Bethesda reveals Skyrim Special Edition system requirements

Bethesda has confirmed the system requirements for its upcoming Skyrim Special Edition remaster, and if you were struggling to run the original it's not good news.

Launching alongside remastered releases for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles - the latter even bringing along what Bethesda claims is native 4K Ultra HD rendering support when paired with a PS4 Pro - the Windows re-release of the fifth entry in the mainstream Elder Scrolls series brings with it the promise of graphical improvements and other tweaks. These improvements, though, come at a cost: you'll need a considerably more powerful PC in order to run the game.

According to Bethesda's official testing, Skyrim Special Edition will require a 64-bit Windows 7 or better PC, an Intel Core i5-750 or AMD Phenom II X4 945 quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 1GB or AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB graphics card. Those wishing to hit the recommended specification level to bump up the settings will need an Intel Core i5-2400 or AMD FX 8320 processor and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 3GB or AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB graphics card. In either case, you'll need to clear out 12GB of hard drive space. Console gamers, meanwhile, will need 25GB of storage if installed on the Xbox One or 33GB on the PlayStation 4.

The Windows release of Skyrim Special Edition will be free for those who have already purchased the original Skyrim plus the Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn downloadable content (DLC) packs, as well as being sold separately for anyone who does not own the original. All versions are set to launch on October 28th.