Surely everyone who has at least a faint interest in role-playing games has played The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at this point. But for those who have somehow managed to avoid being sucked into its world so far, this Anniversary Edition should be considered a must-have.
Originally released on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC in 2011, then enhanced and re-released on PS4, Xbox 360 and PC in 2016, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is famous for not only being a great game, but also for being ported and sold to players whenever the opportunity arises, with Switch, PSVR and Windows VR versions also being made available since. Despite the Special Edition of the game already being playable on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S thanks to backwards compatibility, The Elder Scrolls Skyrim: Anniversary Edition marks not only the tenth birthday of the game, but also its native arrival on those consoles.
We’ve spent considerable time with the PS5 version of The Elder Scrolls V: Anniversary Edition, and while we have mixed feelings, there’s no doubt that it takes what is still an utterly engrossing experience and makes it even better than ever before. Visually, there’s nothing here that makes this version actually look nicer. We switched back and forth between the PS4 and PS5 versions on a PS5 console and couldn’t spot any discernible differences. If you last played the game on anything older than a standard PS4 or Xbox One, however, then you are going to appreciate the 4K visuals and 60 FPS presentation. Skyrim is starting to look a little dated in some areas now, but it does clean up pretty nicely.
There are a couple of areas where The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim does make use effective use of the power of PS5, though. One is loading times. Moving between the open world, dungeons and houses is now done in an instant, meaning you get to spend more time exploring and looting rather than twiddling your thumbs or reaching for your phone. For those conscious about storage space, it’s also pretty amazing that the PS5 version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is less than a third of the size of its PS4 counterpart; it’s just 15GB as opposed to 50GB.
The real draw of The Elder Scrolls V: Anniversary Edition, though, is that it comes with all Creation Club content released to date. For those not in the know, the Creation Club is a collection of additional content created by the community that has been officially sanctioned by Bethesda. All in all, there are over 70 Creation Club packages included, introducing a wide range of new items, quests and features to the game. And aside from a select few, you have control over which ones are active.
While much of the Creation Club content is pretty minor in the grand scheme of things, such as alternative armour skins or weapons to be obtained by completing new quests, some of them have quite an impact on how The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition plays. Fishing is one such creation, allowing you to pick up your rod and engage in a simple recreation of the much-loved sport. Another creation lets you own a farm; well, once you’ve dealt with the ghosts that plague it first.
There’s one creation, however, that has a very drastic effect on how you play The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition: Survival Mode. This ultra-hard mode turns Skyrim into a true test of survival. As well as challenging you to maintain being well-fed, well-rested and warm, you’ll also find that survival mode disables fast travel. And that’s not all: your carrying limit is also reduced, and you can only level via sleeping. Not everyone will get on with it, but those wanting to delve into Skyrim again might find that it makes things feel fresh.
Aimed at those who are yet to experience The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the first time, this Anniversary Edition offers exceptional value for money, and is easily the best way to jump into one of the best role-playing games ever made. It may not quite look current-gen, but the fast loading times and reduced storage footprint are both meaningful gains for PS5 players, while the included Creation Club content adds yet more meat to the game’s bones which are already heaped with flesh. For those that have already played Skyrim to exhaustion, however, there’s not much here to draw them back. Though being able to upgrade from the Special Edition for just £15.99/$19.99 makes it very enticing.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition Review – GameSpew’s Score
This review of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is based on the PS5 version, with a code provided by the game’s publisher. It’s available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC.
Buy on Amazon
FAQs
Both versions include the base game with noticeable improvements. But the Anniversary Edition is a bit better, providing more add-ons and enhanced visuals. The most important fact is that both editions come separately in the Fallout 4 Game of the Year bundle, so enthusiasts of either can enjoy one more game to play.
Which is better, Skyrim Special or Anniversary Edition? ›
The Anniversary Edition is the most comprehensive with enhanced graphics, new mechanics, added quests, and mod support.
How many hours is the Skyrim Anniversary Edition? ›
When focusing on the main objectives, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Anniversary Edition is about 33½ Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 154 Hours to obtain 100% completion.
