The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has a long history and the latest good news is the much needed 60 FPS patch it received on Nintendo Switch 2. This was a huge improvement for those who want to enjoy the Bethesda classic on the go. There's also been a bunch of minor performance and graphics tweaks that make the overall experience a thousand times more enjoyable, so if you're looking to jump into Skyrim in 2026 on Switch 2, now might be a great time.
Skyrim: 23 of the most useful glitches in the game
Skyrim is known for having a lot of glitches and bugs that players have to deal with, but some of them can actually be very useful.
However, while Skyrim is undoubtedly one of the most iconic games to be released in the last two decades or more, it's really starting to show its age in a few key ways that may make it difficult to fully enjoy it in 2026. We've been spoiled with a lot of changes and QOL features in more recent titles, so going back to a game made by 2011 standards can be a bit of a culture shock. From an outdated narrative design to a user interface that is almost always modified by fans, let's take a look at a few reasons why Skyrim it's a little rough around the edges.
It still needs more important options
RPGs have come a long way in recent years in terms of choice
Narratively speaking, Skyrim it lags a bit behind some of the newer titles due to the lack of real selection. The only major choice you make is whether to side with the Imperial Legion or the Stormcloaks, but the main quest doesn't have multiple endings or branches. It also stands in stark contrast to Bethesda's other open-world RPG, Fallout 4which still gives you multiple factions to choose from and multiple ways to tackle the story at the end. Cyberpunk 2077 it features multiple endings depending on your choices leading up to it in the last act and who you take with you, plus whether you trust Hanako or not.
Outside of open-world RPGs, we have titles like Baldur's Gate 3 where every small decision ripples into a butterfly effect. All this is to say Skyrim was narratively outmatched and probably even in its time narratively on the weaker side compared to a title like Fallout: New Vegaswhich was published a year earlier, for example Skyrim. This can be annoying considering how well-crafted Skyrim's world is and how good some of its dungeons are, with very little repetition. Plus, there are some really good side quests, so it's a shame that the main story remains so lackluster.
Companion management feels outdated
More options, more ways to watch and so on
Skyrim it has a huge amount of characters you can recruit as your companions, which is nice, but their narrative depth isn't always the same. However, this is an issue to discuss for another day, as the main issue is the management of these followers. They often get stuck on the environment; they trigger traps and can be difficult to use effectively when you have to talk to them to get them to do something. It would be easier to have keyboard shortcuts to direct them to specific items or interactable objects in the environment.
Additionally, keeping track of where these companions are is an absolute must in an open world environment. With all the Karlovars you can find, it's a bit annoying to search for them in every town unless you bought a home to send them to. It might be silly, but with the amount of mods we have it in Skyrimit's safe to say that this is something that players generally find quite annoying. IN Fallout 4for example, you send your recruited companions to specific settlements, making them easier to manage.
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Grappling and climbing are missing
A simple thing that can make a huge difference
There have been some amazing open world games (not necessarily RPGs) that have come with incredible mobility and travel capabilities. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are two great examples where you can move around the world in different ways and freely explore the topography. With regard to Skyrim hills and mountains were its selling point, it's a shame we don't have simple features like climbing or grappling a la Cyberpunk 2077for example.
Best Skyrim Mods, Rated
Skyrim has been around for years and fans are getting more and more creative with its mods. They are the best.
This game has a lot more verticality to be fair, but it could be one game to look at for inspiration if Bethesda wants to deliver a better experience in the future. Star field he solved this problem by introducing a boost pack, which of course makes sense for his setup, but all this shows that another The Elder Scrolls the game desperately needs some new way to navigate the world to keep things interesting. At least in Skyrimyour horse is quite the climbing machine, even if it's a bit of a stretch.
The UI that SkyUI needs
Skyrim's UI was one of its biggest faults
User interface is something that can profoundly affect how enjoyable a game is, even if it doesn't directly occur to the player. A user interface that takes you out of the action, with no way to quickly sort through items, wastes time and breaks immersion. We'll get to the quick loot here later, but just the way the inventory works and looks, with categories moving from one sub-menu to another horizontally instead of vertically, is a bit frustrating.
A good user interface is intuitive and allows you to visualize everything you have at a few glances. This is why SkyUI is probably one of the most popular mods in Skyrim community because so many people find the vanilla version of the game's inventory too obscure and cluttered. It also requires you to scroll an obscene amount compared to the longer list you get with SkyUI, which can organize information in a more condensed and organized way. Bethesda's UI varied greatly from game to game Star field present a sort of radial menu and Fallout using the Pip-Boy, and with RPGs usually requiring a robust UI with the amount of stuff you get, it's not easy for any game to get right, even in 2026.
Janky NPC Movement
Doesn't match your pace, gets stuck or lost, outdated animations
Video games are getting better every year and animation is one way things are getting better. One look Skyrim immediately tells you how outdated the game is, with NPCs walking about the same regardless of their build and the amount of armor they may have.
Skyrim: 32 Best Light Armor Sets, Ranked
Light armor in Skyrim may not provide the same protection as heavy, but it does have its advantages, especially for players who want to be sneaky and stealthy.
This can be a bit overwhelming and with similar games Cyberpunk 2077 demonstrates several different types of walking styles, Skyrim definitely showing its age. But that's not the main problem. NPCs will generally walk slowly with you and make you walk slowly with them to keep up, and this is a trope that has been in games for quite some time. However, it is especially noticeable in Skyrimwhere NPCs can also get stuck standing around or on obstacles.
No quick loot, except for mods
Looting knocks you out of the game
A change that will probably come next The Elder Scrolls the game is fast looting. This is the greatest gift Skyrim it's starting to get old mechanically, as Bethesda's two open-ended RPGs released since then featured fast-paced looting. This is basically placing over a container or body that pops up a small window where you can quickly grab the items you want without having to access the full container and pause the game.
As much as we all love loot, it's not something anyone wants to spend a lot of time grabbing while traversing a dungeon. You're killing enemies, collecting loot, and probably want to move on to the next section as soon as possible, and being placed in those suspended container screens breaks the flow. There are mods that add this as an option, as seen in the images above, so if you're able to modify your game, definitely consider getting some quick loot on top of SkyUI to make your experience a bit more modern.
- Released
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November 11, 2011
- ESRB
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M For Adults 17+ due to blood and gore, intense violence, sexual themes, alcohol use
- Developers
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Bethesda Game Studios
- Publishers
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Bethesda Softworks
