGrin
    Nov 11, 2016
    80
    Skyrim is still a great place to get lost in and the visual upgrade is welcome. It perhaps doesn’t go as far as it should and it’s a shame no other aspect of the game got looked at but it’s still well worth your time.
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