🆘Users: Troubleshooting

This page contains troubleshooting information for people who are using mods rather than making mods. You will find step-by-step guides, grouped by different problems.

Navigation

This section aims to give you a quick overview. If your exact problem isn't listed here, please look through the different sections below and try anything that looks promising.

• I don't wanna debug, I just want mods!

• There was a game update and now your mods aren't working

• You're on Linux

• Your game isn't starting / crashing on startup

  • It's pirated

  • Corrupt or missing script files

  • Corrupted archives

• You're having crashes to desktop (but the game starts)

• Redscript Compilation Failed (Popup message)

• Corrupted or missing script files

• Photomode screenshots are borked

• Press [none] to continue

• You have trouble with CET (Cyber Engine Tweaks)

  • You forgot your CET keybind

• XML Document parsed with errors

• You installed a mod, but it's not doing anything

• A mod is causing problems, and you have no idea which:

  • Known problem children

  • Searching: Bisect

  • Searching: Log files

• Something with files or ACCESS_VIOLATION

• This is a waste of time, I'm reinstalling

  • Modding a clean install

A general classification of errors

If there is an error dialogue about scripts: Start with red4ext and redscript

If it crashes without a dialogue or with a "game flatlined" dialogue: Start with Cyber Engine Tweaks

If it crashes when loading a savegame: Start bisecting your .archives (see the corresponding section for more intel).

Troubleshooting after an update

As long as you're living on earth, things fall down when you let go of them, and game updates break mods.

Given that you're currently browsing a troubleshooting guide, updating your core frameworks didn't fix the problem. You can

• check a list of known problem children and disable them for now

• look around in this guide or use your browser's search function (Ctrl+F and type)

• further troubleshoot your installation

• Reset your installation:

  • Fall back to a clean state (precise | fast | very fast)

  • Enable all core mods and make sure that the game starts

  • Re-enable your other mods (check bisect for how to do it fastest)

There are no framework updates!

You can either remove all mods and play vanilla until the updates arrive, or downgrade your game.

I updated my frameworks, but the game is still crashing!

You need to complete the following steps:

• Temporarily disable any mod from the script section of known problem children

• Temporarily remove all mods

• One by one, install all of the frameworks you need

Photomode screenshots are blank

With 1.62, screenshots are now saved to Documents\CDPR\Cyberpunk\Screenshots , and the previous location will receive an empty file.

Press [none] to continue

That is due to Input Loader requiring an update.

You're on Linux/Steam Deck

Under Linux, you have to start the game with

WINEDLLOVERRIDES="winmm,version=n,b" %command% -modded

Otherwise, search the #red4ext-support channel on the modding discord for winmm for further pointers.

Your game isn't starting / Crashes to Desktop

If the game crashes without a dialogue or with a "game flatlined" dialogue: Start troubleshooting Cyber Engine Tweaks.

Corrupted archives

Cyberpunk 2077 encountered an error caused by corrupted or missing archives and and will now be forced to close. Please verify...

One of the .archive files in your folder is broken. To find out which one, try the bisect approach.

Corrupt or missing script files

Cyberpunk 2077 encountered an error caused by a corrupt or missing script file and will now be forced to close. Please verify...

You have a problem with Red4ext. Try the following steps:

• if you don't have red4ext/logs/red4ext.log, then RED4ext doesn't work, you have to update / fix RED4ext

• if you have red4ext/logs/red4ext.log, then look inside, it will tell you which mods aren't compatible with the current game patch and may be the cause of this issue

• if that doesn't help, try resetting redscript (you will need to verify your game files).

If that doesn't solve your problem, you can

• troubleshoot redscript directly

• temporarily disable all mods and reinstall the core frameworks

Failed to initialize script data

Message: Failed to initialize scripts data!
File: E:\R6.Release\dev\src\common\engine\src\baseEngineInit.cpp(1019)

Check your NVidia panel. If power saving options are enabled, turn them off.

Steam: verify file integrity loop

Before trying to implement any of the other solutions, configure the REDprelauncher.exe in the Cyberpunk root directory to always run as administrator.

