Yes, this is Skyrim. No, it is not some big remaster with a bunch of new content. And no, there is no visual enhancement of any kind here – at least on PC. So what’s the point? Well, it is Bethesda and it does continue the meme of having the game re-released every couple years, but the big thing with the Anniversary Edition is the inclusion of all of the Creation Club content right from the start.
For those unaware, these are the “paid mods” that the company launched a few years ago, each developed by an independent modder funded by Bethesda themselves – and the Anniversary Edition contains 74 of them.
That sounds like quite the upgrade, but in actuality, it’s not really anything special. A good chunk of the mods are simple weapon additions, new armor sets, and new enemies. The best of them add new questlines, locations, and mechanics, but even then, there are free mods that do much better. The new fishing mechanic, for example, is the most basic thing – where you simply walk up to the water, press a button to cast your line, and press a button to reel it in.
I don’t mean to bash the modmakers here, but Bethesda justifying an entire new re-release around these small additions is stretching it a bit for a grand title like “Anniversary Edition”. What makes it worse is that the Anniversary Edition breaks a lot of the mods that worked with the previous version. In fact, the #1 most downloaded Skyrim mod this past month is a mod that literally downgrades the game to Skyrim Special Edition just so mods will work again.
So if you already own Skyrim Special Edition, the Anniversary Edition isn’t really worth the upgrade. I still believe that the game is one of the best RPGs ever made – so if you have never played it, then this new version may be worth a shot – but I still can’t deny that these constant re-releases have made it more of a meme than anything.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition retails for $50 USD on Steam and if you already own the Special Edition, a $20 upgrade option is also available. You can support the channel and potentially the game cheaper through my Gamesplanet partner link, which also works for the upgrade.
The game is also available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
I was provided a review copy of the game in order to write this review. Read more about how I do my game reviews here.
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