Is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim playable on Steam Deck?
Steam Deck verdict
Runs great
Yes — The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim runs great on the Steam Deck.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim runs great on the Steam Deck. Valve rates it Playable on the Steam Deck. The Linux/Proton community rates it Gold on ProtonDB across 530 reports.
Game info
- Genres
- RPG
- Developer
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher
- Bethesda Softworks
- Release
- November 10, 2011
- Price
- $19.99
- Metacritic
- 94
System requirements
Windows specs from Steam — the Deck runs these through Proton.
- OS *: Windows 7/Vista/XP PC (32 or 64 bit)
- Processor: Dual Core 2.0GHz or equivalent processor
- Memory: 2GB System RAM
- Hard Disk Space: 6GB free HDD Space
- Video Card: Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 512 MB of RAM
- Sound: DirectX compatible sound card
- Processor: Quad-core Intel or AMD CPU
- Memory: 4GB System RAM
- Video Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible NVIDIA or AMD ATI video card with 1GB of RAM (Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 or higher; ATI Radeon 4890 or higher)
Is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim compatible with Steam Deck?
Does it run?
- Valve rating
- Playable
Community rating · 530 reports (ProtonDB)
Does it run well?
Runs well with the default settings.
- ✓Shows a launcher / extra setup step
- ✓Default controller config not fully functional
- ✓On-screen keyboard doesn't pop up automatically
- ✓Controller glyphs match the Deck
- ✓Interface text is legible
- ✓Good performance with default settings
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim performance & FPS on Steam Deck
Based on 3 Steam Deck community reports. These are the framerates players actually settle on — many cap it to save battery — not the game's maximum. Runs well with the default settings.
Battery & recommended settings
Estimated battery life
- Recommended preset
- high
- Typical power draw
- ~11 W
💡 SteamDeckPlayable tip: System Proton version 7.0-2 Steamos version 3.1 Bios version F7A0105
Tips for playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Steam Deck
- •You may need to click through a launcher each time you start the game.
- •Open the on-screen keyboard manually with STEAM + X when you need to type.
- •Default settings already run well — no major tweaks needed to play comfortably.
Frequently asked questions
›Is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim playable on Steam Deck?
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim <strong>runs great</strong> on the Steam Deck. Valve rates it <strong>Playable</strong> on the Steam Deck. The Linux/Proton community rates it <strong>Gold</strong> on ProtonDB across 530 reports.
›Is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Steam Deck Verified?
Not Verified, but Valve rates The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as Playable on the Steam Deck.
›How many FPS does The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim get on Steam Deck?
Steam Deck players most often report playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at 40–60 fps (based on 3 community reports). These are usually the framerate players settle on — many cap it to save battery — not the game's maximum.
›How long does the battery last playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Steam Deck?
Steam Deck players report roughly 5h 49m at 30 fps, 5h 41m at 40 fps, 4h 28m at 60 fps on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (from ShareDeck community reports). Capping the framerate and TDP lower stretches it further; higher brightness shortens it.
›Can you play The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Steam Deck?
Yes. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim runs on the Steam Deck straight from Steam — no manual Proton setup or config files needed.
›Can the Steam Deck run The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim?
Yes. Steam Deck players report running The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at 40–60 fps, based on 3 community reports — that's the framerate players settle on, not the game's ceiling.
Similar rpg games on Steam Deck
Community configurations
Found a setup that works great for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Steam Deck? Share it and help the community grow.