Winner of more than 200 Game of the Year awards, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition takes you back to the frozen north of Tamriel. Dragons have woken after thousands of years, and only one person can truly stand against them. This is Bethesda Game Studios' landmark open-world RPG, remastered, with the critically acclaimed core game and all three official add-ons: Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn.
The Last Dragonborn
Your story begins on a cart headed for the executioner's block at Helgen. Where it goes after that is up to you. Alduin the World-Eater has returned, and the dragons that answer to him are raining fire across the holds. As Dragonborn, you can absorb the souls of the dragons you slay and learn the words of their ancient language. Those words unlock the Thu'um, powerful shouts that blast enemies off their feet, slow time or bend the weather to your will. The Greybeards of High Hrothgar wait at the top of seven thousand steps to teach you what that power means.
Meanwhile, Skyrim itself is tearing apart. Ulfric Stormcloak's rebellion stands against the Imperial Legion in a civil war over faith, freedom and the future of the province. You can choose a side and fight for control of the holds.
A World That Responds to How You Play
Skyrim has no classes to lock you in. Every skill improves as you use it, and perk trees let you shape your character as you go. You might become a heavy-armored warrior, a silent archer in the shadows or a mage who solves every problem with fire and ice. You have hundreds of weapons, spells and abilities to combine, and the open world rewards curiosity at every turn.
- Guilds and factions - Join the Companions of Jorrvaskr, rise through the Thieves Guild beneath Riften, study at the College of Winterhold or take a contract from the Dark Brotherhood. Each one has its own long questline and memorable cast.
- Cities and holds - Skyrim's cities range from the trading hub of Whiterun to the ancient Dwemer stonework of Markarth and the snowbound halls of Windhelm. Every hold has its own politics, people and trouble waiting to be uncovered.
- Dungeons and ruins - Nordic barrows guarded by draugr, abandoned Dwemer cities full of steam-powered machines, and caves and forts packed with bandits and stranger things all reward anyone willing to wander off the road.
Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn
The Special Edition brings the core game together with all three of its official add-ons, and each one takes Skyrim in a different direction.
- Dawnguard
- An ancient vampire clan, the Volkihar, plans to blot out the sun, and an order of vampire hunters at Fort Dawnguard rises to stop them. Choose your side, take up the crossbow as a hunter or the form of a Vampire Lord, and travel with Serana into the Soul Cairn and the Forgotten Vale.
- Hearthfire
- Buy land, then design and build your own homestead from the foundations up. It can grow from a small house into a manor with a cellar, armory and greenhouse. Adopt children, bring your spouse home and give your adventurer a place in Skyrim worth coming back to.
- Dragonborn
- Sail to the island of Solstheim, off the coast of Morrowind, and confront Miraak, the first Dragonborn, who has bent the minds of its people to his will. Explore Raven Rock and the Skaal village, learn the Bend Will shout to command and ride dragons, and descend into Apocrypha, the unsettling realm of Hermaeus Mora.
Remastered Art and Creations
The Special Edition revisits the original with remastered art and effects, volumetric god rays, dynamic depth of field, screen-space reflections and more. Morning light through the pines around Riverwood and the glow of a Dwemer ruin both look richer for it.
It also brings Bethesda Game Studios Creations into the game, opening Skyrim to new quests, environments, characters, dialogue, armor, weapons and more. The province can keep growing long after you have finished the main quest.
Your Legend Starts at Helgen
Few games have been explored, replayed and talked about as much as Skyrim, and the first hour shows why. Once you come out of the tunnels beneath Helgen, the province is yours. Pick a direction, follow a rumor or chase a dragon's roar on the horizon and see where it leads. Your saga in Skyrim is waiting.
