What is the gameplay like in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition?

Skyrim Special Edition preserves the core, sprawling open-world RPG gameplay that made the original a landmark, but polishes and expands it for modern systems. You create a character, learn by doing, and roam a vast Skyrim filled with quests, factions, dungeons, and emergent encounters. Combat spans melee, archery, magic, and dragon shouts, and you can switch between first-person and third-person views as you approach challenges, barter, or sneak your way through environments. Dragons remain a signature threat, and you’ll frequently encounter dynamic happenings as you explore the world. The experience is complemented by remastered visuals and effects—remastered art and effects, volumetric god rays, dynamic depth of field, screen-space reflections, and more—designed to heighten immersion on contemporary hardware PlayStation remastered visuals.

The Special Edition bundles the core game with three official add-ons—Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn—so you can pursue vampire-slaying, home-building, and Solstheim adventures without extra purchases Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn included. For even more variety, the Anniversary Edition adds Creation Club content released up to November 11, 2021, expanding the game with dozens of quests, dungeons, weapons, and other items Anniversary Edition content. On PC, you can also use the Creation Kit to create and share mods, a central pillar of Skyrim’s community-driven longevity Skyrim Special Edition: Creation Kit and Bethesda support on mod uploading.