The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition brings you a remastered version of the good old Elder Scrolls V Skyrim. The new special edition comes with enhanced graphics and same quality of gameplay that we have expected from the diverse world of Elder Scrolls. And of course there aren’t enough hours to explore around so you have to rely on handheld gaming consoles like Steam Deck to give you that extra gameplay time anywhere anytime.
Want to play it on the go? Let’s share the best game settings to play The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on Steam Deck. These settings are according to the The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition game requirements to maintain the most optimal gaming experience.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition Best Settings for Steam Deck
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 1280×800 |
| Windows Mode | Fullscreen |
| VSync | OFF |
| Texture | High |
| Anti-Alias | FXAA |
| FSR Mode | OFF |
| Subsampling | High |
| Shadow Quality | High |
| Screen Space Reflection Quality | Medium |
| Planar Reflection Quality | OFF |
| Chromatic Aberration | OFF |
| Max Particle | 1024 |
| Particle Suppression Distance | 50 |
| View Distance | 37 |
| Ambient Occlusion | SSAO |
| Grass | High |
| Depth of Field | Circular |
| Bloom | ON |
| Distortion | ON |
| Sunlight Rays | ON |
| Show additional Ally effects | OFF |
If you’re looking for a perfect blend of performance quality and better battery life, we recommend following the settings below. These settings will maintain the quality of graphics, allowing you to achieve 40 to 65 FPS at 720p resolution on medium settings.
The settings mentioned above will not affect cut scenes in any sense as they are pre-rendered. However, if you are still experiencing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition crashing on Steam Deck. This issue might occur due to Steam Deck overheating or due to varying processing speeds as well.
TCG Recommended Settings
| TDP Limit | 17 |
| Refresh Rate | 65 |
| FPS Limit | 65 |
| GPU Clock | Disabled |
In our experience, the above-mentioned hardware settings would get you the best The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition gameplay experience on Steam Deck. Hence, we recommend you set the following settings for a balanced performance and battery-saving concept.
Estimated Battery Usage
| Temperature | 67-75 Celcius |
| TDP | 11-17 W |
| Estimated Playtime | 1.5-2 hours |
We recommend playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on Steam Deck while charging. However, if you want to play the game on battery life, then there is no limit to TDP consumption. Even if you have disabled the GPU clock, the battery will drain pretty quickly while playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on Steam Deck. We will update the stats after gathering reviews from the community to share their experience.
Final Words
If you are trying to run the game and it gets stuck on a black screen for a while, then we suggest applying these tricks for fixing Steam Deck freezing while gaming. Although restarting the game might do the trick. And that’s about it. If you have any questions, let us know in the comments to suggest how was your experience with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on Steam Deck.
