Bethesda has quietly released The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — Anniversary Edition on Nintendo Switch 2, letting the long-running fantasy RPG join the growing roster of games on Nintendo’s 2025 hardware.
The release itself was a bit of a surprise: the Switch 2 version showed up on the eShop as a digital-only drop on Dec. 9, 2025, carrying the 2021 Anniversary Edition’s content — the base game plus Dawnguard, Dragonborn and Hearthfire — along with hundreds of Creation Club items and the usual Nintendo-flavored trinkets (yes, the Master Sword, Hylian Shield and Champion’s Tunic are back).
What's actually different on Switch 2
Treat this as a technical polish rather than a full remake. The Switch 2 port leans into the console’s extra power: enhanced resolution, faster load times, DLSS anti-aliasing and broad performance optimizations are all part of the package. Bethesda also added peripheral features you might expect on a Nintendo system — mouse support for Joy-Con 2-style controllers, motion controls and Amiibo compatibility.
That said, if you were hoping for a buttery 60fps Skyrim right out of the box, don’t hold your breath. Early side-by-side comparisons show noticeable improvements in clarity and loading, but the framerate still behaves more like classic Skyrim than a modern 60fps title. In short: it looks better in places, feels the same in others.
Price, upgrades and how to get it
The Switch 2 Anniversary Edition is priced at $59.99 / £52.99. But Nintendo and Bethesda kept a familiar upgrade path for existing owners:
- If you already own the Anniversary Edition on the original Switch, you can download the Switch 2 version for free.
- Owners of the standard Switch version can buy the Anniversary Upgrade (about $19.99 / £17.99) and then access the Switch 2 build.
The process is straightforward: install your Switch 1 copy on Switch 2, boot it, and follow the eShop banner (press Y when prompted) to upgrade — this works with both digital and physical Switch 1 copies.
Why this matters (or doesn’t)
Skyrim is one of gaming’s perennial cash cows — it gets reissued, reskinned and packed with extra content because there’s still an audience that will jump in for each new platform iteration. The Switch 2 release is less about reinventing the game and more about letting a new wave of handheld-console owners experience it with fewer load pauses and a slightly sharper image.
For Nintendo, bringing Skyrim back to its platform is another signal of Switch 2’s third-party momentum. Nintendo has been pushing the console’s roadmap and third-party lineup aggressively, and this release feeds into that narrative — a point underlined by Nintendo’s recent moves to reconfirm Switch 2’s release schedule as third-party support surges and by the company’s optimistic sales forecasts for the new hardware as console sales soar.
If you already live in Tamriel, the decision comes down to whether faster loads and a bit more polish are worth paying for. If you’ve never explored Skyrim, the Anniversary Edition on Switch 2 bundles a lot of content into a portable package — and that portability, for many, remains the true selling point.
There’s no grand new content exclusive to Switch 2 beyond the platform-specific niceties. Think of this as Skyrim, tuned: cleaner, quicker to start, and a little kinder on your patience — but still, fundamentally, Skyrim.