❔
Using Mods
Modding your game, for users
If this doesn't cover your needs, maybe check out our more detailed guides:
TL;DR:
The first thing you will be told on Discord is to read this guide.
When installing a mod, make sure to install all of its dependencies. You will find a list on the Nexus description tab under "Requirements".
If you do not do this, your mod will not work.
You mod Cyberpunk 2077 by adding files to your game directory. There is no need to overwrite base game files, since the game natively supports modding.
The game directory is the toplevel folder of your game install.
Unless you changed the default settings, it will be installed to:
STEAM
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Cyberpunk 2077\GOG
C:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\Cyberpunk 2077\Regardless of your past experiences, the Nexus mod manager works reliably and well for modding Cyberpunk, as long as you do not install more than ~250 REDmods.
Although Cyberpunk natively supports modding, this out-of-the-box support is extremely limited. To allow modders greater freedom, a number of frameworks have been created to allow e.g. adding items, influencing the weather, or add flying cars.
Since this kind of mod interacts with the game's code on such a fundamental level, they are prone to breaking whenever CDPR changes their API. This is the reason why game updates break mods — we recommend to turn off auto-update and manually upgrading once the frameworks you need have been brought up-to-date.
Unless they are marked as optional, you have to install the dependencies, and their dependencies as well.
If you don't, then your mod will not work.
TL;DR: you can ignore this.
This list is supposed to give you an overview of which files go where. It is not a bucket list of things you have to install.
- archive
- pc
- mod << .archive files from non-REDmods go here
- bin
- x64
- plugins << Cyber Engine Tweaks goes here
- mods << REDmods go here
- r6 << redscript folder
- tools
If REDmod is not installed and activated, your mods in
/mods will not load. Loading a mod as REDmod means that Cyberpunk will precompile it and integrate it into the game's file, optimizing load times. By contrast, vanilla mods (from
/archive/pc/mod) will be loaded individually and might add to your load times.REDmods are installed in
Cyberpunk 2077\mods, where every mod has a subfolder with an info.json.
You can install mods via Vortex or manually. There are upsides and downsides to each — however, for beginners, we recommend using Vortex.
If you had terrible experiences with Vortex for other games, be assured: Cyberpunk integration is working extremely well. Maybe give it another chance?
"Manual install" is a rather glorified term for "extracting the downloaded archive into your game directory". However, you have to make sure that the right files end up in the right folders.
You can inspect the file structure by simply opening the downloaded file, or by using this feature on Nexus (unless a mod author has disabled it):
The file structure is different for REDmods and non-REDmods. Mod authors usually tell you which file is which, though.
If the downloaded archive contains an
info.json and a folder named archives, you're dealing with a REDmod.Extract the entire folder into
/mods/. You should have /mods/ModName afterwards.
In your archive, find the folders corresponding to this overview and extract them directly to your game directory. Their content will be added to the already existing files, overwriting anything that needs to be replaced.
Some mods are just a loose collection of files and it's up to you and the mod's install instructions to put them in the right place.
As a rule of thumb: usually, but not always…
.archivefiles go into/archive/pc/mod/.xlfiles go into/archive/pc/mod/.redsfiles go into/r6/scripts/- .
luafiles go into a subfolder of/bin/x64/plugins/cyber_engine_tweaks/
For everything else, this wiki has a dedicated troubleshooting page that has solutions to many common problems. If that doesn't cut it, you're welcome to find us on Discord in the #mod-troubleshooting channel (but your first answer will be a link to that guide).
Last modified 18d ago