The purpose of this page is to document some aspects of Skyrim that are specific to the Playstation 3 version of the game. The vast majority of gameplay is identical on all platforms (PC, Xbox 360, or PS3): the quests are the same, the glitches are the same with exception to lag issues being less prevalent on PC. One difference during gameplay is that reaching certain milestones will unlock Trophies; these are listed at Achievements.
The PS3 version of the game has some issues with lag (loading), although most of this was rectified with version 1.4 of the Official Skyrim Patch. It was widely reported on Bethsoft's Official Forums and across a large number of reputable Gaming Websites, IGN, Gamespot, CVG, etc, that the lag problem was bad enough to "stop or badly affect gameplay" with a large number of players save games becoming frozen upon loading, as well as a whole host of other bugs and issues both pre-existing and caused by the patches made to the game. Bethesda stated that patch 1.2 would focus on these performance problems, but the patch didn't help at all. Afterwards, Bethesda stated that patch 1.4 would get rid of the PS3 lag.
Patch version 1.5 introduced a major game-crashing glitch connected with the improved water shaders. After installation of the patch, any attempt to go underwater would result in the game crashing. The solution to this is to delete all Skyrim data (Update and Game) in the Game Data Utility. This does not affect or include your save game data. Once this is done, reinstall the game data and the patch will update. The glitch is only present if, when updating, you have not yet downloaded patch 1.5.
Patches
Major changes with patches are noted here. They are listed in reverse order as it is not possible to use a previous update once the next one is released and downloaded.
Version 1.9
Released on 8 April 2013 (identified as 2.09 while downloading).
- Legendary difficulty setting.
- Legendary Skills.
- General memory and stability improvements.
- Fixed a number of quest and item bugs.
- Companions will equip better weapons and armor if given to them.
Version 1.8
Released in English-speaking territories on 11 February 2013.
- Adds a "Downloadable Content" section to the in-game load menu.
- General memory and stability improvements.
- Fixed rare crash when using vampiric grip.
Version 1.7
Released on 9 August 2012 for North American users, and 27 August 2012 in Europe.
- Version 1.6, including Mounted Combat.
- General memory and stability optimizations.
- Fixed crash related to new water shaders.
- Fixed rare crash related to dragon landings.
Version 1.5
Released on 5 April 2012.
- New cinematic kill moves for ranged weapons and spells.
- Improved visual transition when going underwater. There is a major problem related to the underwater fix, the game would freeze any time you attempted to go underwater.
- To solve this issue you need to delete your Update and Game Data in the Game Data Utility; then redownload the Update and reinstall the Game Data. Game Data is not your Save Data, your progress is safe.
Version 1.4
Released on 9 February 2012.
- Some people have reported the lag issue has been much improved; however, others have reported no change.
Version 1.3
Released on 15 December 2011.
- Fixed issues introduced by version 1.2
- Some "General Stability Improvements"
Version 1.2
Released on 28 November 2011.
- Fixed issues related to having a large amount of in-game "Days Passed".
- Dragon corpses disappear correctly.
- The now infamous backwards flying Dragons appeared.
- Caused resistances to not calculate correctly and therefore have no effect.
- Scripts causing Treasure Map chests to appear do not work.
Version 1.1
Released on 11 November 2011 (same day as game release).
- Minor issues with the released game corrected.
Missing PC Features
Some of the PC features that are not available on the PS3 are:
- The console. This means that PC bug fixes on articles are not available to PS3 players. It also means that most cheats and exploits are not available.
- The Creation Kit. The Creation Kit does not directly affect game play; rather it allows the game files to be viewed and edited. A lot of the information on the Wiki is derived from the Creation Kit, because it allows the factors controlling game play to be easily identified. However CSList, a tool to display game data is provided by the site and available for viewing for technically inclined users.
Interface Differences
Although the keyboard and PS3 controller clearly provide very different methods of interacting with the game, most of the controls work the same way. Some differences, however, include:
- On the PS3 there is no way to toggle Automove.
- Walking vs running is controlled by how far forward you push the left thumbstick. Slight motions of the thumbstick will cause your character to walk; pushing the thumbstick as far as it will go will cause your character to go faster and by holding down L2 will make your character run. (This is most obvious if you use third-person view).
- The Quick Save and Quick Load shortcuts are not available; save and load are only accessible through the Menu options.
Downloadable Content
- Dawnguard was released on the PS3 on February 26, 2013 in the United States, and February 27, 2013 in English-speaking territories.
- Hearthfire was released on the PS3 on February 19, 2013 in the United States, and February 20, 2013 in English-speaking territories.
- Dragonborn was released on the PS3 on February 12, 2013 in the United States, and February 13, 2013 in English-speaking territories.