What is the point of Skyrim Anniversary Edition? ›
The Skyrim Anniversary Edition bundles together Skyrim Special Edition with every piece of Creation Club content released at the time of the Anniversary Edition's launch, including additional quests, armor and gameplay modes.
Should I buy Skyrim or Special Edition? ›
If you are getting the console version, then it is better to get the Special Edition as you can download an use mods with it. With 64 bit, there is a lot more modders can do with it as well. In the end, it is a matter of opinion and prefrence. Something you will have to decide for yourself.
Is Skyrim a hard game? ›
On Normal difficulty (or Adept, as it's called), I'd say Skyrim's a very easy game compared to what I'm used to in action games (like Dark Souls, PS2 Dynasty Warriors, or Nioh), but if you're not used to real time action then Skyrim might be more challenging.
Which Skyrim game is the best? ›
1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is argubaly one of the greatest video games ever created. The game blew up upon its release, and absolutely shook the world.
Should you upgrade to Anniversary Edition Skyrim? ›
I think the value of the anniversary pack is dependent on how much creation club content you've purchased. If you have no creation club purchases then it is a pretty good deal. If you're like me though... someone who purchased all of the creation club content prior to its release, the pack offers far, far less value.
Is the Skyrim Anniversary Edition the full game? ›
The Anniversary Edition includes a decade worth of content: the critically acclaimed core game and add-ons of Skyrim Special Edition, plus pre-existing and new content from Creation Club including quests, dungeons, bosses, weapons, spells, and more.
Can you fully beat Skyrim? ›
Completing the entirety of the game itself is almost impossible, with all the side quests that seems to lead you nowhere near the end. However, beating the game is a whole different story and is actually very doable.
Redditor Flynn-451, however, reached level 252 in the game and completely maxed out each of the skill trees in the game, reaching level 100 in each skill.
Is The Witcher 3 like Skyrim? ›
Witcher 3, whilst being a very very interesting and fun action adventure game with elements from RPGs, is not anywhere close to the scale of Elder Scrolls series, especially Skyrim. Skyrim was in production for 6 years, Witcher 3 at best was in development for 3 years.
Which Skyrim version is best? ›
Special Edition vs Anniversary Edition: Game Version
640 on Steam and 1.6. 659 on GOG. While SKSE64 versions are available for both, many SKSE-dependent mods are yet to be updated to the latest release. For all intents and purposes, the best idea is to return to the pre-anniversary update version of Skyrim, 1.5.
Is there any reason to buy Skyrim Anniversary Edition? ›
Anniversary Edition is just Special Edition with about 80~ creation club mods put into a single DLC. It also reduces loading screens to basically an instant load from my current playthrough and apparently it enhances graphics a bit but i havent seen a difference.
How to become a vampire in Skyrim? ›
To become a normal vampire all you have to do is get infected by a vampire enemy, which may take a while, but you can eventually contract the disease. To be a vampire lord you must follow the dawnguard quest line and you will be presented with the option incredibly early on.
Should you upgrade to Anniversary Edition skyrim? ›
I think the value of the anniversary pack is dependent on how much creation club content you've purchased. If you have no creation club purchases then it is a pretty good deal. If you're like me though... someone who purchased all of the creation club content prior to its release, the pack offers far, far less value.
Will I lose everything if I get Skyrim Anniversary Edition? ›
You can still continue an existing game. All the Anniversary stuff is is a collection of 70 Creation Club items. So nothing more than 70 small DLCs. If you had bought all 70 Creation Club items separately, you would still have the same content as if you had bought the Anniversary Upgrade.
Is Skyrim Anniversary Edition worth playing without mods? ›
Yes, the game is good even without mods. Once upon a time, mods were practically necessary to patch major bugs and glitches in the game. But I believe the new editions have most of the fixes anyways. I mostly play vanilla skyrim with a few Quality of Life mods such as better UI, fonts, better maps etc.
What is the skyrim anniversary special? ›
The Anniversary Upgrade includes Creation Club content released on or prior to November 11, 2021 - like quests, dungeons, bosses, weapons, spells, and more. You must own Skyrim Special Edition to access this content. For a full list of Creation Club content included read here.
