The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
Last updated: 2025-04-30
- Unparalleled freedom and player choice.
- Extensive modding community and support.
- Rich lore and plentiful content.
- Highly enjoyable and satisfying experience.
- Numerous bugs and glitches.
- Clunky and outdated combat.
- Reviews
(sample size) - 2000
- Helpful reviews
- 59%
- Unhelpful reviews
- 40%
- Protest reviews
- 2%
- 90%Helpful reviews with positive sentiment
- 10%Helpful reviews with negative sentiment
- Positive points
- 3879
- Negative points
- 1761
- Gameplay points
- 717
- Perf. points
- 172
- Rec. points
- 1098
- Misc points
- 279
| Point | Description | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| Unparalleled freedom and player choice | The game offers unparalleled freedom in character customization and gameplay. Players can choose their race, class, skills, and playstyle, shaping their character's destiny as a hero, villain, or anything in between. This freedom extends to the open world, where players can explore, complete quests, and interact with the world without restrictions. | 74% |
| Extensive modding community and support | Skyrim has a massive and active modding community that enhances graphics, adds new quests and content, and overhauls gameplay mechanics. The modding community extends the game's lifespan and allows players to tailor their experience to their preferences. The Special Edition's 64-bit engine improves stability and mod support. | 68% |
| Highly enjoyable and satisfying experience | Many reviewers express immense enjoyment and satisfaction with Skyrim, often citing its immersive world, engaging gameplay, and replayability. The game provides a sense of comfort, escapism, and nostalgia, making it a timeless classic for many players. Some reviewers mention that the game is so fun that it makes you lose track of time. | 61% |
| Rich lore and plentiful content | Skyrim is praised for its rich lore, numerous quests, and incidental interactions, creating a world that feels alive and rewarding to explore. The game world is packed with dungeons, cities, and secrets, offering a constant sense of discovery and engagement. The depth of the narrative and the detailed development of characters contribute to the game's greatness. | 52% |
| Immersive atmosphere and enhanced visuals | Improved graphics, lighting, and weather effects enhance the immersive experience, making the world feel more dynamic and alive. The game's detailed landscapes and atmospheric conditions create a sense of a real world. The Special Edition's visual enhancements make the world more immersive. | 31% |
| Iconic and immersive soundtrack | The game features an iconic soundtrack composed by Jeremy Soule, which enhances the gaming experience and creates moments of immersion and contentment. The music adapts to the action, further promoting immersion. The soundtrack is one of the best ever produced for a video game, with wonderful ambiance and thrilling battle themes. | 24% |
| Engaging Dragonborn main storyline | The main storyline centers on the Dragonborn's quest to save Tamriel from a dragon apocalypse. The Dragonborn DLC adds new quests on Solstheim, such as the Azidal armor quest. The main storyline, revolving around the return of the dragons and the rise of the Dragonborn, is epic and engaging. | 10% |
| Quality and plentiful side content | Side content is mostly quality and plentiful. Side quests are well-designed, with some being better than main quest missions. Side quests are deep and can feel like separate games on their own. Most side quests have well-written, engaging stories and take place in visually distinct locations. | 8% |
| Compelling faction questlines | The game allows you to join the Dark Brotherhood and become an assassin. The Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood offer more depth and content. Compared to Oblivion, there are more quests, including quests from Daedric princes, the Dark Brotherhood, and the Thieves Guild. | 7% |
| Dawnguard DLC adds vampire conflict | Dawnguard introduces a conflict between vampire hunters and vampires, expanding the lore and offering new questlines, skills, and characters. The Dawnguard DLC has the best questline of the three main stories, with Serana being a well-developed character. The game allows you to join the Dawnguard and become a vampire slayer. | 7% |
| Timeless classic with valuable lessons | The game teaches great lessons and is considered one of the best games ever played. The game has a lot of history within it. The game inspires the player both within the game and in real life. The game teaches peace, resistance, tactical thinking, and the importance of helping others. | 6% |