• Right-click on the file and select Properties

• Switch to the Compatibility tab

• Check the box Run this program as an administrator

You pirated the game

There's a chance of >95% that we have already found the source of your problems — pirated copies just don't mod well. That's the first reason why things won't work.

The second reason is that CDPR needs to earn money to pay people to make games for us. If you can at all afford it, please buy the game. It's a good deal: how much are you willing to spend for a movie ticket? How long does a movie keep you entertained?

You are, of course, welcome to peruse the troubleshooting guide. It might even help you. But know that pirated copies will never be explicitly supported.

Finding the broken mod: known problem children

Stuff that isn't mods

It doesn't have to be either of these. But if it is, you'll never find it with the rest of the list. Rule it out by deactivating them while you're debugging.

• Antivirus

• ReShade

Frameworks / Core Mods

These mods are not problem children – quite the opposite. But if they are outdated, either your game or your mods won't work. Make sure that you have them all up-to-date with the most recent game version.

Script mods

Some mods go far beyond the ordinary, adding whole new features to the game (why no flying cars, CDPR?). Unfortunately, that means they're more prone to breaking than others. Here's a non-comprehensive list.

Let There Be Flight

Adds flying cars to Cyberpunk. While this is awesome, it will absolutely break whenever CDPR changes anything, and requires updating.

In-World Navigation

Displays in-world holographic arrows that direct you towards your quest objectives. Is very likely to break upon patches.

Vehicle Combat

Adds car chases and a bunch of related features. While CP2077 needs more car chases and explosions, this usually breaks and will require an update.

Mod Settings

Adds mod settings to the in-game menu – Redscript version. This needs to be updated after every game patch.

Native Settings UI

Adds mod settings to the in-game menu – CET version. The mod itself will be fine, but it's dependent on Cyber Engine Tweaks being up-to-date.

spawn0

Most famous for edits of the female body that defy gravity and wreak havoc on V's spinal disks, this modder has been around since the early days, and the same is true for their mods.

However, modding has come a long way since then, and spawn0 never followed. For that reason, their mods are known to have compatibility issues with pretty much everything in the general vicinity.

On the bright side, their mods won't crash your game and are downwards compatible until the dawn of time.

Finding the broken mod (log files)

Step-by-step instructions on how to search, filter, and read log files are here:

Summary / TL;DR:

• Search the Cyberpunk root folder for *.log

• Look through all these files for anything that says error

• If you can't find anything: you can now either

  • Make sure that your game loads with only the core frameworks enabled (especially advised after game updates/patches)

  • Try the bisect method

• If you have found something: Here are instructions for how to troubleshoot further – they also tell you when you should ask for help!

Finding the broken mod (bisecting)

You have hundreds of mods, and one of them is broken. How do you find out which one it is without wasting the entire day?

Which kind of mod is it?

To find out the type of broken mod, take each directory from the following list and complete the steps in the next paragraph after the table.

The folders do not influence each other.

1. Rename the game folder (e.g. /mods) to a backup folder by appending an underscore (e.g. /mods_)

2. To prevent errors, create a new empty game folder (e.g. /mods).

3. Start the game. You will now run into one of these two scenarios:

   • Your problem is gone: Jackpot. This is the correct folder for the next section.

   • Your problem is still there: This folder is innocent. Proceed with the next entry. If you want to make sure that there

Go bisect

Congratulations, you have found which folder causes the problem — you're more than halfway there. All that's left is to find the broken mod. Here's how:

1. From your renamed folder directory_, move half of the mods over to the empty game folder directory so that they'll become active.

2. Start the game. You will now run into one of two scenarios:

   • The error is gone: The problematic mod is in your backup folder, but you now know which mods are okay.

     • If this is the first round: Go back to 1

     • Otherwise: The broken mod was in the bunch that you moved out in the last round. When repeating step 1, you can ignore everything but the last bunch you moved.

   • The error is still there: The problematic mod is your game folder. Move half of the mods out of the folder again. If this is not the first round, only do the last subset that you moved.

