It has been almost a decade since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released in the fall of 2011. Since then, the open-world first-person RPG has been re-released on multiple console generations and ported to the Nintendo Switch and Virtual Reality.

Though prolific in both its vanilla version and 2016 special edition, Skyrim now appears to be quite aged, with a game engine that does not show its age to any great degree. However, Skyrim's mod support and all the tweaks have greatly increased the game's longevity. And a new video showing what Skyrim looks like when you stick 500 mods and ray tracing on it reminds us why Skyrim is such a special game and invites quiet excitement for The Elder Scrolls 6.

Mods for Elder Scrolls games are nothing new; Skyrim's predecessor, "Oblivion," had mod support for the PC version, and "Skyrim" had mods from the start. Later, Steam Workshop support made it very easy to access and use multiple mods without breaking the game.

Now, YouTube channel Digital Dreams has taken advantage of this support to transform Skyrim Special Edition into 4K, greatly improving graphics and ray tracing, and adding hundreds of other mods. I've embedded the video below for your viewing pleasure. Needless to say, the many visual mods make the game a far cry from its original incarnation, and yet it is unmistakably Skyrim.

These mod projects, while ambitious, serve to show how flexible Skyrim is. They can also make older games look newer and customize them to your liking.

I myself have not dabbled much in mods, and on my first big Skyrim playthrough I just opted for the official high-resolution textures. However, as I refined the main campaign and numerous major side quests, I began to consider ways to tweak the annoying aspects of Skyrim, and mod support was the answer.

After hearing various guards say "I was an adventurer like you until I took an arrow in the knee" hundreds of times, I found a mod that removed the repeated voice dialogue. Then I delved further, tweaking map markers and audio, and adding additional content to the game.

I like to play games the way the developers intended, but after hundreds of hours of intense "Skyrim" I got to the point where there wasn't much else to explore. But while I lament the delay in PS5 exclusives, the Digital Dreams video reminded me that there is still a lot I can squeeze out of "Skyrim."

But I could also indulge in nostalgia and rediscover how good "Skyrim" really is.

Sure, "The Witcher 3" offers an open world with a more engaging story, and "Red Dead Redemption 2" offers smarter systems and more dynamic environments. But there really aren't many games, at least outside of developer Bethesda's library, that give you the feeling of exploring an entire country.

In "The Witcher 3," it felt like you were dropped into a county, but in "Skyrim," you feel like you are moving through an entire country on a large continent. The multiple cities overlooking a particular region - Winterhold in the north, Falkreath in the south, Riften in the east, Merkers in the west - each conveying the cultural particularities of the slice of Skyrim they occupy, made the game feel like an authentic fantasy nation, not just an exploration map.

And while the main storyline was not the most dynamic, the myriad side quests, ranging from full-fledged secondaries such as the Thieves' Guild, Dark Brotherhood, and Companions to simple tasks, added real character and depth to the vastness of Skyrim. Quests would take one across fields and fjords, explore the depths of cave networks and dwarven ruins, or climb ancient Norse fortresses built into the snowy mountains. Some ended with simple rewards and journal entries, while others offered surprisingly poignant stories about lost ghosts and tales involving Skyrim's rich history.

Not only does Skyrim give us this breathtaking, go-anywhere surprise from the start, but it also tells us that it is a land caught up in the geopolitics of fantasy, cultural wrangling, hardship, and success for those willing to entertain and cheat their way to the top.

While it cannot offer the nuanced environmental narrative of the "Souls" games, where people have started their YouTube careers on deciphering lore and stories from items, symbols, architecture, and environments, the land in "Skyrim" still tells its own story Telling. The journal that the skeletons hold in their caves might describe strange scratching noises or encounters with giant spiders or farmers (who seem to be depraved elves with a murderous intent).

Aside from that, Skyrim remains a wonderful country to explore. Even in its vanilla state, the scenery is screenshot-worthy, covered with autumn sunsets and star-filled skies.

When I was locked down repeatedly by the coronavirus and unable to make it out of London to the countryside, Skyrim brought me comfort as I strolled through the deciduous forests of Falkreath and across the mist-shrouded hills and mountains surrounding Merkers. With a great soundtrack and a glass of wine or whiskey in hand, Skyrim provided a wonderful escape.

The transformative nature of the mods gives me every reason to keep revisiting Skyrim for years to come. However, my recent experience with the game has made me feel very positive about "The Elder Scrolls 6" as well.

Indeed, there are now only a dozen or so high-fidelity open-world games. But few developers have mastered the Bethesda magic in games that create virtual worlds that you just want to immerse yourself in. I'm currently playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and as good as it looks, it lacks the "what's around the corner" drive that Skyrim gave me nearly a decade ago and still somehow gives me today. What's around the corner?" that "Skyrim" gave me nearly a decade ago, and still manages to give me today. On the other hand, "Fallout 76" may have looked terrible at launch, but as my colleague Mark McLaren says in his review of the latest update to "Steel Reign," it's getting closer to the game it should be. Then again, Bethesda's open-world magic is a big part of it.

So, with the lessons learned from Skyrim, and the many drawers of inspiration for mods, I am rather confident that Bethesda will not only make "The Elder Scrolls 6" visually pleasing, but also give us another charming country that we will literally want to explore for years to come! I am rather confident that they will.

The only concern I have is that Bethesda's next big game, Starfield, is due out in late 2022, and The Elder Scrolls 6 is still a few years away. But I'm not complaining, as I love sci-fi exploration as much as I love fantasy open-world wandering. While I'm waiting, I can just mod Skyrim.