Wow, it’s been fourteen years since The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim came out, and it’s still incredible! I remember being completely blown away when I first played it – stepping into that world felt truly magical. And the game just kept getting better with those three DLCs! They added so much to explore and, honestly, being able to build your own house was a game-changer. It really became one of those huge, modern RPGs where you could just wander around and create your own adventure, and it still feels that way today. The fact that it has such a dedicated fanbase and a thriving modding community after all this time just proves how special it is.
Bethesda has consistently tried to keep Skyrim popular over the years, but their approach has sometimes frustrated fans. The game has been re-released many times, and some versions haven’t offered enough new content to justify the cost. As the 15th anniversary approaches in 2026, players are wondering if we’ll see yet another Skyrim release or finally get some news about The Elder Scrolls 6. For now, let’s take a look at all the different versions of Skyrim and rank them based on how much new content they added.
We rank each game by how much new content it adds – things like items, quests, and activities – compared to the version before it. (For example, we compare the ‘Legendary’ version to the original game.) This ranking isn’t about how good a game is; you can find quality ratings elsewhere.
Skyrim is definitely among my favorite games. I’m not trying to criticize it, or the idea of releasing it in different versions, but I want to clearly explain what’s new in each release so you can see the differences.
Legendary Edition
It Bundled All Three DLCs With The Latest Patch
- Base Game at the latest patch
- All 3 DLCs: Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn
- Not available anymore, replaced by Special Edition
It’s understandable why the Legendary Edition ranks lowest. Released two years after the original game, it simply combined the base game, all three expansions, and the latest patch into one package – and sold it for $59.99. Now, neither the Legendary Edition nor the original game are officially available for purchase, as the original has been removed from Steam.
As a big Skyrim fan, I thought the Legendary Edition was a really good value when it came out. If you hadn’t gotten into the game yet, it was a perfect way to grab everything all at once instead of buying each piece of DLC separately. And it got even better – if you owned the Legendary Edition, you could upgrade to the Special Edition for free when that version launched! It felt like a great reward for being a long-time fan.
Anniversary Edition
74 Creations
- Remastered Skyrim (Special Edition)
- All 3 DLCs: Dawnguard, Hearthfire, Dragonborn
- 74 Creations
- Current Price: $49.99 on Steam
The Anniversary Edition has sparked debate, and understandably so. While it does add a significant amount of new content – 74 Creations, which are essentially previously released paid mods from the Creation Club – opinions are divided. Some players don’t mind the additions, but others feel they make the game too easy by introducing powerful armor too early, and that the new quests aren’t substantial enough to warrant the edition’s cost.
I generally agree with your point, but looking at it from a fresh perspective, it’s hard to ignore how much more this version offers compared to the last Special Edition, which only added four items. This one includes new weapons, armor, quests, housing, farming, and dungeons, plus features like Survival Mode and Fishing that were already present. While the previous Special Edition didn’t add much new gameplay, this version definitely gives you more content overall, even if it’s been met with some criticism.
The 2017 Switch Version
Zelda-themed Crossover Items & Four Creations
- Remastered Skyrim (Special Edition)
- All 3 DLCs: Dawnguard, Hearthfire, Dragonborn
- Amiibo rewards chest: potentially the Master Sword, Hylian Shield, and Champion’s Tunic
- Current Price: $49.99 on the Nintendo store
The Anniversary Edition and an upgraded version are now available on both Switch and Switch 2, but this discussion will focus on other versions.
It wasn’t surprising when Bethesda brought Skyrim to the Nintendo Switch, especially since people had been joking for years about the game appearing on everything – even smart refrigerators! Switch owners got the Special Edition, which was an updated version of the original game with improved graphics and sound. This version included all three downloadable expansions, but it also had a unique feature: special items inspired by The Legend of Zelda, making it a fun experience for Nintendo fans.
In the game, you can use amiibo figures like magical tools to create treasure chests. The contents of these chests varied depending on the amiibo used. While amiibo from series other than Zelda gave you common items like crafting materials, food, or money, Zelda amiibo had a small chance to reward special crossover items – a sword, tunic, and shield inspired by Link. Certain Zelda amiibo, based on the specific game they’re from, could even provide unique items.
While the new content isn’t huge, it’s good that Switch players who already bought the game received something extra with this release.
Special Edition
A Few Creations Overshadowed By A Visual Overhaul
- Engine and graphical overhaul
- All 3 DLCs: Dawnguard, Hearthfire, Dragonborn
- Four Creations
- The Creation Club
- Current Price: $39.99 on Steam
About five years after the original Skyrim came out, the Special Edition was released, giving the game a significant visual upgrade. It was largely a remastered version of the Legendary Edition, and included four new content packs, along with the Creation Club – a store where players could buy smaller add-ons. These content packs were Survival Mode, Rare Curios, Fishing, and Saints & Seducers. Survival Mode was a good addition, even if it wasn’t perfect for Skyrim’s gameplay. However, Saints & Seducers didn’t live up to expectations; it hinted at a return to the Shivering Isles from Oblivion, but the actual quests were quite short and lacked depth.
The game received a visual update that helped keep it current, but this version actually has less content than the original. While the previous version included three large downloadable expansions, this one only offered four smaller ‘Creations’ which didn’t feel like enough new material to justify a completely new release. Some players believe the visual improvements should have been available to everyone who already owned the base game. Fortunately, those who owned the ‘Legendary Edition’ were able to upgrade to the ‘Special Edition’ for free when it launched.
Skyrim VR
- Current Price: $59.99
We should also talk about Skyrim VR, which builds on the Special Edition. While it’s fun to experience Skyrim in virtual reality, it hasn’t added much new gameplay content, making it comparable to other versions in that regard.
The only difference between this version and the Special Edition is that it supports VR headsets. This addition brought some changes to the gameplay, which many players found created a truly immersive Skyrim experience.
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2025-12-19 20:08