Repeat this process until you've identified the mod that's crashing your game.

Mod(s) aren't loading/triggering

• If you have any folders inside of /mods, you need to install or update cybercmd. It is required to make Redmod play nice with Red4ext.

• If you already have cybercmd installed and your mod is still not working, check the next section.

• If your NPC appearance change doesn't show or your item replacer is added on top of the original item, you will want to install either material override or cookedapps nulled. For an explanation why, see here.

That wasn't it: Getting the mod to work

If you know the type of mod that's not working, you can check the more specific instructions for that kind of type or follow the general troubleshooting steps:

• A RedMod

• Cyber Engine Tweaks (CET)

  • a CET mod or script

• An ArchiveXL mod

Mod isn't working: General troubleshooting

Here's what you can do:

1. Check the requirements on the mod's nexus page. Make sure that you have installed them all and that they are up-to-date.

2. Make sure that all of your core frameworks are up-to-date and starting up correctly (here's how you can checking their log files)

3. Check the other log files in the game directory (here's a guide how)

Cyberpunk mods have different dependency chains. If a required mod isn't working, then your mod won't be working either!

Mod isn't working: a RedMod

Check that you've enabled the feature (see Deploying Mods and Starting Game).

If that doesn't fix it, proceed to the section about Log Files and try to find an error message here.

Mod isn't working: CET

You have installed Cyber Engine Tweaks, but it's not active / not letting you bind a key:

• Is CET in the right place? It has to be installed under Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\plugins\cyber_engine_tweaks

• Check if you have a log file in Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\plugins\cyber_engine_tweaks\gamelog.log. If you don't, that means CET isn't even loading. If you do, it will contain error messages that'll hopefully help you out.

• Check that mods are enabled

• Make sure that you have Visual C Redistributable 2022 installed (direct download from Microsoft)

Mod isn't working: a CET script

Find the CET log at Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\plugins\cyber_engine_tweaks\cyber_engine_tweaks.log and check if it contains any errors. If not, navigate to the CET folder and search for log files. (Do not change folders, and do not delete anything - just use the instructions below how to find the files.)

An ArchiveXL/TweakXL mod

Go to Cyberpunk 2077\red4ext and check the log files.

The nuclear option: a clean install

However, if you're still set on reinstalling, the instructions below will help you completing that in minimal time.

Quick (download <4GB)

1. Go to the Cyberpunk 2077 install directory

2. Delete everything except for the folder archive

3. Inside archive, delete everything but the folder pc

4. Inside pc, delete everything but the folder content

5. Verify your files

Modular / minimal download (download <1GB

Rename or remove the following folders. If you do not have them, you don't need to do anything.

/mods
/plugins
/engine
/r6
/red4ext
/archive/pc/mod

Afterwards, verify your files.

A fresh install: Starting from scratch

You have completed either of the previous steps. Your game should start now. If it does not, you have a problem that is not related to Cyberpunk. Make sure to follow the hints in the red box at the very beginning of this guide.

Now it's time to systematically install mods. We'll start by installing the frameworks and making sure that the game starts up without any framework-dependent mods. Afterwards, you can add back all of your mods, and if the game stops working, find the offender via bisect.

Let's go about it step-by-step.

Installing the frameworks

Check the framework page. For each of the frameworks, complete the following steps:

• If you didn't have it in your previous install, skip it.

• Install it (manually or via Vortex, your choice)

• Install all of its dependencies

• Start the game and load a savegame (you can also do this after installing all of them, but if you run into issues, that will make isolating the point of failure more difficult).

• Optional (for CET): Start the game and make sure that it asks you to bind a key. If not, check the corresponding section of this guide.

Once you are done, start up your game and load a savegame. If you don't have one or aren't sure, start a new game.

This should now work. If it doesn't, please see the next section (troubleshooting the frameworks).

Adding (back) your mods

If you're using Vortex

Head directly to the bisecting section and pretend you have just removed all your mods.

