Hello

After being fed up with how terrible Skyrim is on the PS3, I'm thinking about trading it in and buying it for PC instead. I'd like to buy it on Steam since it seems convenient, but are there any drawbacks here compared to buying it on a disc? On Steam you don't buy the game, you buy a license to buy it, but is it the same for discs nowadays? (since I'm pretty much console only, I don't think I've even bought a PC game since I was a kid in the late 90's, so I don't really know how it works). How about mods and stuff? Anything else I should be aware of?

With regards, me.

The disc version uses Steam also, so pretty much it doesn't matter how you buy it.

And about mods...beware of learning how to use the CK...it's as addictive and time-consuming as the game itself

I would wait a bit for the summer sale (it will probably start next week or later this week).

I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the quick response, guys

There is no essential difference concerning the game, whether you buy it on disk or through Steam. Either way, you have to use Steam to play it and to get all the patches.

The minor downsides and upsides to buying it on disk, I would say are:

Downside for buying on disk:
- A physical copy of the game takes up some bookshelf space.
- It is essential, that with the disk you get your product key on a sticker inside the box, as you must have this key to activate your game with Steam. In some very rare cases, that code has been missing, causing some extra trouble as you have to contact your retailer (or Bethesda has been able to help in some cases) to have the issue corrected. However, if you open your box at cashier in the store you should have nothing to worry about.

Upside for buying on disk:
- A physical copy of the game may be nice to have in one's bookshelf.
- You get a minimal amount of supporting documentation, such as a paper map and a very brief manual displaying the standard key mappings (may depend on language or country version).
- If you have a slow internet connection, you have the option of installing the bulk of the game from the disk and avoiding a long download. However, the game will still be updated by Steam to the very latest patch during the installation, and the installation requires you to be on line and to set up a Steam account, if you don't have one already. And you can always install it from Steam anyway after having your product code linked to your Steam account.
- I personally live under the silly fantasy, that if some day in the distant future, something untoward might happens to Steam, or Bethesda's relationship with it, which possibly could cause Bethesda to issue a no-Steam patch, than having the disk can be useful.

Still, just for playing the game, it might be a very practical and reasonable proposition to simply get it where it is the cheapest. Also, some people might suggest waiting for a GotY edition, that could have any future DLC's bundled with it.