We are long overdue a new entry in The Elder Scrolls series of games, so Bethesda decided to give us one (sort of).
During QuakeCon yesterday, Bethesda revealed Skyrim Anniversary Edition as a way of celebrating the 10th anniversary of the game. It won’t be available to play until Nov. 11, with versions being made available for Windows, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
So far, this fifth main installment in The Elder Scrolls series has been released across six platforms (Windows, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch) and is set to add another three (PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S) for the Anniversary Edition. So the question a lot of existing owners will be asking is: why should I consider buying this game again?
Skyrim Anniverary Edition includes the following content:
- The main game running on an upgraded game engine with graphical enhancements
- Dawnguard expansion
- Hearthfire expansion
- Dragonborn expansion
- Fishing
- Survival Mode
- Saints and Seducers
- 500 pieces of Creation Club content (quests, dungeons, bosses, weapons, spells)
The enhanced version of the game and the three official expansions have been released previously as Skyrim Special Edition, so Anniversary is basically bringing that version together with the Creation Club content and features. With that in mind, Bethesda is going to offer the Anniversay Edition for purchase, but will also allow Special Edition owners and Xbox Game Pass subscribers the ability to upgrade, although it won’t be a free upgrade. Pricing has yet to be announced.
One other important thing to note is, existing Skyrim Special Edition owners (and Xbox Game Pass subscribers) will be receiving a free upgrade to an enhanced version for PS5 or Xbox Series X|S. This version doesn’t include the additional Creation Club content or features, which is why a separate Anniversay Edition upgrade will be offered.
Choosing whether to buy Skyrim again will ultimately come down to which version of the game you already own. Special Edition owners already have the bulk of the content so there’s much less incentive than say, someone who purchased the game back in 2011. For them this will be quite the upgrade and worth it if they enjoyed the original game. Now we just have to hope Bethesda doesn’t go crazy with pricing.
