The short version: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is the Special Edition with every Creation Club add-on folded in. That comes to 74 Creations and well over 500 new pieces of content, from full quest lines and player homes to fishing, farming and a lot of new armor. It launched on November 11, 2021, ten years to the day after the original game. If you already own Special Edition, you don’t need to buy Skyrim again, because the extra content is sold as an upgrade.
Special Edition or Anniversary Edition: what’s the difference?
Both versions run the same game. The difference is how much extra content comes bundled in, as this comparison shows:
| What do you get? | Special Edition | Anniversary Edition |
|---|---|---|
| The base game | Yes | Yes |
| Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn | Yes | Yes |
| Fishing, Rare Curios, Survival Mode and Saints & Seducers | Yes, free | Yes |
| The other 70 Creations | Not included, sold as the Anniversary Upgrade | Yes, all of them |
That third row catches a lot of people out. Four Creations were handed to every Special Edition owner for free, so you might already be fishing or fighting off frostbite without ever paying for an upgrade.
What’s actually in the Anniversary Edition?
The 74 Creations fall into a few rough groups. Some are full adventures with their own quest lines, while others are a single sword or a new set of armor that turns up in a shop. Twenty-six of them were brand new when the edition launched.
Quests and adventures
The biggest pieces send you somewhere new. The Cause pulls you into a Mythic Dawn plot and a corner of Mehrunes Dagon’s Deadlands. Ghosts of the Tribunal brings back the old Dunmer faith on Solstheim. Saints & Seducers adds a handful of quests, a dungeon and two artifacts, and The Contest starts with two warriors bickering in a Windhelm inn and ends with a hunt for a monstrous spider. There are smaller stories too, such as Umbra, which revolves around a cursed blade with a history of ruining whoever holds it.
New homes
The edition adds eight player homes on top of the ones in Hearthfire: Bloodchill Manor, Gallows Hall, Hendraheim, Myrwatch, Nchuanthumz, Shadowfoot Sanctum, Tundra Homestead and Goldenhills Plantation. They suit very different characters, from Bloodchill Manor’s coffin beds to the cozy Tundra Homestead outside Whiterun, and Goldenhills Plantation doubles as the working farm from Farming.
Gear and weapons
Much of the content is armor and weapons. There are alternative versions of classic armor sets like Daedric, Dragon Plate and Dwarven Plate, new staves, the Bow of Shadows, Goldbrand, the Headman’s Cleaver and plenty more. Some of it is found as loot, some is sold by merchants, and some can be crafted at a forge.
Ways to play
Then there are the systems that change how a playthrough feels. Survival Mode adds hunger, cold and fatigue. Fishing gives you a rod and a reason to stop by every river. Farming lets you build and run your own homestead with a steward, animal pens and a windmill. Camping and new pets round things out.
Where the big Creations begin
When the edition launched, Bethesda reworked many Creations so they no longer flood your journal the moment you walk out of Helgen. Now you stumble on them as you play, which is nicer but easy to miss. Here is where the main ones start:
| Which Creation? | Where does it start? | What is it about? |
|---|---|---|
| The Cause | A courier finds you once you reach level 46 | A Mythic Dawn plot to open a new gate to Oblivion |
| Ghosts of the Tribunal | Downstairs bedroom of the Temple in Raven Rock, Solstheim | Rebel priests still loyal to the old Dunmer gods |
| The Contest | A table upstairs in Candlehearth Hall, Windhelm | Two warriors racing to slay a monstrous spider |
| Saints & Seducers | Ri’saad’s caravan outside Markarth or Whiterun | Several quests, a new dungeon and two artifacts |
| Fishing | Riften Fishery | A fishing rod, fishing quests and new fish to catch |
| Farming | Goldenhills Plantation, east of Rorikstead | A farm you build, staff and upgrade yourself |
| Bloodchill Manor | A courier finds you at level 12 | A vampire-themed home high in the mountains |
| Umbra | Champion’s Rest, in the mountains north-northeast of Riften | A new dungeon, a boss fight and the sword Umbra |
Is the Anniversary Upgrade worth it?
That depends on how you play. It is a good buy if you want more to do on a fresh playthrough without installing mods, or if you play on console, where official content is the simplest way to add new quests. It also matters if you care about achievements, because Creation Club content keeps them switched on.
You can safely skip it if you only want the core story or already run a heavily modded game on PC. Plenty of the 74 Creations are cosmetic, so if armor sets don’t excite you, a good share of the bundle won’t either. Either way, the four free Creations give you a decent taste first.
Anniversary Edition questions
Is Anniversary Edition the same as Special Edition?
It’s Special Edition plus all 74 Creation Club Creations. The base game and the three official add-ons are identical.
Does Anniversary Edition content disable achievements?
No. Creation Club content counts as official, so achievements stay switched on.
Can I play Anniversary Edition on Switch?
Yes. It arrived on Nintendo Switch in 2022 and on Switch 2 in 2025.
Do I lose my old saves if I upgrade?
No. The upgrade adds content on top of your existing Special Edition game, so your old saves still load.
How do I turn off Survival Mode?
Open the settings menu and switch it off there. It is optional and can be toggled whenever you like.
A few things worth knowing before you jump in
- Physical copies contain the Special Edition on disc plus a code to download the Anniversary Upgrade, so expect a download either way.
- Owners of Special or Anniversary Edition on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 get a free update built for the newer hardware.
- Installing the upgrade turns the dragon emblem on the main menu from silver to gold, which is a quick way to tell the upgrade is installed.
- All three official add-ons are included in both editions, which is why guides like our Serana and Hermaeus Mora pages work for every Special Edition player.
If you are planning a new character to enjoy all of this, our Skyrim races guide is a good place to start, and the console commands page can help on PC if a Creation’s quest ever gets stuck.