After Microsoft's acquisition of Zenimax Media last year, the eyes of the gaming populous have been on the huge studios now owned by the company. While Microsoft owns plenty of major studios, though, none are as big as Bethesda, the studio behind the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. As the wait for The Elder Scrolls 6 is reportedly going to be a long one, fans of the series are wondering if The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim will be getting a port to the newest generation of consoles.
Notorious for its large number of ports, Skyrim coming to the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S seems like something of a no-brainer. However, there hasn't been any news regarding two new versions of the game. While that might be a disappointment for new console owners, they will simply have to be satisfied with the nine other versions that are widely available. As the wait for The Elder Scrolls 6 or a next-gen Skyrim continues, here is every version of Skyrim that's available so far.
Skyrim on the Xbox 360
When Skyrim was initially released in 2011, it was a huge step for the games industry. Never before had a game as big and as detailed been put on consoles that works as well as Skryim did. Looking back at it, it's clear just how buggy the game actually was and continues to be, though it was still a huge step nonetheless. With the issues plaguing the PS3 version at launch, Skyrim on the Xbox 360 was the definitive way to experience the game on consoles. Recently, an unopened Xbox 360 copy of Skyrim sold at auction for $600, speaking to just how fondly people remember this version of the title.
Skyrim on the PS3
Remembered far less fondly is the PS3 version of Skyrim. When it launched, Skyrim on the PS3 was extremely broken to the point of it arguably being unplayable. There were certainly some glaring issues for other launch versions of the game, but the PS3 version was by far the worst. Sure, players could start the game, though there were numerous game-breaking issues. These included frequent save-file corruptions, unacceptable frame rate drops, and much more. Although the biggest issues were mostly ironed out through patches and updates, the game's poor performance at launch really tainted it in the eyes of many PlayStation owners.
Skyrim on the PC
A noticeable trend on this list is that the best versions of Skryim will always be on the PC. This shouldn't necessarily come as a surprise, as PCs have always had the ability to be more powerful machines than consoles, so naturally, a game as technically demanding as Skyrim was is always going to perform better on a platform with better hardware. Skyrim on the PC was the best way to play the game when it initially launched for that reason, though that doesn't mean it was free from bugs. As it turns out, there are just some things that even a better processor can't fix.
Skyrim: Special Edition on the PS4
Roughly five years after the initial launch of Skyrim, Bethesda published Skyrim: Special Edition, a then-current generation update for the game that included all three DLC expansions and community mod support. Unfortunately, PlayStation fans couldn't catch a break because Sony didn't allow for custom-created content sharing on their platforms due to a fear of security breaches. As such, the number of mods actually supported in the game was incredibly small. Sony effectively made one of the major selling points for the game vanish due to the company's fear of hacking, a decision that remains controversial.
Skyrim: Special Edition on the Xbox One
Once again, the Xbox was the definitive place to play Skyrim on consoles due to the issues with its PlayStation counterpart. Skyrim: Special Edition worked just fine on the Xbox One, and mod support on console was a very welcome addition alongside the other new features included in the game. Fans were now able to play the Dawngaurd, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn DLCs right from the get-go, so those looking to experience everything that The Elder Scrolls 5 had to offer again had the opportunity to do just that..
Skyrim: Special Edition on the PC
While mod support on console was welcomed with open arms by everyone but Sony, Skyrim had already been modded thoroughly in its base PC version. As such, Skyrim: Special Edition didn't bring much to the game on that front. Bethesda recognized this and decided to give the game away for free to all those who already owned the original PC version of the game along with its DLC. The updated Special Edition fixed plenty of issues that couldn't have been modded out of the original. As such, it was a welcome addition to the game's PC community, just for different reasons than its console counterparts.
Skyrim on the Switch
It seemed like only a matter of time until Skyrim made its way to Nintendo platforms, and the Switch seemed like the perfect console for the game. Because of the Switch's portability, it was a great version of the game to take on the go. Although it wasn't technically Skyrim: Special Edition, the Switch version of Skyrim came with all the DLC and even had Amiibo support, offering Switch exclusive items like the Master Sword and Hylian Shield.
Skyrim VR
Plenty of reviews for all versions of Skyrim have called it an "immersive" experience, but perhaps no version of the game is as immersive as Skyrim VR. The VR edition of the game dropped some of the traditional button-based controls in favor of motion controls. For example, instead of pulling a trigger to attack, swinging a sword was as simple as, well, swinging a sword. It's hard to say if Skyrim VR is a perfect way to experience the game, however. Though it certainly is immersive, as with all virtual reality experiences, each individual's mileage may vary based on how much of a stomach they have for VR.
Skyrim: Very Special Edition on the Amazon Echo
After eight separate ports of Skyrim, it seemed like Bethesda finally started to catch on to the joke that the game might be spreading itself around a little too much. In response, the company announced Skyrim: Very Special Edition for the Amazon Echo. The Echo port of Skyrim is less of a game and more of a joke, as it feels like a goof-based text adventure. Alexa will describe visual bugs and poke fun at the idea of stopping a heated battle to eat several rolls of cheese, making it a hilarious experience for fans of the real Skyrim.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is out now for Amazon Echo, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.