Skip to main content

Here’s what PC gamers will need to run Bethesda’s ‘Skyrim Special Edition’

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition
Bethesda said on Monday that Skyrim Special Edition has gone gold, which is an “old school” way of describing when development is complete and the resulting game is now in the hands of the publisher for manufacturing and distribution. Skyrim Special Edition is a revamped version of 2011’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim slated to arrive on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC on October 28.

That said, here are the minimum and recommended PC requirements:

Minimum Recommended
Operating system 64-bit Windows 7/8.1/10 64-bit Windows 7/8.1/10
Processor Intel Core i5-750 or
AMD Phenom II X4-945
Intel Core i5-2400 or
AMD FX-8320
System memory 8GB 8GB
Storage 12GB 12GB
Graphics card Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 or
AMD HD 7870 2GB
Nvidia GTX 780 3GB or
AMD R9 290 4GB

Not too shabby, right? If you plan on playing the game on a console, here is the amount of storage you’ll need:

PlayStation 4 Xbox One
United States 20GB 17GB
Europe 33GB 25GB

Remember, Skyrim Special Edition will support mods, so all customers will need additional storage space for these downloads. As mentioned last week, Skyrim Special Edition will kick off Bethesda’s official mod support for the PlayStation 4 console, and will be followed by an injection of mod support in Fallout 4 once Skyrim Special Edition is out the door. Fallout 4 on the Xbox One already supports mods.

For customers with their eyes on the upcoming PlayStation 4 Pro and their wallets locked and loaded for a quick-draw purchase, Skyrim Special Edition will include support for 4K visuals at no extra cost. The console will retail for $400 on November 10, packing AMD-based x86-64 “Jaguar” CPU cores (eight) and Radeon graphics with a performance of 4.20 TFLOPS. Skyrim Special Edition should make for an awesome launch title for this hefty console.

“What’s most exciting to us is that Special Edition also means a new generation of players can create new Skyrim Memories and learn what it means to be Dragonborn for the very first time,” Bethesda said. “Skyrim Special Edition going gold also marks the first time we’re celebrating a release as an international studio. We can’t say enough about the hard work and love our Montreal studio poured into this project.”

For Steam customers who already own Skyrim and the three downloadable content (DLC) packs (Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn) on the PC, they can get the revamped version for free. That includes all Steam customers who purchased Skyrim Legendary Edition as well. According to Steam, all Skyrim vanilla-based purchases must be made on Steam on or before October 27 to get a free copy of the revamped version. Skyrim Special Edition will be served up as a separate title in your Steam library.

PC gamers wanting to get their hands on the Skyrim revamp can purchase it through Steam starting at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET on October 27. This version includes remastered art and effects, a dynamic depth of field, screen-space reflections, volumetric god rays, and more. It also consists of the core game, the three DLC packs, and includes mod support, plenty of additional quests, environments, armor, and more.

Kevin Parrish
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kevin started taking PCs apart in the 90s when Quake was on the way and his PC lacked the required components. Since then…
Trying to buy a GPU in 2023 almost makes me miss the shortage
Two AMD Radeon RX 7000 graphics cards on a pink surface.

The days of the GPU shortage are long over, but somehow, buying a GPU is harder than ever -- and that sentiment has very little to do with stock levels. It's just that there are no obvious candidates when shopping anymore.

In a generation where no single GPU stands out as the single best graphics card, it's hard to jump on board with the latest from AMD and Nvidia. I don't want to see another GPU shortage, but the state of the graphics card market is far from where it should be.
This generation is all over the place

Read more
HP printers are heavily discounted in Best Buy’s flash sale
The HP - OfficeJet Pro 8034e Wireless All-In-One Inkjet Printer on a desk with a smartphone.

There’s good news in store if you’re looking to land a new printer at a discount this weekend. Best Buy is having a 48-hour flash sale on HP printers, with several that can compete with the best printers seeing some good prices. HP is almost always one of the best laptop brands, and it’s one of the same when it comes to printers. So if you’re looking for a new home or office printer, read onward on how to save on an HP printer at Best Buy.
HP DeskJet 2755e — $60, was $85

The HP DeskJet 2755e is a good entry-level printer. It’s got you covered if your printing needs are pretty basic, or if you don’t need to print in mass. This is a color InkJet printer, which makes it good for almost all uses. It can also make copies and scan in color, and it has mobile and wireless printing functionality. You can get set up quickly and easily with the HP Smart app that guides you through the setup process, and you can also use this app to print, scan and copy documents from your phone.

Read more
This tiny ThinkPad can’t quite keep up with the MacBook Air M2
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 3 rear view showing lid and logo.

While the laptop industry continues to move toward 14-inch laptops and larger, the 13-inch laptop remains an important category. One of the best is the Apple MacBook Air M2, with an extremely thin and well-built chassis, great performance, and incredibly long battery life.

Lenovo has recently introduced the third generation of its ThinkPad X1 Nano, one of the lightest laptops we've tested and a good performer as well. It's stiff competition, but which of these two diminutive laptops stands apart?
Specs and configurations

Read more