According to Kotaku, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Anniversary Edition was shadowdropped onto the Nintendo Switch 2 on Tuesday. Bethesda positioned this port as an improvement over the 2017 Switch 1 version, and it does include visual enhancements from the Anniversary Edition. However, players are reporting major performance issues, including a 30FPS framerate cap and significant input lag that some call “borderline unplayable” in handheld mode. The port also takes up a massive 53GB of storage space on the console. This file size is notably larger than the 32GB version on Xbox Series X/S and dwarfs the PC version’s footprint.
What were they thinking?
Look, I get that porting old code to new hardware can be tricky. But this is Skyrim. A game that runs on a smart fridge. The fact that it’s stuck at 30FPS on the Switch 2, a console that handles Cyberpunk 2077 at 40FPS, is just baffling. It feels like a lazy, straight port of the old Switch 1 version with the Anniversary DLC bolted on, with zero optimization for the new hardware’s capabilities. That’s not an upgrade; that’s a missed opportunity. And the input lag? That’s the real killer. A slow framerate is one thing, but when your button presses don’t register instantly in an action game, it completely ruins the feel.
The 53GB elephant in the room
Here’s the thing that really breaks my brain: the file size. 53 gigabytes. For a 2011 game. On PC, the whole Anniversary package is about 25GB. On modern Xbox, it’s 32GB. So why is the Switch 2 version almost double that? Some folks on Reddit think it’s a packaging error, maybe containing redundant asset files. Others speculate it’s the ancient Creation Engine struggling on new architecture. But let’s be real: Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition on Switch 2 is around 60GB. So you’re telling me a next-gen, visually stunning RPG is only 10GB larger than a decade-old fantasy game? Something is very, very off with this build.
A pattern of underwhelming ports?
This whole situation makes me skeptical about the future of “next-gen” ports for the Switch 2. If a studio like Bethesda (now under Microsoft) can’t or won’t put in the work to properly leverage the new hardware for one of its most famous titles, what does that signal? It sets a worrying precedent. Are we just going to see a wave of expensive, storage-hogging last-gen ports with minimal enhancements? For a $70 re-release, players expect a product that respects both their wallet and their console’s potential. This version of Skyrim seems to do neither. Basically, it feels like a cash grab banking on nostalgia, without the technical care the re-release should command.
