The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition System Requirements
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is moderately demanding by 2026 standards. It leans on your processor. It wants 8GB of memory and 3GB of VRAM for a comfortable experience. Set aside 12GB of free space.
Check my PC against this gameFull system requirements
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 7 | Windows 7 |
| DirectX | — | — |
| Processor | Intel i5-750/AMD Phenom II X4-945≈ AMD FX-6350 | Intel i5-2400/AMD FX-8320≈ AMD FX-8320 |
| Graphics card | NVIDIA GTX 470 1GB /AMD HD 7870 2GB≈ NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 | NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB /AMD R9 290 4GB≈ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB |
| Video memory | 1 GB | 3 GB |
| System memory | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage | 12 GB | 12 GB |
Estimated performance by graphics card
High preset, upscaling off, paired with a AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D-class processor.
| Graphics card | Tier | 1080p | 1440p | 4K | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 | S | 319 | 244 | 142 | Recommended spec |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 | S | 319 | 218 | 127 | Recommended spec |
| AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX | A | 319 | 208 | 121 | Recommended spec |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER | A | 319 | 205 | 119 | Recommended spec |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 | A | 319 | 198 | 115 | Recommended spec |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | A | 304 | 189 | 109 | Recommended spec |
| AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT | A | 299 | 185 | 108 | Recommended spec |
| AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT | A | 294 | 182 | 106 | Recommended spec |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER | A | 288 | 179 | 104 | Recommended spec |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti | A | 283 | 176 | 102 | Recommended spec |
Modelled estimates rather than captured runs — see our methodology.
Frequently asked questions
What are the minimum requirements for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition?
At least 8GB of system memory, a graphics card with 1GB of VRAM (roughly a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 or better), 12GB of free storage, Windows 7 and .
What are the recommended specs?
For a comfortable experience: 8GB of memory and a card with 3GB of VRAM — around a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB, paired with a AMD FX-8320 or equivalent.
Is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition demanding on PC?
It is moderately demanding by 2026 standards, with a recommended GPU score of 13/100. It is primarily CPU-bound.