If you made a manual backup:

For each folder that you have backed up, repeat the following steps (you can find a list at the start of this section):

1. Put it back into its original place in your new/fresh install

2. Start up the game

3. Load a non-modded savegame or start a new game

If your crash(es) are back, you can now go to the bisect section and do it with your folder.

Troubleshooting the frameworks

You have updated everything and your install should be clean, but the game still crashes? Here's what you can do.

• If the game crashes on startup although you have updated everything, that means you have leftover files from outdated frameworks. Make sure to scrub your install clean (you don't need to reinstall, although you can).

• If your game crashes when loading a save, try an older, un-modded save. If you do not have one, start a new game, save as soon as you can, and load that one instead. (Don't panic, your savegame is most likely fine)

• If you add a framework and your game starts crashing before loading a save (or even on start-up), you need to debug this framework. You can check the log files or search for the exact error in this guide.

Something something files

Your error goes something like this:

• This is caused by an I/O error: Access is denied

• could not move file from 'Path\to\blabla.tmp' to 'Path\to\Cyberpunk 2077\subdir\some.file'

• Expression: EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION

• The thread attempted to read inaccessible data at 0xsomething

• Cyberpunk is trying to write to a file that doesn't exist

• Can't access file 'some/file'

These are most likely caused by permission errors – Cyberpunk is trying to access a file, and for some reason, it can't. Do the following things:

Make sure that no previous game instance is running

Sometimes, the game instance doesn't shut down properly and is still running in the background, althoguh you can't see a window. This problem goes away after rebooting.

• Open your task manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc)

• Switch to the Details tab

• Sort by Name and scroll to C

• Check if you can see anything Cyberpunk in the list.

• If yes, right-click on it and select End Task

Reboot your PC

Always a good idea to do that from time to time – in this case, it could make the error go away.

If it doesn't, check the next steps on the list.

Make sure that all files in the game directory are writable

Sometimes, files in your Cyberpunk game directory are set to read-only.

What kind of monster would do something like that???

We've had confirmed reports of the following culprits:

• Steam

• mo2 mod manager

• various flavours of antivirus

Via system console:

• Press Windows+R

• type cmd and press Return to open the command line

• run the following command (replace the path with your actual game dir):

  Copy

  attrib -r "C:\Path\To\Cyberpunk\*.*" /s

Via Windows Explorer:

• Navigate to the Cyberpunk game directory and right-click on it

• Select Properties (the last entry in the drop-down menu)

• Uncheck the "Read-only" box:

File Ownership

Sometimes, file ownership got messed up, and not all files in the folder are accessible by your current Windows account. It is a mystery how this comes to be.

You can fix it via system console or via Windows Explorer; either of those will do. If in doubt, the commandline one is more thorough.

Via commandline

• Press Windows+R

• Type cmd and press return

• Run the following command (make sure to insert your real Cyberpunk path):

• Copy

  takeown /R /A /F "C:/Path/to/Cyberpunk2077" /D N

• If that didn't help, run the command whoami to see your current user name. You will need it for the next step. It should be identical to your Windows username, but if you have spaces or special characters, Windows might get funny about the spelling.

• Run the following command (putting your actual game dir and the username from whoami):

• Copy

  icacls "C:/Path/to/Cyberpunk2077" /grant YourUserName:F /T /C

Via Windows Explorer

We haven't included the full instructions here, but you can check this guide.

Reboot your PC again

If none of these things has helped, reboot your computer.

The error should be gone now.

Not to say that your game will work now – but if you still have an error, it's hopefully a different one. Go back to the start of the guide and let's fix that one too!

XML Document parsed with errors

XML document parsed with errors: C:\Path\toCyberpunk 2077\r6/config/inputUserMappings.xml Error description: Error parsing element attribute

According to InputLoader's documentation, you can ignore this. Keep searching! (You can also try reinstalling InputLoader and hope that the error goes away)

You forgot your CET keybind

Delete the file Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\plugins\cyber_engine_tweaks\bindings.json. The game should let you bind a new key at the next startup.

