I’ve spent over 200 hours on PC with this game and another 150 on Switch. Different character every time and it never gets old. The fact that I was willing to start completely fresh on Switch after all that PC time says everything about how good this game is.
Playing on Switch has been a pleasure despite the lack of mods. Skyrim in handheld form just works. Exploring dungeons from bed or grinding smithing while watching TV adds a whole new dimension to the experience. The portability makes those long sessions fly by even faster.
Not having mods on Switch does expose the classic Skyrim jank though. Had to be way more careful about bugs that the Unofficial Patch would normally fix on PC. One particularly annoying one has a dead dragon skeleton spawning outside my house every single time I exit. Classic Skyrim being Skyrim but without mods to fix it you just have to deal with it. Still didn’t stop me from putting in 150 hours.
The build diversity is what keeps me coming back. Played as a sneaky archer one run because of course. Then a two-handed orc warrior. Then a pure mage focusing on destruction and conjuration. Each race and build completely changes how you approach the game. Combat encounters that were trivial as one build become challenging as another.
The replayability is endless. Sometimes I’d skip the main quest entirely using alternate start mods on PC. Other times I’d focus purely on guild questlines. The Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood stories are good enough to carry entire playthroughs on their own. Even on Switch without mods I found myself discovering new things after all these hours.
Quest design lets you approach problems multiple ways. Sneak past enemies or charge in swinging. Talk your way through or pickpocket the key. Use magic or arrows or swords. The game respects however you want to play and rarely forces you into one solution.
The world itself is the real star. You can ignore every quest and just explore and still have dozens of hours of content. Random caves hide entire storylines. NPCs have their own lives and schedules. Dragons attack when you least expect them. The environmental storytelling where you piece together what happened from skeletons and journals is brilliant.
Both DLCs add substantial content. Dawnguard’s vampire storyline and Dragonborn’s return to Morrowind content feel like full games. The amount of content here for the price is staggering even without considering mods.
The music deserves special mention. That main theme still gives me chills. The ambient exploration music perfectly matches wandering through forests and mountains. Combat music kicks in at just the right moments. Even after 350+ total hours I haven’t gotten tired of it.
Sure it’s janky. Sure there are bugs. Sure the combat isn’t the most refined. But the freedom to be whoever you want and play however you want in this massive world full of stories and secrets is unmatched. Every few years I start a new character and lose another hundred hours.
This is my forever game. The one I return to when nothing else hits right. 350+ hours across platforms and I’ll probably do another playthrough next year. Some games just have that magic and Skyrim has it in spades.