The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition

What's to say that hasn't already been said about Skyrim? Perhaps the ultimate first-person (or third-person) action role playing game of its generation (and for many Mllennials, of ours too), The Elder Scrolls V: SKyrim falters only in its scaled-down scope from the previous entry. Some of this can't be helped because the province of Skyrim is just smaller in size than Cyrodil, which formed the bulk of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, but also some of it was trimming of systems and streamlining of combat to get more people into the fold. I'd say the tactic worked, but I also have the unpopular opinion that all the lost attributes, major and minor skills. plus custom magic creation did bog down some of the experience in the previous game, however devilish it could be to abuse those mechanics in order to make godlike characters without needing to actually cheat. The most inportant thing is you can still play your way, with a fully customized character, and even though you technically no longer have classes to guide how your leveling progresses, you can still specialize into a tank or longbow sniper like all the previous games. This formless and limitless leveling system does mean that eventually you can have maximum everything, and will be that ultimate godlike character just from enough playing, but I don't think there ever was an Elder Scrolls game that you couldn't break somehow just with enough play time. For the average player, they just want an immersive experience that is easy to pick up and hard to put down; they want an escape into another world where they can live out a fantasy, or just get from point A to point B and save the day before popping in another title to play. Skyrim delivered all that, plus an art style that has aged like fine wine to the point most people don't even care about the fact the engine under the game has more holes than a cheese grater, and was already a generation behind the competition when launched. All the myriad bugs and glitches train the player to save often, and although patches would ultimately get the worst offenders, there is still enough jank left in the game that people playing the game long-term will inevitably seek mods to correct what was left untouched when Bethesda moved on. Luckily, that same mod community has blossomed into one so big that we would end up getting entire DLC-sized expansions to the game, unofficial remastered graphics for those who absolutely need a 15 year-old game to feel like a bloated unoptomized modern one, and all for free. Honestly, I think some of the better expansion mods like Wyrmstooth, Falskaar, and Midwood Isle should be incorporated into the base game, but that's just me. The fact Tod Howard has spent those 15 years just re-selling this game back to us on different platforms while letting the community extend the life of the title indefinitely with this fan-made content is sort of telling that maybe Bethesda doesn't believe they can top it. The bottom line here is Skyrim did what Oblivion and its predecessor did not, even if it is the svelte, streamlined "Elder Scrolls Lite" entry into the series compared to others in the series. That thing it did was get enough people invested in the game that the aforementioned community of content creators blossomed around it in the first place. Being able to play the game across three console generations, myriad PC generations, and now mobile nearly two decades later is also kinda neat. You can literally play this game forever if you want, and with official Creation Content or free mods to keep adding new adventures, it's probably still the single best investment in the genre you can make. The pending Beyond Skyrim mod content will also see every single province plugged into the base game with all their own quests, making the whole content of Tamriel playable in an "offline" Elder Scrolls game for the first time since the original entry. Some may argue for Oblivion Remastered, and it sure looks great, plays mostly the same way the original did with quality of life improvements, but you need to have ridiculously expensive hardware to run its shiny and resource-heavy Unreal 5 engine. Skyrim even in it's decked-out Special Edition with Anniversary Edition content download can basically run on a potato nowadays, so there's few people out there who can't play this game, making it even more essential if free-roam action RPGs are your thing.

Skyrim is one of the most immersive and complete fantasy experiences in gaming. Its open world is massive, detailed, and packed with things to discover. Whether you are going into ancient ruins, exploring snowy mountains, or getting sidetracked by a random cave or village, the game constantly rewards your curiosity. The main questline is genuinely engaging, with a great balance of lore, mystery, and action. But what really surprised me was how strong the side quests are — some of them are even more interesting and memorable than the main story. Every guild, region, and character seems to have something worth exploring, and it all adds to the richness of the world. Skyrim’s atmosphere is unmatched. The music is absolutely peak — emotional, epic, and unforgettable. It ties everything together and gives weight to both quiet moments and massive battles. Combat and progression offer tons of flexibility. Whether you prefer magic, stealth, melee, or something in between, the game lets you play how you want without forcing a specific path. Of course the game has some bugs here and there , but it’s still a masterpiece of fantasy RPG design. It’s a game that stays with you long after the story ends. Rating: 9.2/10

