The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim VR

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim VR is a special version of Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Special Edition, the legendary open-world fantasy role-playing game developed by Bethesda and released by Zenimax for virtual reality headsets from various manufacturers.

Publisher Zenimax considers virtual reality to be one of the key directions, as this technology was developed with its participation, so all the latest Bethesda projects are released for VR, such as Fallout 4 VR and Doom VFR.

For the PS4 console and PSVR headset, the release of Skyrim VR took place on November 17, 2017, and for personal computers with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, or Windows Mixed Reality headsets on April 3, 2018. In the PS Store and Steam, the game is sold separately from Skyrim Special Edition at full price.

The basic gameplay remains unchanged — the player still explores the world, interacts with NPCs, completes quests, watches cutscenes, and fights dragons. However, Bethesda has put a lot of effort into ensuring that the controls in virtual reality work properly and offer a truly new gameplay experience.

The fact is that Skyrim is a complex RPG with a range of menus, game commands, and the ability to move across any surface. Transferring this to virtual reality was no easy task, so in the Skyrim VR settings, the developers retained the classic joystick control system.

There is also a new control scheme optimized for virtual reality devices that capture player movements. In this case, movement occurs via teleportation, and to block an attack, you need to raise your left hand. Movements of the right hand mimic various attacks.

Skyrim VR also supports two-handed gestures; for example, you can shoot a bow by mimicking the drawing of the string, swing a two-handed axe, or cast different spells from each hand. In the latter case, you can direct your hand in another direction to attack two targets simultaneously.

At any moment, even during cutscenes, you are allowed to turn your head in any direction to look around. Movement commands and motion capture for attacks generally work correctly, although for large-scale or complex battles that require a lot of micromanagement, it's better to use a controller.

The only things that can worsen the VR experience are the menus, presented in the classic floating window style, and dialogues displayed as text above the characters' heads.