15 Years Later, The Most Popular Open-World RPG Ever Made Has Been Released At Least Five Times

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It’s impossible to ignore how much of a cultural phenomenon The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has become. Released in late 2011, shortly after the huge success of Bethesda Game Studios’ Fallout 3, Skyrim was the peak of the Maryland-based developer’s creative abilities.

Many gamers remember that 2011 wasn’t the last time Skyrim appeared in stores. Over the years after its release, Bethesda re-released the popular fantasy RPG multiple times, usually with new features or improvements. However, these were always fundamentally the same Skyrim game. This constant re-releasing eventually became a running joke, with fans confused by Bethesda’s continued focus on Skyrim, especially when it seemed to be slowing down work on other games.

A Quick Overview of Skyrim’s Excessive Rereleases

Every Major Release of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

  • 2011: The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
  • 2013: The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim – Legendary Edition
  • 2016: The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim – Special Edition
  • 2017: The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim (Switch)
  • 2018: The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim VR
  • 2021: The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim – Anniversary Edition
  • 2025: The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim (Switch 2)

Different versions of Skyrim have had varying levels of success, ranging from fairly good to seriously flawed. The Skyrim: Special Edition and Skyrim: Anniversary Edition are among the better releases. These are updated versions of the game for newer consoles, offering improved graphics and performance thanks to modern hardware. They also include all previously released downloadable content and add new features. For example, the Anniversary Edition introduces a fishing minigame that wasn’t available in the original game. These additions and improvements make the newer versions worthwhile, particularly for those who have played Skyrim before.

As a huge fan, I was so excited when Skyrim – Legendary Edition came out! It wasn’t a complete graphical overhaul or anything, but it was the full game plus all the DLC, which was amazing. It also had a few little improvements thrown in, making it the definitive way to experience the game back then.

The Nintendo Switch version from 2017 and the Skyrim VR release in 2018 were both well-received, bringing the game to popular new platforms and offering fresh ways to experience Skyrim. However, the most recent re-release, the Switch 2 edition of Skyrim from December 2025, has been problematic. Reports indicate it suffers from unacceptable lag and is limited to 30 frames per second, despite other visually demanding games on the console running at 60 frames per second or higher.

Other Skyrim Rereleases

  • 2018: Skyrim: Very Special Edition
  • 2022: The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim – Special Edition (DRM-free)

Two often-overlooked releases of Skyrim are worth mentioning, beginning with the DRM-free version from 2022. While not as widely promoted as other launches, this version demonstrates Bethesda’s commitment to players. It was made exclusively for the GOG PC launcher, which doesn’t use digital rights management (DRM). This means you don’t need to verify the license to play, unlike the Steam version, giving you more complete ownership of the game.

Another unique rerelease of Skyrim is the 2018 Very Special Edition, a version you could play using voice commands with Amazon Echo devices (Alexa). This version, which was free for Echo owners, appeared to be a playful jab at Bethesda’s tendency to release Skyrim on every possible platform. It’s a humorous move, but also quite clever. Like the famous phrase “it’s a bug, not a feature,” it shows Bethesda acknowledging and even making fun of its own habits. By highlighting the absurdity themselves, Bethesda might hope to deflect some criticism from fans and the media.

Why Does Bethesda Keep Releasing Skyrim?

It’s easy to see why people criticize Bethesda’s constant re-releases of Skyrim. The company has faced a lot of teasing and complaints about re-releasing the 2011 game so many times. A big part of the issue is that fans are still waiting for The Elder Scrolls 6, and many believe Bethesda should prioritize a new game instead of revisiting an old one. Some even think these re-releases suggest a lack of fresh ideas and a tendency to dwell on past successes.

Okay, so Bethesda keeps re-releasing Skyrim, and honestly, Todd Howard pretty much laid out why a few years back. He told Geoff Keighley straight up that if people would just stop buying the game, they’d stop releasing it. You can’t really get a more direct answer than that, right? It’s totally on us, the players, apparently!

That explanation might not satisfy everyone critical of Bethesda’s continued focus on Skyrim. For example, comments made by Howard in 2018 seem less convincing when you consider releases like the Switch version, which was initially a noticeably inferior product. Some also feel Bethesda is exploiting fans’ fondness for Skyrim by repeatedly releasing updated versions, capitalizing on their loyalty. These concerns are only made worse by the continued silence surrounding The Elder Scrolls 6. If Bethesda can deliver a truly impressive next installment, the constant re-releases of Skyrim might seem more justifiable in the future.

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2026-01-13 20:38