Our Download of the Day is the Skyrim Creation Kit.

When we created Skyrim, we set out to make the largest, most engrossing role-playing game we had ever attempted. Now it's about to get a whole lot bigger, thanks to our amazing modding community.

Mod-makers have a long history with Bethesda Game Studios, bringing to life new quests, locations and characters, as well as making changes to game from subtle tweaks to full-blown overhauls. With the Creation Kit, the same tool we used to create Skyrim, there's almost no limit to what can be accomplished - and we're putting that power in your hands.

Best of all, access to the Skyrim Workshop and Creation Kit is free for anybody with a Steam account and a copy of Skyrim.

With the Skyrim Workshop, finding and installing your favorite mods is easier than ever before. Mod-makers will also enjoy a streamlined process for uploading mods directly to Steam.

Finding and Installing Mods

Ready to begin a whole new adventure? Finding mods for Skyrim is as simple as visiting the Skyrim Workshop in the Steam Community. Here you're able to browse the most popular, newest or highest-rated mods of all time, as well as searching for specific content via tags such as "Armor", "Quests", "Dungeons", and more.

Once you have found a mod you'd like to play, click the "Subscribe" button. Be sure to check the mod description for any special instructions, such as which NPC starts a quest, or how to acquire new items. The next time you play Skyrim, the launcher will automatically install the latest version of any subscribed mods and configure Skyrim to run them.

Be sure to come back to the Workshop after playing and leave a rating and any comments you have on the mod's page.

Creating and Uploading your Mod

By uploading your mod to the Skyrim Workshop on Steam, you'll be able to reach a whole new audience of players, seamlessly deploy updates, and get direct community feedback on your work.

The difficult part, of course, is creating your mod. To get started modding, install the Creation Kit - free through Steam to all Skyrim owners - from the Tools section of your Steam Library. The Creation Kit is a powerful and sometimes daunting tool, but the community wiki at http://www.CreationKit.com is a resource for modders of all skill levels, even the total beginner.

When you're ready to share your work with the world, simply choose "Upload plugin and archive to Steam" from the File menu within the Creation Kit. Here you'll be prompted to choose a name for your mod, as well as any description, content tags and thumbnails. The Creation Kit will notify you once the mod has successfully been uploaded to Steam.

To view your new mod page, simply visit your Steam profile page, and click "View Workshop Files". Here you'll be able to access all of your mods in one place.

To distribute a new version of your mod, re-upload from the Creation Kit. Any subscribed users will automatically get the latest version when they launch Skyrim.

Disclaimer

We won't host offensive, copyrighted, or trademarked material on the Skyrim Workshop. Mods with this kind of content will be banned, so please don't bother uploading them.

Long Live Skyrim

Bethesda is committed to supporting Skyrim for years to come, and this includes supporting our already-thriving mod community. It's our hope that Workshop provides the perfect meeting place for mod-makers and players - even those who have never tried a mod before. What the Skyrim Workshop becomes is ultimately up to you, however - and we can't wait to watch the adventure unfold.

Learn more at the Steam Workshop.