RED4ext: An exception occurred… permission denied

An exception occured while creating the logger: 
rotating_file_sink: failed renaming C:\Path\to\Cyberpunk 2077\red4ext\logs\red4ext.log to C:\Path\to\Cyberpunk 2077\red4ext\logs\red4ext.1.log: permission denied

D:\a\Red4ext\Red4ext\src\dll\Utils.cpp:75

An instance of Cyberpunk is already running. Close it.

Redscript Compilation Failed

You're running into the following error:

REDScript compilation failed. The game will start, but none of 
the scripts will take effect. This is caused by errors in:

0. Make sure that you don't have multiple versions of Codeware installed

In the past, Codeware wasn't a standalone mod, but was instead bundled inside of other mods. Since that is different now, the leftover versions can cause errors.

1. Search your Cyberpunk directory for Codeware.

2. If you have exactly one folder, this is not your problem — proceed to the next step.

3. Delete everything you have found.

4. Reinstall the latest version of Codeware from Nexus.

5. Delete the folder r6/cache

6. Verify your game

The error

1. Make sure that you have the latest versions

1. Check Redscript (github | Nexus)

2. Check cybercmd (github | Nexus)

Optional, but recommended:

Check that you have the latest versions of all troublesome Redmods.

2. Check redscript.log

It is in r6/log/redscript.log. See if you can find any errors – warnings may or may not be a problem, see here for context.

3. Reset Redscript

Redscript: Disable dependent mods

Vortex: Disable them

Manual: Remove the contents of r6/scripts/.

Revert changes in r6/cache

Delete everything inside r6/cache/modded/, leave the empty dir.

If the file r6/cache/final.redscripts.bk exists, delete final.redscripts and remove the .bk extension.

If that did not work:

It's possible that final.redscripts.bk was corrupted as well. Delete the entire cache folder and verify your game files.

If that did not work:

• delete r6/cache

• Make sure that both r6/scripts and red4ext/plugins are empty.

• verify game files

4. Reinstall your mods

Hopefully, your problem should be gone now.

It's time to put your mods back and see if you can start the game - see Starting from Scratch.

I have another problem that isn't on this list

Here's the catch-all solution. After this, your game will work (or the problem you have is not Cyberpunk related).

1. (optional, as this might solve it): Reset the Redscript cache.

2. If your problem doesn't go away, follow the instructions in the next section.

I really just want to get this working, what do I do?

The bad news is, at this point you have little choice but to reset your Cyberpunk install and re-mod it from scratch. The good news is that the process is really streamlined. If you don't run into any hitches, you're <30 minutes away from a working game.

Now, how do we go about this?

Is there a shortcut?

Yes! There is a batch script that will automate steps 1-4 of the list below for you.

If you don't want to download and run script files from the internet, you can go here and complete the steps by hand. Otherwise:

1. Download this script (right-click -> save as) Link goes to the github repository of the person who wrote most of this guide.

2. Optional: If you don't want the script to delete modded files for you (because you just want to disable mods), right-click on the file and select Edit, then find and delete line 6:

   Copy

   set DELETE_FILES=1

3. Now, do either of the following things:

   1. Move it to your Cyberpunk install folder and double-click it

   2. Drag-and drop your Cyberpunk folder on the file that you downloaded

4. Follow the instructions and prompts,

5. You can now proceed to Step 5 and verify your game files.

Step 1: Temporarily disable all your mods

Vortex

• Follow the instructions and prompts

Press the purge button — this will remove any and all installed mods.

If all your mods were managed via Vortex:

Start Cyberpunk however you want, as long as it's not via Vortex. If it starts now, you're done here and can proceed with bisecting – otherwise, go to Remove RedScript.

If you had a mixed install:

Complete the instructions in the section manual now.

Manual

Find the following folders:

Cyberpunk 2077\archive\pc\mod
Cyberpunk 2077\mods

and rename them to

Cyberpunk 2077\archive\pc\mod_
Cyberpunk 2077\mods_

You can optionally create a new, empty folder with the same name.

