❔Using Mods

Summary

Published: Jun 15, 2023 by manavortex Last documented update: Aug 25 2024 by manavortex

This page will give you a brief introduction of how mods work and how to install them by hand.

Wait, this is not what I want!

• If you want to create mods instead, check Getting started: Making mods

• If you need help installing Cyberpunk, check Getting Started: Installing Cyberpunk

• If your modded install is acting up, please check Troubleshooting

How to install mods

How do I mod?

You mod Cyberpunk 2077 by adding files to your game directory. The game natively supports modding, and the core mods will take care of everything else.

You can install mods by using Vortex/Mod Organizer 2, or by hand.

What are dependencies / requirements?

For more detailed information, see Users: troubleshooting requirements.

The core mods

Cyberpunk 2077 offers limited out-of-the-box support via REDmod. To allow greater freedom, a number of core mods have been created — without them, we couldn't add items, influence the weather, or have flying cars.

Overview of mod folders

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.

To learn more about the individual frameworks, check Core Mods explained

- 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
  - scripts        << redscript mods (not the same as REDmod)
  - tweaks         << RED4ext tweaks (TweakXL / ArchiveXL)
- tools            << REDmod DLC lives here — only needed for making mods.

Installing and activating REDmod

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 to optimize load times — integrating it into the game's other files by adding it to the files under r6/cache.

By contrast, vanilla mods (from /archive/pc/mod) will be loaded individually and might add to your load times.

• For instructions on how to install, see here.

• For documentation on the Vortex installation toggle, see here.

• For instructions on how to activate it, see here for GOG and here for Steam and Epic.

REDmods are installed in Cyberpunk 2077\mods, where every mod has a subfolder with an info.json.

Installing Mods

You can install mods via mod manager (Vortex, mo2) or manually. There are upsides and downsides to each — however, for beginners, we recommend using Vortex.

Manual install

"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. To find out what that means, read on.

Mod format: REDmod or vanilla?

Here is how you can tell the two apart:

What's the difference?

All REDmods mods will be preloaded by redMod.exe before the game starts up. After a short delay, the mods will then be loaded as if they were part of the game itself — you're saving the startup delay on every savegame load.

On top of this, Vortex will let you define load order for REDmods. To support compatibility, it offers you automatic conversion.

Mod format: a collection of loose files

Some mods (especially older ones) are just a loose collection of files without any folder structure:

Mod folders by file extension

As a rule of thumb, here's which files go where (unless the mod's instructions tell you otherwise):

Troubleshooting

If you have problems with Vortex, check the corresponding section of the guide.

For everything else, this wiki has a dedicated troubleshooting page with step-by-step instructions for pretty much every common problem. 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).