Start Game Settings
🟡 Updated this year⚠️ Install Order · 6 steps
Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.
Preview
🔍 Analysis
- 👍 2.2% endorsement rate — high engagement, a strong quality signal
- 🏆 #21 of 99 User Interface mods in this game by downloads
📋 About This Mod
Description
With this mod, you will be able to configure some settings before starting a new game. By default, this includes Difficulty and Survival Mode, and it is fully extensible for mods to add any custom settings.
Certain types of mods can greatly benefit from this:
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[]Alternate start mods can be smoothly integrated without affecting the vanilla start experience.[/]
[]Gameplay mods can have opt-in features (e.g. permadeath) without extra message boxes or menus.[/]
[]Tunable gameplay mechanics (e.g. death alternatives) can be exposed to the player up-front.[/]
Additional features
If the Difficulty module is used, combat difficulty will be remembered per save file instead of using the user's global preference. (The user preference will only be used as the initial setting when opening the new game panel.) This should align better with player expectations and how difficulty works in most games.
Some features of the main menu can also be customized by editing SKSE/Plugins/StartGameSettings.ini.
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[]bDisableMotd - Remove the Message of the Day.[/]
[]bDisableCreations - Remove the Creations option from the main list.[/]
Add-ons
These can be installed from the Optional Files section.
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[]Starting Date: Allows you to select the calendar date (month and day) when the game begins.[/]
Mod integration
For information on integrating your mods, see the wiki.
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[]Starting Date: Allows you to select the calendar date (month and day) when the game begins.[/]
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[]bDisableMotd - Remove the Message of the Day.[/]
Start Game Settings is a Skyrim mod that lets you configure difficulty and survival mode before starting a new game, with extensibility for other mods to add custom settings. It also offers optional add-ons like starting date selection and main menu tweaks, and is designed for mod authors and players who want more control over game start.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Community-approved with 168 endorsements and over 7,400 downloads
- Solves a real problem: difficulty per save instead of global, which is how most games handle it
- Mod authors can integrate alternate start and gameplay mods without clunky menus
⚠️ Cons
- Requires SKSE and is Skyrim-specific, so no use for other games
- Only works if mods actually integrate with it—otherwise it's just difficulty and survival options
- INI tweaks for main menu are manual, so you'll need to edit files if you want those features
For Skyrim players who want difficulty and survival settings before starting a new game, and for mod authors who want to add configurable options to their mods. Also great for players who want to disable the Creations menu or MOTD. Skip if you never start new games or prefer tweaking settings in-game.
💡 Beginner Tips
- Install with a mod manager like MO2 or Vortex to keep track of the plugin and optional add-ons.
- If you want the Starting Date add-on, grab it from the Optional Files section—it's not included in the main download.
- Edit the INI file (SKSE/Plugins/StartGameSettings.ini) to disable the MOTD or Creations menu, but make sure to do it while the game is closed.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- Skyrim Mods
- Author
- Parapets
- Version
- 1.0.1
- Downloads
- 7,471
- Endorsements
- 168
- Category
- User Interface
- Created
- 5/22/2026
- Updated
- 6/12/2026
🔧 How to Install Skyrim Mods
Download from Nexus.
📖 Full step-by-step install guide for Skyrim →
Visit the official mod page for specific installation instructions for this mod.
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