Best game I've played growing up without the internet. I enjoyed every second of exploring this game for the first time play through, and then the second play through, and then the third play through, and the fourth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This game came out 2011 (Special edition 2016) and after all these years its still a buggy mess and Bugthesda wont fix anything leaves it to the modders to do the job for them. I used to really like this game but to me it feels like the game is getting more and more broken the older it gets. Betheshda has made so much money with this game but still doesnt give a damn about thier players. I wont buy anymore products from this company because i have lost hope that bethesda will one day do something to improve. They even managed to screw up ESO a game that was nearly perfect but has gotten worse with every useless update that bethesda has put out.

Great game. But I dont think it deserves a positive review since its so full of bugs that you have to fix with console commands

I got this for like 5 euros after hearing about it for years thinking it'd be good; it wasn't the most fun parts of this game were exploiting its poorly written systems to quickly level up skills and eating all the cheese wheels I could find the mechanics either just suck (like sneaking since npcs randomly see you or they randomly don't (mgs 1 did this better more than a decade prior)) or are incredibly basic (like combat literally being damage trading with a tank) the story itself is uninspired (NORD people doing NORD people stuff like being NORDIC and drinking NORDIC MEAD (also you can scream really loud)) little things pile up like the inventory being hard to navigate or the fast travel going "nuh uh" for the dumbest reasons like you being midair I chose magic thinking it'd be cool (mana in this game is called "magicka" btw peak name) and it ended up being the worst thing I could've picked. it doesn't scale with your level but enemies do scale up so you end up holding m1 on a draugr for 5 minutes straight till it dies (all the while bro is screaming fus ro dah in the silliest way possible) so uh gameplay isn't worth it story isn't worth it

I actually enjoy it and play it often. One issue that if your playing without modifying the games files or playing with mods that make this game almost unplayable and actually causes a game breaking bug at certain major quests. The survival mode mod should not be forcefully included with this game. 2 ways to fix this: delete the following files if you want a purely vanilla play through that is without the bugs brought in by survival mode: ccQDRSSE001-SurvivalMode.bsa ccQDRSSE001-SurvivalMode.esl The other way is to install the mod "survival mode prompt removed" if you want to use mods like Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch. The fact that they forced this mod on everyone that few people even enjoy using and few people even installed is confusing to me. Not to mention breaks the game in places. I don't hate the game but that mod should have never been added into the game. Seems like an odd choice for Bethesda to make and destroys the vanilla experience to this game.

This game is great. This is my second play through and I'm enjoying it just like I did the first time. The game is complete and rich in story.

Its Skyrim, Play it on your fridge or super Deck, Todd Doesnt mind. buy for the fifth time, Todd Doesnt mind. Its great.

When your potato pc with a gt 730 won't let you play newer games like Elden Ring, So you gotta bring out Skyrim at 30fps capped to satisfy that itch for fantasy rpg games. Just me? Okay :/ Good game though

Had to take an arrow in the knee just to play this game. Overall: 10/10 I’ve been playing Skyrim since I was a kid, and even in 2025, it’s still an absolute classic. The game may be old, but it never gets boring especially with the modding community keeping it alive. You can easily give it a modern look with visual mods or completely transform the gameplay if you want. Skyrim is still one of the best open-world RPGs ever made. Highly recommended for the nostalgia. ~Go Steal Some Sweet Rolls~

Would totally recommend. But only if you use the mods to fix everything those idiots at Bugthesda broke. Also try out Skyrim together. It's funny as heck watching your friend launched into the air by a Giant.

Brilliant game, quite the epitome of fun. It makes the player feel as though they have transcended beyond reality/ escape it. Truly magical.

