Skyrim Anniversary Edition is now out – here’s what’s changed, and where to buy it cheap

Thursday was ten years to the day since Skyrim was released on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. While the intervening decade has seen the game rereleased on everything from the Switch to the Amazon Echo (yes, it happened!), Bethesda decided that this is the ideal time to release a brilliant new Skyrim Anniversary Edition.

And while we're not expecting the game to enter the best PS5 games on the market, or have an effect on gamers finding a PS5 restock, it is likely going to be a great way for gamers to get refamiliarized with the world of The Elder Scrolls before the much-anticipated next instalment.

But what exactly are the differences between Skyrim Anniversary Edition and 2016’s Special Edition anyway? Let’s find out.

Differences between Skyrim Anniversary Edition and Skyrim Special Edition 

Like the Special Edition, Skyrim Anniversary Edition includes all three official DLC packs — Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonbreath — but it adds a whole lot more than that, with every bit of Creation Club content created over the last decade, as well as a few new bits and pieces, too.

“Players will also be able to enjoy an all-new batch of creations, including new ways to play and new quests tapping into Tamriel’s history,” the company wrote in a blog post last week. “In ‘Ghosts of the Tribunal’ you’ll earn over a dozen new weapons and armors previously featured in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, while ‘The Cause,’ has players encounter the Mythic Dawn, who aim to form a new Oblivion gate, and features brand new enemies, locations, and weapons – not to mention a conjurable Daedric horse!”

There will also be next-gen graphic and load-time updates for Xbox Series X/S and PS5, but this will be available as a free update to buyers of the Special Edition, as will four of the best bits of Creation Club content:

• Saints & Seducers (a new storyline across two quests and additional sidequests.) 
• Rare Curious (traders offering new wares including new ingredients for potions and poisons.)
• Survival Mode (turn up the realism and difficulty with the need to eat, sleep and cure illnesses before they become terminal.) 
• Fishing (self explanatory — go fishing for 20 different fish across Tamriel’s many lakes, ponds and streams.)

That may sate Special Edition owners, but if they want all the extra content, then they can pay £16.99 to upgrade to the full package.

Where to buy Skyrim Anniversary Edition 

If you want the convenience of a boxed copy, it looks like some are undercutting Bethesda’s £47 RRP already. Simply Games looks to be the best bet, where you can buy it on PS4 or Xbox One for £34.85 apiece. And remember those both come with free upgrades to Xbox Series X or PS5.

Still, that £16 upgrade may make hunting down a cheap copy of Skyrim Special Edition the better option overall. Scour pre-owned listings and see if you can grab a bargain, but £35 is the price to beat, so don’t spend any more than £18!