The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — a light title that runs on modest PCs: specs & FPS
2011 · Action, RPG · Bethesda Game Studios · ESRB Mature · Metacritic 94
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/Vista/XP PC (32 or 64 bit) | Processor: Quad-core Intel or AMD CPU |
| Memory | Processor: Dual Core 2.0GHz or equivalent processor | Memory: 4GB System RAM |
| Graphics | Memory: 2GB System RAM | Video Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible NVIDIA or AMD ATI video card with 1GB of RAM (Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 or higher; ATI Radeon 4890 or higher) |
| Storage | Hard Disk Space: 6GB free HDD Space | — |
| DirectX | Video Card: Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 512 MB of RAM | — |
| Item 7 | Sound: DirectX compatible sound card | — |
Multi-GPU FPS estimate
Estimated average FPS by GPU at 1080p / 1440p / 4K, derived from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's demand tier (tier 2, 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 | 392 | 259 | 149 |
| RTX 4080 Super | 351 | 232 | 134 |
| RTX 4080 | 338 | 223 | 128 |
| RX 7900 XTX | 375 | 248 | 143 |
| RX 7900 XT | 351 | 232 | 134 |
| RTX 4070 Ti Super | 300 | 198 | 114 |
| RX 7800 XT | 300 | 198 | 114 |
| RTX 4070 Super | 282 | 186 | 107 |
| RTX 4070 | 264 | 175 | 101 |
| RX 7700 XT | 272 | 179 | 103 |
| RTX 3070 | 247 | 163 | 94 |
| RX 6800 XT | 296 | 196 | 113 |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 217 | 143 | 83 |
| RX 6700 XT | 264 | 175 | 101 |
| RTX 3060 | 199 | 131 | 76 |
| RX 6600 XT | 225 | 148 | 85 |
| RTX 2060 | 180 | 119 | 68 |
| GTX 1660 Super | 149 | 98 | 57 |
| RX 580 | 172 | 114 | 65 |
| GTX 1060 6GB | 141 | 93 | 53 |
| GTX 1650 | 112 | 74 | 43 |
| Intel Arc A770 | 228 | 151 | 87 |
| UHD 770 (integrated) | 46 | 30 | 17 |
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.
For the full hardware spec sheet and a deeper performance breakdown, see Full specs & performance data on GameFigs.
Age rating & regional compliance
GameRulePro pairs each title with its ESRB age rating and, where documented, real regulatory notes on loot boxes, skin gambling and randomized monetization. Every line is source-linked and labeled with its retrieval date. This is an educational reference, not legal advice — verify the specifics that apply to your jurisdiction.
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Age rating | ESRB Mature | ESRB rating via RAWG.io, retrieved 2026-08-21. |
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Open profile →Guides & fixes for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Deep-dive performance, crash-fix and settings references for this title — each links to a focused guide.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
Open →The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition System Requirements
Open →The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition Best Mods
Open →The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition Crash Fixes
Open →The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition Optimization Guide
Open →The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition Modding Order & Stability
Open →Can My RTX 4090 Run The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition? FPS Estimate & System Requirements (2026)
Open →Can My RTX 4080 Super Run The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition? FPS Estimate & System Requirements (2026)
Open →Can My RTX 4070 Super Run The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition? FPS Estimate & System Requirements (2026)
Open →Can My RTX 4070 Run The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition? FPS Estimate & System Requirements (2026)
Open →Can My RTX 4060 Ti Run The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition? FPS Estimate & System Requirements (2026)
Open →Can My RTX 3060 Run The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition? FPS Estimate & System Requirements (2026)
Open →Can My RTX 2060 Run The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition? FPS Estimate & System Requirements (2026)
Open →Can My RX 7800 XT Run The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition? FPS Estimate & System Requirements (2026)
Open →Best graphics settings for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Pick your PC and get a starting preset — resolution, upscaler, shadows, ray tracing and an FPS cap — tuned to how demanding The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is on hardware. Print it and tune from there. Everything runs in your browser.
Best graphics settings for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim hardware-demand tier: 2/9. Pick your PC above to get a starting preset, then tune up if you have FPS headroom or down if you're under your target.
Estimated starting point — real FPS depends on drivers, thermals and background load.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — Best settings (Mid-range (GTX 1660 – RTX 3060))
Generated at GameRulePro · 2026-09-25
Release, patch & rule-change notes
Official release date: 2011-11-11. Ongoing patches and version history are published by the developer — for the latest patch notes, see the official store or support page. GameRulePro summarizes the official release only and does not invent patch dates. When a developer ships a rule-affecting update (balance pass, mode change, or ranked-reset), re-run the generator above to keep your house rules in sync.
About The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The fifth game in the series, Skyrim takes us on a journey through the coldest region of Cyrodiil. Once again player can traverse the open world RPG armed with various medieval weapons and magic, to become a hero of Nordic legends –Dovahkiin, the Dragonborn. After mandatory character creation players will have to escape not only imprisonment but a fire-breathing dragon. Something Skyrim hasn’t seen in centuries.
Performance reality & how to tune The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
GameRulePro editorial — these notes are based on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's published specifications and genre profile, not a single benchmark run. Use them to set expectations before you open the settings menu.
As a 2011 action title, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim sits at demand tier 2 (Light (entry discrete GPU)) — light on PC. It is light enough for older hardware and even integrated graphics at lower settings.
What to tune first on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Open-world RPGs lean on CPU and storage in busy towns — SSD + dual-channel RAM first.
- Shadows and lighting scale hardest; keep textures high since they mostly use VRAM.
- An upscaler at 4K recovers the most frames with the smallest visual hit.
The FPS table above is a model estimate from the demand-tier + GPU-index method. Real frame rates vary with drivers, background apps, thermals and resolution. Treat it as a buying or upgrade planning aid, then verify in-game. For step-by-step fixes, see the crash-fix and optimization guides linked on this page.
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 GameRulePro planning estimates from the demand-tier + GPU-index model — not benchmark results.
- House rules and tournament formats are community-style templates for casual play, not official rulebooks.
- Pre-launch intelligence (release windows, settings, editions, pricing, beta dates) is compiled from each title's official publisher / studio announcements and is source-linked per item with its retrieval date (2026-09-09). Where a detail is from reporting rather than a primary source, the item's source line states so. This is preview material, not an official specification.
- Per-game age-rating & regional compliance reference (ESRB rating via RAWG; curated regulatory notes) from the GameRulePro game-rules dataset, retrieved 2026-08-29.
How the The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim FPS estimate and rules generator 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 rules and tournament builder is a community-style template engine: it formats your group size, match format and tiebreaks into a printable sheet. All outputs are planning guides — verify in-game and agree house rules with your group before play.
Do more with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
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