This is my first Elder Scroll game! I've never thought I'll be so much hooked on this game I'm still low level and love exploring but already spent a lot of hours. Very rich in story, very diverse, feels like when I chill in pub I felt like im also chilled IRL. I love the game how it is!! Very lucky that this game still runs on my very old PC set up <3

This game is special, no pun intended. Vibes and atmosphere like nothing else. Modding is where things get interesting - few games offer the same level of customization with mods as Skyrim. If you're interested in that, this is the version you probably want, not the standalone Anniversary Edition. Specifically, version 1.5.97, which has a very robust mod ecosystem and compatible with just about everything. If you want to play with the Creation Club content, look into the "best of both worlds" patch. I think at least 200 of my gameplay hours have been spent testing different mods and modlists (try Wildlander if you like survival gameplay, that one's been my favorite so far). It's gotten a lot easier now than it used to be, with Wabbajack auto-installers and curated lists to form a base to build on. Todd's magnum opus still holds against the test of time, and I predict will for many years even after the release of TES6.

this game is nothing without mods in the modern day with mods, this game genuinely rivals modern rpgs since you can choose exactly how you wanna play this game with what mods you wanna download if you like games with memorable characters, i recommend serana dialogue overhaul use mod organizer 2 for everything

broken and full of game breaking bugs I completed a questline and it completely softlocked my game

The only real con of this game is that it consumes you. Not in a bad way,but in the way only a truly legendary story can. Skyrim doesn’t just ask for your time; it quietly becomes a part of your soul(the dragon soul within you :) To truly finish it is to lose yourself in a world where the line between reality and myth begins to blur. The Elder Scrolls isn’t just a game; it’s a pilgrimage through the unknown, where each dungeon is a question, each mountaintop a moment of reflection. And when it’s all over, you realize the real journey wasn’t through Skyrim… it was through yourself.

TL:DR; Very enjoyable, but wide as an ocean and deep as a puddle. You don't play a role in this RPG, you are the player playing as yourself, hoovering up content sans context. For everything negative I am about to say about Skyrim, I did enjoy playing it a lot. It has an amazing atmosphere, soundtrack, surprisingly good world-building (when you can find it) and did a lot to solidify and refine the style of Open-World RPG design that Bethesda had been working on since Morrowind. I think the thing that bothers me most about Skyrim is how light and hollow every interaction is that isn't killing something or check-listing actions for a quest. There are plenty of quests -both silly and serious- in this game and thousands of locations to stumble across and discover, but after a short while it starts to feel the same. The same caves, the same bandits, the same monsters, the same spells/weapons. One of the reasons why "stealth archer" is such a common way to play these games is that you get to engage with a lot of mechanics at once in deeper ways than "use biggest damage sword" or "use biggest damage spell" I think what seals the negative score for me is that after enough time, it feels like playing an MMO with no other players in. Its a wide beautiful world where nothing much changes from quest to quest. I kill more things, I collect enough bear arses to hand in, I get XP, I level up, I get better loot, I repeat. If you want a game like this, fill your boots and have fun. But its not an RPG, its a looter-shooter with swords and in retrospect its why Fallout 4 was such a disappointment to me. I WANT to play a role, I WANT quests to be exclusive to roles and not things to check off a omnipresent-player list. I want New Vegas, basically. But with dragons. The mod scene pulls a lot of weight too, like every Bethesda game before it. Fixing bugs and deepening gameplay in a multitude of ways, god bless 'em.

I think I've bought Skyrim about 5 times since 2011. The PC experience is the ultimate experience. Forget the puny mods XBOX let's you download; grab this, download Nolvus, Lorerim or Northern Souls for absolutely free and play—or don't and mod the crap out of it YOUR way via Nexus or Mod Organiser 2. It's the Special Edition you want anyway; buying the Anniversary Edition alone locks you out of most mods. Just pray Bethesda don't release a 512kb patch for a 14-year-old game that breaks every single mod and takes weeks for modders to fix, all-the-while they're not getting paid to, they're doing it out of passion and love for the game and community. Thanks Todd Howard, but genuinely and with all the love I can give through a digital medium, thank you modders. Skyrim is my cosy Winter game.

Skyrim feels like the comfy home i never had, always come back with a smile on my face This is as much an action rpg as a relaxing asmr game, and its the most modded game ever, so its the perfect platform to tweak it to your liking, there really is nothing else like Skyrim

Skyrim is one of those unique special type of games that will always be an amazing game, I'll always keep coming back to. 5/5 as always & 10/10 with mods lol.

