The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition — System Requirements, FPS Estimate & Settings
2016 · Action, RPG · Bethesda Game Studios · ESRB Mature · Metacritic 74
Official system requirements
Publisher-published Minimum / Recommended values via RAWG, retrieved 2026-08-21. Real-world performance varies with drivers, resolution and your full build.
| Spec | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Minimum: | Recommended: |
| Processor | OS: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit Version) | OS: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit Version) |
| Memory | Processor: Intel i5-750/AMD Phenom II X4-945 | Processor: Intel i5-2400/AMD FX-8320 |
| Graphics | Memory: 8 GB RAM | Memory: 8 GB RAM |
| Storage | Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 470 1GB /AMD HD 7870 2GB | Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB /AMD R9 290 4GB |
| DirectX | Storage: 12 GB available space | Storage: 12 GB available space |
Multi-GPU FPS estimate
Estimated average FPS by GPU at 1080p / 1440p / 4K, derived from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition's demand tier (tier 3, Light (entry discrete GPU)) and published TechPowerUp-style relative-performance indices (RTX 4090 = 100), retrieved 2026-08-29. Planning estimates, not benchmarks.
| GPU | 1080p | 1440p | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 4090 | 285 | 188 | 108 |
| RTX 4080 Super | 256 | 169 | 97 |
| RTX 4080 | 246 | 162 | 93 |
| RX 7900 XTX | 273 | 180 | 104 |
| RX 7900 XT | 256 | 169 | 97 |
| RTX 4070 Ti Super | 218 | 144 | 83 |
| RX 7800 XT | 218 | 144 | 83 |
| RTX 4070 Super | 205 | 135 | 78 |
| RTX 4070 | 192 | 127 | 73 |
| RX 7700 XT | 198 | 130 | 75 |
| RTX 3070 | 179 | 118 | 68 |
| RX 6800 XT | 215 | 142 | 82 |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 158 | 104 | 60 |
| RX 6700 XT | 192 | 127 | 73 |
| RTX 3060 | 145 | 95 | 55 |
| RX 6600 XT | 163 | 108 | 62 |
| RTX 2060 | 131 | 86 | 50 |
| GTX 1660 Super | 108 | 71 | 41 |
| RX 580 | 125 | 83 | 48 |
| GTX 1060 6GB | 102 | 68 | 39 |
| GTX 1650 | 82 | 54 | 31 |
| Intel Arc A770 | 166 | 110 | 63 |
| UHD 770 (integrated) | 33 | 22 | 13 |
Method: a game's demand tier maps to a “GPU index needed for ~60 FPS at 1080p”; each GPU's relative index produces an estimate via a diminishing-returns curve, then scaled for resolution. Source: TechPowerUp GPU database (relative performance), 2026-08-29.
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Open profile →Optimize The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition for your hardware
Pick your GPU, CPU, resolution and target refresh rate, then generate a printable settings card with per-preset expectations and upscaler guidance.
Optimize The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition for your PC
This is a planning estimate derived from the game's demand tier, not a benchmark.
My The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition Settings Card
Generated at GameFigs on 2026-09-25. Game demand tier: 3/9.
Release & version notes
Official release date: 2016-10-27. Ongoing patches and version history are published by the developer — for the latest patch notes, see the official store or support page. GameFigs summarizes the official release only and does not invent patch dates.
About The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is the 2016 reinstallment of the open world fantasy RPG, developed by Bethesda Game Studios. Following the original release of 2011, Special Edition focuses on reshaping every sword and ax, polishing every stone in the high castles and the suburbs of the low, overall bringing a renewed experience to its fans and newcomer players. After 5 years of the original’s glory, this collection of all the content, available with the game itself, offers to once again set foot on the snowy mountains of the Skyrim province of Tamriel. The magnificent open world, full of breathtaking environments and landscapes, welcomes all its players to embark on another journey. Explore the even more beautiful flora of Skyrim, fight the most dangerous fauna, and many more. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition now includes full support of community-made and developer-approved mods, allowing for even more exploration and experiments with the in-game contents. Continually expanding, the database of various new quests, characters, and locations not disappointing any player, while some modifications try to focus on enhancing the vanilla experience to the maximum.
Sources & attribution
- Game data (release year, genres, platforms, system requirements, description, cover art) via RAWG.io, retrieved 2026-08-21.
- GPU relative-performance indices via TechPowerUp GPU database (relative performance), retrieved 2026-08-29.
- FPS estimates on this page are GameFigs planning estimates from the demand-tier + GPU-index model — not benchmark results.
How the The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition optimization card & FPS estimate are computed
Each game is scored on a 0–9 demand tier from its published PC requirements (and a year/genre fallback when requirements are absent). The FPS estimate compares your selected GPU's relative-performance index against the tier's required index using a diminishing-returns curve, then scales for resolution. The settings card maps the demand tier and your hardware to a starting preset, an FPS band and an upscaler recommendation. All outputs are planning guides — verify in-game with the built-in benchmark when available.
Tools for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
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