The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Anniversary Edition appears to have major frame rate issues when played on the Switch. Bethesda released a special Skyrim Anniversary Edition on November 11, 2021, to mark the game’s 10-year anniversary. This version came with added Creation Club content, and owners of Skyrim Special Edition could purchase an upgrade at a reduced cost.
Skyrim Anniversary Edition recently came out on the Switch as a digital-only title. It’s available at a surprising price point of $69.99, making it as expensive as many current-generation games on PS5 and Xbox Series X. It’s also $10 more expensive than the original version of Skyrim which came out in November 2017 on the Nintendo eShop. While the idea of playing Skyrim Anniversary Edition on the go sounds exciting, it looks like the Switch version is suffering from major performance issues.
A Reddit user named fmo94 has shared a clip of how Skyrim Anniversary Edition runs on the Switch. As seen in the video, this version of Skyrim suffers from performance issues and fmo94 asks other fans not to buy the product. While it’s not fair to compare the Switch version to its counterpart on other platforms, users probably expected better performance out of a re-release of such an old game.
One player claims that the original version of Skyrim runs fine on the Switch. However, some users appear to be having difficulty installing Skyrim without the Anniversary Edition content. Another gamer aims to explain these problems and blames Bethesda’s coding for the stuttering issues. They mention that the game runs fine after deactivating the 74 mods that came with the Creation Club content, before expressing frustration at the asking price.
This appears to be a common complaint, as other users also make fun of Bethesda asking for $69.99 for Skyrim Anniversary Edition on the Switch. One fan plans to buy the game when it goes on sale for $40, but another points out that the PS5 version of Skyrim can be found for around $25. Overall, many gamers seem puzzled by the fact that a game as old as Skyrim has trouble running the Switch.
Since its release in 2017, publishers have released several ports of AAA games on the Switch. Many of these ports are impressive, including Doom Eternal and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, so it’s disappointing to see Skyrim Anniversary Edition suffer from major performance problems on the device.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.