There are still game-breaking bugs waiting to ruin your fun. Classic game, no excuse for its state.

this game been my crack since it came out. Replayability is insane, different mods can turn it into a totally different experience. I want to buy this for all my friends who don't have it because damn, they are missing out. I might get obsessed with other games for a time, but i always come back to my favourite comfort game. p.s. Appreciate the wonkieness and bugs. those are called special features. (if you don't, there are patches for it!) Thanks Todd.

anonymous negative review: Ah yes, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim—the game that lets you slay dragons, shout people off cliffs, and carry 300 pounds of cabbage while forgetting what you were actually supposed to be doing. It’s epic, immersive, and absolutely broken in the most hilarious ways possible. Let’s start with the main quest. You’re the Dragonborn! A chosen warrior with a voice so powerful it can launch goats into orbit. So naturally, instead of saving the world, you’ll spend 100 hours collecting cabbages, adopting children, and yelling at chickens until the locals want you arrested. Saving the world from Alduin? Eh. Maybe later. There's a perfectly good cave over there that needs looting. Combat is… generously described as “combat.” Sword swings feel like you’re fighting underwater with foam pool noodles, bows shoot like you're tossing paperclips at bears, and magic turns you into a walking glowstick with carpal tunnel. And the AI? The enemies are either blind, deaf, and deeply confused—or they'll chase you halfway across the continent because you stole a fork. And don’t get me started on the companions. Whether it's Lydia blocking every single doorway with the enthusiasm of a brick wall or someone yelling “I’m sworn to carry your burdens” with the raw energy of an overworked retail worker, they’re both a help and a hazard. Usually a hazard. Then there’s the bugs. Oh, the bugs. Horses that climb vertical mountains, guards that comment on your arrow wound while actively bleeding from their eyeballs, dragons flying backwards, and NPCs T-posing into the afterlife. At some point, it stops being a fantasy RPG and starts feeling like a medieval fever dream coded in duct tape. And yet… you keep playing. Why? Because Skyrim is like that chaotic friend who constantly screws things up but is somehow always the life of the party. Conclusion: Skyrim is a massive, ambitious, beautiful mess. It’s full of wonder, awe, and enough glitches to qualify as a Bethesda tradition. If you can look past the jank—and maybe save every 5 seconds—you’ll have a blast. Probably while being launched into space by a giant.

I love the game but virtually EVERY time I start it either steam launches with it multiple times or the controller doesn't work or any one of 15 different problems. I've just installed steam on windows 11 and it's been the biggest pain in the arse since I started computing over 40 years ago, as a developer!!

Just mod it. I wouldn't recommend the vanilla experience to anyone. Nolvus Awakening and Lorerim are really solid starting points.

I recommend this game to anyone who enjoys RPGs with rich lore and tons of content. Even if you're not a fan of the theme at first glance, I suggest buying it on sale and giving it a shot !

What is better? To be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?

It's just so engaging, The mods are a bit of a minefield, but I'm getting there. I will be honest, it took me awhile to decide to try it; as I didn't like the title. Playstation were doing a good deal on it, less than half the price that Steam sell it for (A shame steam don't reward their customers. silly points Rewards are worthless, let us keep more money in our pockets) so I pulled the trigger and I'm glad I did. It's my favourite game

only got it because of mods, don't bother playing it without them

As a testament to this iconic RPG and DND, I have come back to fully immerse myself in being a ragdoll and a plaything for an Elder Dragon. One of the best gaming experience (and modding too) ever in terms of gameplay, story, and mechanics. I can feel every kind of emotions there are while submerging into the breathtaking scenery. The game engine or graphic might be a bit outdated comparing to Fallout 4, but it still remarkably so lively, soulful and enchanting, I literally spend a couple of hours just to do fishing and vibing with the peaceful background track.

Do NOT fuck with the Giants without a ranged weapon, WORST (and funniest) mistake of my life. I spend more time troubleshooting mods for this game than actually playing it.

