The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim cost to play

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an open-world role-playing game set in the cold northern province of Skyrim, where you explore, take on quests and fight dragons. It was developed by Bethesda Game Studios, published by Bethesda Softworks and first released on 10 November 2011, on PC (Steam), PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 at the same time. Later versions include the Special Edition (2016) and the Nintendo Switch release (2017). It is sold at a one-off price.

How it plays

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an open-world fantasy role-playing game from Bethesda Game Studios, and the publisher calls it the next chapter in The Elder Scrolls saga. It gives you a complete virtual world to explore any way you choose, with rolling clouds, rugged mountains and bustling cities to lush fields and ancient dungeons.

You can play any type of character you can imagine and do whatever you want. You choose from hundreds of weapons, spells and abilities, and the character system lets you play any way you want and define yourself through your actions.

Dragons have returned. As the Dragonborn, you battle ancient dragons and learn their secrets so you can harness their power for yourself.

Steam lists the game as single-player with partial controller support.

What it costs

At standard price the original 2011 version costs £9.99 on Steam UK. The Nintendo Switch version costs £44.99 on the Nintendo eShop UK. Steam lists one DLC item for the 2011 version. Other editions, such as the Special Edition and Anniversary Edition, are sold separately and aren't covered by the prices here.

Players

On 21 October 2026 Steam Charts showed a 30-day peak of 2,094 concurrent players for the original 2011 Steam version, and an all-time peak of 90,780. That figure doesn't include the separate Special Edition listing on Steam or any console players.

Age rating

The Steam UK store data shows PEGI 18 for violence, and Nintendo UK lists the Switch version as PEGI 18.

It ranks #41 in our best games of all time ranking.

How we checked

Prices are the Steam UK and Nintendo eShop UK listings, read on 21 October 2026 at standard price. Player figures are from Steam Charts on the same day. The age rating is from the Steam UK store data and the Nintendo UK page. The gameplay description is based on the publisher's Steam store page.

Card art and page images: screenshots from Bethesda Softworks' The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Steam store page. © Bethesda Softworks. All trademarks belong to their owners. GamesChart is not endorsed by or affiliated with Bethesda Softworks.