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

You can’t deny the cultural impact of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Released in late 2011, just a few years after Bethesda Game Studios’ wildly successful Fallout 3, Skyrim represented the pinnacle of the Maryland developer’s creative powers.

But as many gamers are well aware, 2011 was far from the last time fresh copies of Skyrim would hit store shelves. In the years following its initial launch, Bethesda’s high-fantasy RPG would be rereleased several times, often with additional features or enhancements. Make no mistake, though: these new releases were always still Skyrim at their core. This rampant rehashing of the original 2011 game eventually served as the basis of innumerable jokes at Bethesda’s expense, as audiences grew baffled by the laser-focus on Skyrim, often perceived as being at the expense of other projects.

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)

The aforementioned releases of Skyrim run the gamut from reasonable to disastrous. Skyrim: Special Edition and Skyrim: Anniversary Edition are on the reasonable side of the spectrum, as these are the remastered editions of the game for 8th and 9th console generations, respectively. These next-gen versions take advantage of newer hardware, come bundled with DLC, and include extra features that weren’t present in the base game. For instance, Anniversary Edition adds a fishing minigame not present in previous (vanilla) versions of Skyrim. Such features and improvements justify the cost of admission, especially for returning players.

Likewise, 2017’s Nintendo Switch port and 2018’s Skyrim VR are uncontroversial: they both bring the game to new, in-demand platforms, and each recontextualizes the Skyrim experience in a meaningful way. Of the above rereleases, it’s clear that the most problematic is also the most recent—the Switch 2 edition of Skyrim. Indeed, December 2025’s Nintendo Switch 2 port was widely reported to be unacceptably laggy and sluggish, capped at 30FPS even when much more visually impressive titles on the console have achieved north of 60FPS.

Other Skyrim Rereleases

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

Worth noting are two less-discussed rereleases of Skyrim, starting with 2022’s DRM-free version. Despite being less publicized than the aforementioned launches, this edition of the game is indicative of Bethesda’s consumer-friendly philosophy. It was released specifically for use with the PC launcher GOG, which doesn’t require digital rights management (DRM). This means that, unlike the Steam version of the game, this Skyrim edition doesn’t need to have its license verified, making for truer virtual ownership.

The other unusual Skyrim rerelease is 2018’s Very Special Edition, a voice-controlled version of the game for use with Amazon Echo devices (Alexa). The purpose of this “port,” which did not require an additional purchase for Echo owners, was seemingly to poke fun at Bethesda’s growing reputation for rereleasing Skyrim “for every device.” This is funny, but also rather interesting, as it, like the infamous “it’s a bug, not a feature” motto, is an instance of Bethesda lampshading some of its less popular tendencies. By pointing out such absurdities itself, Bethesda may believe it will be somewhat guarded against the same criticisms from external sources.

Why Does Bethesda Keep Releasing Skyrim?

The reason I point out criticism towards Bethesda in the context of Skyrim‘s rereleases should be fairly obvious. Bethesda has been relentlessly teased, jeered, and chastised for its repeated relaunching of its 2011 RPG. There are a few factors at play here, not least of which being the continued absence of Elder Scrolls 6. Many fans argue, not unreasonably, that Bethesda should focus more on the next entry in the series rather than retreading old ground. Even less charitable perspectives posit that these rereleases are indicative of creative bankruptcy and a reluctance to let go of the “golden age,” as it were.

But the true motivations behind Bethesda’s continued releasing of Skyrim were illuminated quite blatantly by Todd Howard himself just a few years ago. In a 2018 interview with Geoff Keighley, Howard explained the company’s approach to Skyrim with an elegantly obvious condition: “If you want us to stop releasing it, stop buying it.” It’s hard to get much clearer than that.

Of course, that explanation may not assuage every criticism leveled against Bethesda for its aggressive commitment to the Skyrim IP. For one thing, Howard’s 2018 comments are somewhat undermined by instances like the Switch 2 debacle, which was effectively a worse version of the original game, at least at launch. Additionally, one could argue that Bethesda is taking advantage of players’ nostalgia for Skyrim with these various special editions, preying, in a sense, on fans by appealing to their affection. Again, such gripes are exacerbated by the lack of any real information about The Elder Scrolls 6. If Bethesda can deliver on this next entry in the franchise, then perhaps Skyrim‘s fecundity won’t seem so controversial in hindsight.

Released

November 11, 2011

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol

Developer(s)

Bethesda Game Studios

Publisher(s)

Bethesda Softworks