After playing Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim all in a row I think I can safely say this is my second favorite Elder Scrolls game. Oblivion just barely takes the cake with its writing and charm. I hope the Elder Scrolls VI can at least match what Skyrim was able to provide given it has been in development for 14 years at the time of this review.....

You can easily put so many hours into this game, even when you don't do the campaign there is always something to do. Skill tree is amazing along with the combat and great amount of different type of weapons, armour and spells. The one thing I love is the back stories and books in this game, love knowing the lore and all. Yeah it's a bit buggy sometimes in places, but the good overcomes the bad easily.

Really fun game, holds up pretty well despite it's age. The world is fun to explore and there's tons of things to do. The combat and gameplay could be better, but it's not unplayable. Graphics aren't too unbearable, although somewhat outdated.

Fantastic game on any platform! works great even on my 4gb ram laptop.

Skyrim is an *okay* game, like a 7/10. But it is a TERRIBLE roleplaying game.

over all better than the last version, still having issues with mods

I became the greatest archmage in history through years of arcane study— forging mythical artifacts, enchanting with gems made from the souls of my enemies... And even though I obtained unimaginable power... I still don’t f*ing know where my wife went. She left me and the kids. Dear Borgakh, if you're going to despawn, at least pay child support.

Extremely fun, the melee combat reminded me a lot of fantastic frontier (comfort game) so I really enjoyed just fighting npcs

Fun Relaxing game. Challenging but not to the point of Anxiety & the best part is I don't get Ad's begging to $ so I can Pay to Win a game that's over when the Newer games come out to Replace the Old. If I got to keep adding $ to a game for the ability to win / obtain the good stuff then I didn't actually have the Challenge of Winning the game on my own merits.

Downloading SKSE will be a little bit tricky for newish modders (like me) but I highly recommend Vortex because it makes modding this already incredibly wonderful (and memeable) game into an even better incredibly wonderful (and memeable) game. Skyrim is gonna be hard for Bethesda to beat. Let's hope ES6 is just as good if not better than this masterpiece!

Skyrim the timeless classic that’s been released more times than I’ve changed socks. Truly a revolutionary experience where you can slay dragons, ignore the main quest forever, and hoard cheese wheels like a medieval raccoon with a hoarding disorder. It’s the only game where you can shout a man off a cliff, marry a blacksmith, and get killed by a crab all before noon. With thousands of hours of “freedom” that somehow always end with you crouch-walking through the same dungeon looting the same five pots, Skyrim is less of a game and more of a lifestyle. Available on every platform, probably even your fridge. Multiple copies? Absolutely. You already own three—you just forgot. 11/10 – Fus Ro Spent My Whole Life Here.

This game turned me into a *deep breath* atheist, capitalist, thief, furry, scaly, completionist, gamer adict, modding addict, recluse, polytheist, gay, bi. Shall I keep going?

get this game if 1: you love fantasy stories with insane amounts of lore, 2: you want to test out all different kinds of mods, and 3: you never want to see the sun or your family ever again because you are too busy collecting all of the daedric artifacts

Crazy a game this old can somehow still be so good. I've al'ready played skyrim on every console there is, and finally got to try it on pc because of the sale. Definitely was worth the money spent, and the mods make the game so much fun. Literally any little niche thing you can think of, a mod has been created for it. No other game offers that

extremely amazing good game ran around killed thing die, kill things again but in big town ,go to jail, break out of jail, take more souls, die again, decide its time to do achievement and start a new game since i haven't done it on steam yet grind game on week end while waiting for friends little bro to be able to play again just to say "Ok bro, i did a little of camera grinding" and show him my (currently) level 30 character (when he got off it was level 5) plus bugs make it funny a lot of time and I hit some one with ice spike and they went weeeee into the house 20 feet away would recomend

Everything is good! This is better than the remastered version ofof oblivion.

My go to game in life. As a parent I no longer have time to live the life I once led. To learn a new game would take hours of time and challenges that I no longer have the time or fortitude to take on. Skyrim is the game I always come back to, it holds alot of fond memories and still undiscovered secrets. And if all else fails there's also console commands and a HUGE lists of mods to give the game a fresh start. I think I'll just achivement hunt for now though.