The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — System Requirements, FPS Estimate & Settings
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.
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Open profile →Optimize The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for your hardware
Pick your GPU, CPU, resolution and target refresh rate, then generate a printable settings card with per-preset expectations and upscaler guidance.
Optimize The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for your PC
This is a planning estimate derived from the game's demand tier, not a benchmark.
My The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Settings Card
Generated at GameFigs on 2026-09-25. Game demand tier: 2/9.
Release & version 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. GameFigs summarizes the official release only and does not invent patch dates.
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.
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 GameFigs planning estimates from the demand-tier + GPU-index model — not benchmark results.
How the The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim optimization card & FPS estimate 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 settings card maps the demand tier and your hardware to a starting preset, an FPS band and an upscaler recommendation. All outputs are planning guides — verify in-game with the built-in benchmark when available.
Tools for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
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