So we all know 11-11-11 is the official release date of Skyrim. My question is that for those of you who have already bought the physical copy, or the CE version, does that mean you have to wait for 11-11-11 plus 3-5 business days? For that matter, what if your copy gets backed ordered?

I'm a PC gamer, and I already know I want the Steam version of Skyrim; no if, ands, or butts (:)) there. However, after thinking about the CE, and I have to admit I'm a big fan of Bethesda and TES, I'm pretty sure I'd be willing to get it. Problem is this: I don't want to wait for it to ship to be able to play! So looks like I'm just going to get the Steam version for now and get the CE later. But I'm curious: what're your guys' thoughts? Does getting the physical copy mean waiting even longer, or do you some how get to activate it on Steam using your CD key before it ships? (The latter question would indicate that the game comes with an electronically distributed CD key vs one that's written on a card and packaged with the rest of it (I'm guessing it's not electronically distributed though)).

Additional food for thought: I'm pretty darn sure that Steam will have the ability to preload the game one or two days before it's release, so that when release day comes it's go time! That'd make sense, because they've done it in the past for other popular games, AND because it'd help ease the stress on their servers from millions of users trying to access them all at once. Again, just food for thought

A lot of online retailers have release day shipping, rather than getting it 3-5 business days later you get it some time in the afternoon.

Two words. Midnight launch.

^This or alot of time atleast for me you get it at night but this is why I am getting it in store maybe on midnight release if there is one:)

Also not to be mean TC but how do you not know this? I mean most message boards will atleast HINT at a release date shipping option for example I normally see posts like this

"Oh ya I am very excited for (enter game name here) and am getting it on release date via (enter online retailer here) with release date shipping)"

Most online retailers offer release date shipping, odd if most people don't know this

Amazon.com has release-day shipping (which is only 0.99) and it will be at your door the same day the game is released. I've already done this with several other games such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Call of Duty: Black Ops and they all arrived on time. So I say go for it if you still want it. :foodndrink:

^this, Im doing it (hopefully)

Or some sites have street date deliveries, if thats an option for you.

LOL that's incredibly amusing. I have been buying my games solely digitally for the last several years, and am very unfamiliar with how game releases work these days. That's awesome news though, a bit better than I expected.

About midnight launch: Given the choice between waiting til 1PM for the game to arrive on my door step or waiting out in the cold in a long LONG line for several hours just to play the game a few hours earlier than anyone else who didn't come out... yeah, I'm not that impatient, but I admire your dedication XD

I live in a warm climate and i'm a night person anyway. Midnight launch is a perfect fit.

I was debating to get it online but isn't it going to come when the mail comes so that could be like 10 AM [or later!]..

Why do that when I can get the game midnight and have it for 10+ hours sooner?

So it doesn't really make sense for me to do it if; I mean unless I get lucky and I get it on Thursday but I am not exactly a gambler..

I pre ordered the CE of FO:NV and i got it a day after street release and as an apology Amazon gave me a 10 gift card. Had other games bought over Amazon and always got them on release day.

I'm not against amazon or anything but does anyone know if Gamestop will have release day shipping for the Collector's Edition? I don't even see an instore pickup option for it.

Well I usually get my games around 11-12 PM release day from UPS but hey if you want to go to the midnight launch then more power to you. :tongue:

Yeah I don't mind at all; it's something I very much anticipate.

I am a night owl and I can tweak like the best of them..

I guess im misunderstanding what you're saying. Those of us who have pre-ordered the CE (gamestop for me) will have to wait 3-5 days before getting it? I was planning on getting mine at the midnight launch...

Ok even if you have been buying them digitally you must have been excited for a game before and come across a message board to talk about it right? Its pretty rare when release date is approaching for people NOT to talk about HOW they are getting the game, just saying, seems like living under a rock no offense :/

It depends, I for once like it to meet new people even if I will more than likely sit in the car with the heat *assuming I will have a car by than lol* and even if I won't play it till the next day I will know i won't have to go down again incase I am busy the next day to play it.

Just because you order it online for release date shipping does NOT mean it will arrive in the afternoon, in my experience of ordering game online with release date delivery it normally arives by some other service than your normal mail carrier, say if you order it thru amazon it will ship it by UPS or Fedex or OnTrac, and for me I have been extremely LUCKY if it arrived before 9pm on release date.


It depends again what you are willing to do, would you rather wait in a line for a few hours *depends on when you arrive but really unless you know it will be a long line should you worry but half the time the games WON'T be sold anyways untill 12AM.* Or will you will till the ANY time the next day for the game?



1. midnight release lets you have it to play it in the early morning the next day when you wake up after coming home with the game
2. waiting will make it so you can play the game when you get it BUT you may not get the game untill as late as 9PM when you COULD have been playing it for hours already


This will be my 2nd midnight release

Why not just use amazon? I have never done release date shipping via Gamestop.com but I know normal shipping is alot there while amazon.com release date is only 99cents


No, if you preorder anywhere you will not have to wait 3-5 days unless you pick that type of shipping, if you want you can always pick it up in store but if you did it for release date shipping you SHOULD get it on release date unless the unexpected happens which is rare

Ahhh that makes much more sense. Thanks for clearing that up for me. :celebration:

TBH, I have until now avoided most message boards for this game since they have a really bad rep for being very negative. And there's just so much activity on most boards that it can be a bit difficult to find "exactly" the info you're looking for, especially if it seems a bit obscure. Of course I looked before I posted, but the info is completely new to me. The last game I did get at a midnight release was FFXII, and I think that was the last time I bought a game at the store.

The only road block I have is that I'm unfamiliar with the reliablity of instore pickup for this huge of a game, or release day shipping for that matter. I got the info I need though, so I can figure out the rest. I MIGHT even want to do the midnight release, but I'm getting sold on the reliability of amazon here (that, and $1 release day shipping? Heck ya, that's pretty awesome!).

Here in the UK the retailer GAME ships its preorderd online games so they get to the buyer on release date. so I dont have to worry

I'm expecting a midnight release at my local GameStop.

I got it off amazon for the same price as everywhere else with expedited delivery and it says shipping on the 10th and expected arrival on 11/11/11.

Never saw an option for release date delivery in the UK though...?

With respect to Gamestop preordering it's best to just go to the store to preorder and you'll get it the day of release (midnight at most Gamestops I imagine). It's inconvenient as hell but that's just the way it is now. I stopped using their website to preorder collector's edition because they rarely have in-store pick up for the "uber-editions (really big boxes)." That was the case for Gears of War 3 Epic Edition and Uncharted 3 Collector's Edition (at least when I tried a few weeks ago).