- For the original game, see The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
- For the Alexa game, see The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Very Special Edition.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is a 2016 remastered version of the 2011 game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the fifth installment of The Elder Scrolls series. It was released for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on October 28th, 2016.[1] It was also later released for the Nintendo Switch on November 17th, 2017.
Steam users who already owned all of the game's DLC or owned the Legendary Edition received a free digital copy of the remaster.[3] Like the Legendary Edition, the Special Edition comes with the three DLCs Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn.[4]
Contents
Upgrades
Graphical enhancements
Several graphical features of Skyrim were enhanced with the Special Edition, as follows:[5]
- Remastered art and effects
- Volumetric lighting (âGod Raysâ)
- Dynamic Depth of Field
- Screen-space reflections
- New snow and water shaders
The Special Edition also offers native 4K support for both PC and the PS4 Pro.[6]
Console mods
In September 2016, Bethesda announced that Sony had blocked user-created mods from coming to the PS4 version of the game.[7] However, in October 2016, they stated that Sony had rescinded their block and would allow the usage of player-made mods in the game, and explained the process by which players could create mods on console:[6]
Other improvements
Bethesda employee Matt Grandstaff stated on Twitter that the Special Edition would be 64-bit.[8] The Special Edition is also the first game in the series to offer use of the Creation Club to purchase mods licensed by Bethesda.[9]
Reception
The Special Edition did indeed offer slight graphical improvements over the original game, as demonstrated by PC Gamer.[10] As of October 29th, 2016, the game has a 60% ("Mixed") rating on Steam. Many reviewers stated that the game did not perform well on their systems.[11]
On October 28th, 2016, a post on /r/skyrimmods on reddit indicated that the Special Edition's audio quality was noticeably worse than in the original.[12] Several online gaming journals also cited this post in articles of their own.[13][14] Bethesda has since confirmed that they are looking to fix this issue by the following week.[15]
System requirements
The following are the official system requirements for the Skyrim â Special Edition:[5]
Minimum
- Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit Version)
- Intel i5-750/AMD Phenom II X4-945.
- 8GB of ram.
- 12 GB free HDD space
- NVIDIA GTX 470 1GB /AMD HD 7870 2GB
Recommended
- Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit Version)
- Intel i5-2400/AMD FX-8320.
- 8GB of ram.
- 12 GB free HDD space
- NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB /AMD R9 290 4GB
Console storage needs
PS4
- 20 GB (North America)
- 33 GB (Europe)
Xbox One
- 17 GB (North America)
- 25 GB (Europe)
Videos
Gallery
References
- â 1.0 1.1 1.2 IGN: Skyrim Special Edition Officially Headed to PS4, Xbox One, PC This Year
- â 2.0 2.1 IGN: Skyrim: Nintendo Switch Edition Release Date Announced
- â Bethesda Game Studios on Twitter
- â Skyrim Special Edition is Free to PC Gamers Who Own All DLC
- â 5.0 5.1 Skyrim Special Edition â Gone Gold & System Requirements
- â 6.0 6.1 6.2 Mods and 4K Coming to PlayStation 4 for Skyrim and Fallout 4
- â PS4 Mod Update
- â Matt Grandstaff on Twitter
- â Creation Club official website
- â Skyrim Special Edition settings, comparison shots, and performance
- â The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on Steam
- â The Skyrim Special Edition features a significant audio quality downgrade.
- â Skyrim Special Edition's audio is noticeably worse than the original's
- â Skyrim Special Edition On Xbox One, PC Has Worse Audio Than The Original
- â Matt Grandstaff on Reddit