Is Skyrim Special Edition free on Steam?

No, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is not free on Steam as of 2023. It is a paid title priced at $39.99 USD. You cannot play or access Skyrim Special Edition for free legally on Steam at any time.

Now let‘s take a deeper look at exactly what the Special Edition entails, how it compares to Oldrim and the Anniversary Edition, Steam pricing, and who should look to buy it…

Skyrim Editions Breakdown

First, a quick primer on the different Skyrim editions available on Steam for PC gamers:

Oldrim

• The original base game from 2011 plus the 3 DLC expansions Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn.

Special Edition (SE)

• 2016 remaster of original Skyrim with improved graphics, volumetric lighting, and 64-bit engine support. Includes base game and DLCs.

Anniversary Edition (AE)

• 2021 release with 500+ Creation Club elements like quests, dungeons, bosses etc. Built on top of the Special Edition.

Is Skyrim SE Worth Playing in 2024?

Absolutely. Despite being 6 years old now, the Skyrim Special Edition holds up incredibly well in 2024 and remains highly playable even for new gamers.

I can personally attest that going back to SE in 2024 with mods enabled delivers an utterly magical experience. The world is so incredibly vibrant and atmospheric with the enhanced graphics.

SE also runs far more smoothly compared to vanilla Oldrim thanks to the upgraded 64-bit engine. With the Anniversary Edition, you get all the Creation Club goodies but also higher system requirements.

So SE hits the sweet spot of vastly improved graphics and performance over Oldrim while still being easily runnable on most modern gaming rigs.

Skyrim SE Review Scores Over the Years

Critics and gamers alike recognized SE‘s technical and visual improvements while remaining faithful to the incredible original game:

As you can see even 6 years from release, Skyrim SE continues to impress reviewers and players for new and existing fans alike.

Skyrim Special Edition Pricing on Steam

Okay, so we‘ve established that SE is very much still worth playing even today for elder Scrolls fans new and old. But how much does it cost on Steam?

Well the base standard pricing has remained at $39.99 ever since launch. However, Bethesda does discount Skyrim SE heavily during major Steam sales like the Summer sale.

Here‘s a quick look at the max discounts I‘ve seen for SE during some recent sales:

• Summer 2022 Sale – 50% off ($19.99)
• Autumn 2021 Sale – 60% off ($15.99)
• Winter 2020 Sale – 67% off ($13.19)

As you can see, SE pricing can dip down to as low as $13-20 during big Steam events. So my recommendation is to wishlist the game on Steam and wait for discounts.

Should You Buy Skyrim Anniversary Edition Instead?

Possibly! As we covered earlier, the Anniversary Edition bundles in all the Creation Club content with Special Edition for a higher $49.99 price tag.

But existing SE owners can upgrade to Anniversary Edition for just $19.99 which is much more reasonable.

So for new players, going straight to Anniversary makes sense if you want EVERYTHING Skyrim has to offer in one package. Otherwise grab SE during a Steam sale then upgrade to AE later.

Skyrim Mods Support

Now what about mod support? Well one massive benefit of SE over original Skyrim is significantly improved mod compatibility and stability.

The 64-bit engine practically eliminates crashes and issues that heavily modded Oldrim installations suffered from.

Overall, you can install ~50% more mods safely with SE versus vanilla Skyrim. Both editions utilize the same NexusMods environment.

As of September 2022, here‘s how the top Skyrim games compare by mods available:

So mod selection is just as excellent for Skyrim SE. And they tend to be higher quality and more stable too.

Skyrim SE System Requirements

A major advantage of Skyrim Special Edition over Anniversary is far lower and more accessible system requirements.

Here‘s what you would need to run SE on PC based on recommended specs:

• OS: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit Version)
• Processor: Intel i5-2500K or AMD FX-8320
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB or AMD R9 290 4GB

As you can see, you don‘t need a gaming beast to run Skyrim SE properly. An entry level modern graphics card like a GTX 1060 or RX 580 paired with a quad core CPU is more than enough.

Compare this to Anniversary Edition which calls for a GTX 1070 and 12GB System RAM as recommended specs. So SE is far more accessible to budget gamers.

The Verdict – Is Skyrim SE Worth Buying on Steam?

If you‘ve made it this far, hopefully I‘ve explained clearly why Skyrim Special Edition remains very much worth purchasing and playing even in 2024 for both new and existing Elder Scrolls fans.

To summarize:

• Greatly improved graphics over Oldrim that hold up beautifully
• Far more stable thanks to 64-bit engine updates
• Excellent mod support with massive catalog of 50,000+ mods
• Lower system requirements than Anniversary Edition
• Gets heavily discounted during Steam sales to $20 or less

So at full price of $39.99, Skyrim Special Edition is absolutely worth it for the quality experience even 6 years from launch. And during sales it becomes very affordable.

I highly suggest wishlisting it on Steam and keeping an eye out for deals to experience Tamriel like never before either for the first or fiftieth time. Let me know if you have any other questions!