Step 2: disable CET

Find the folder

Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\plugins\cyber_engine_tweaks

and rename it to cyber_engine_tweaks_.

Step 3: Remove scripts and tweaks

First, remove (or rename) the cache:

 r6/cache/modded

If that didn't do the trick, find the following folders:

Cyberpunk 2077\red4ext
Cyberpunk 2077\r6\scripts
Cyberpunk 2077\r6\tweaks
Cyberpunk 2077\engine\tools

and rename them, you know the drill.

Step 4: Remove RedScript

Delete the following files and folders. You don't need a backup, as you can reinstall RedScript from Nexus. If any of them don't exist, that's okay — just means you don't have to delete them.

Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\d3d11.dll
Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\global.ini
Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\powrprof.dll
Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\winmm.dll
Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\version.dll
Cyberpunk 2077\engine\config
Cyberpunk 2077\engine\tools
Cyberpunk 2077\r6\cache
Cyberpunk 2077\r6\config
Cyberpunk 2077\r6\inputs
Cyberpunk 2077\V2077

rm ./bin/x64/d3d11.dll
rm ./bin/x64/global.ini
rm ./bin/x64/powrprof.dll
rm ./bin/x64/winmm.dll
rm ./bin/x64/version.dll
rm ./engine/config
rm ./engine/tools/*
rm ./red4ext
rm ./r6/cache
rm ./r6/config
rm ./r6/inputs
rm ./V2077

mv ./r6/cache/final.redscripts.bk ./r6/cache/final.redscripts

Step 5: Repair game files

Exact procedure as documented by @ArsenicTouch

GOG

Go to Games -> Installed, right-click on your game and select the following menu entry:

Steam

1. Open your library

2. Right-click on "Cyberpunk 2077" and select "Properties"

3. Select "Local Files"

4. Click "Verify integrity of game files…"

Epic

1. Open your "Library"

2. On the "Cyberpunk 2077" tile, find the "…"

3. Select "Manage"

4. Click "Verify"

Step 6: Launch the game

All files you deleted have been re-acquired. If there are no left-over files from earlier modding attempts, your game should work now.

Step 7: Install the core frameworks

Now that your un-modded game is starting, it's time to install the core frameworks. Do this before you enable your other mods, as they won't work without their dependencies and can only add problems at this stage.

Dealing with a broken mod

You have followed all the steps and your game is launching, but you now have a mod on your hands that just doesn't work, and you want it to. What do you do now?

1. Make sure you have the correct dependencies

Many mods require frameworks or other mods to work. Check the mod's page and description for those, and install them.

Repeat the process by installing the dependencies' dependencies, until you have everything necessary.

2. Check the mod's description

Often, the description contains detailed installation instructions, known incompatibilities and/or workarounds. Sometimes, mods worked on past versions of Cyberpunk, but the author stopped updating. In that case, proceed to point 5 of this list.

3. Check the mod's comment section

You're unlikely to be the first person to run into this problem. There is a good chance that the comment section on the download page has helpful information. Look for either a pinned post by the mod's author or a user discussion about your problem — these often contain a solution.

4. If you are using a mod manager: Try installing it manually

While mod managers are very reliable and get better with every new release, you should rule out that they are the cause of the problem by installing the mod from hand.

If everything else works and installing the mod by hand still breaks compilation, then it is broken. See "Dealing with a broken mod" below. start your game client's file verification.

5. Contact the mod's author

Describe your problem as clearly as you can, and add all useful data.

Bad bug report: "Your mod doesn't work lol pls help"

Good bug report (example): "Hi, installing your mod (manually and Vortex) causes a Redscript compilation error on startup (possible screenshot of error popup). xxx.log says <citation of error message>. All my dependencies are up-to-date, and I've ruled out that it's any other mod. Can you help me out?"

Good bug report (example 2): "Hi, when I try to equip Item <item name and colour>, it doesn't show up and I only get glitches. I'm using Hyst's boob mod and <specific version and variant> of your mod. I hope you can help me? Thank you for making this."

5. Hands-on troubleshooting

At this point, you have exhausted all easily accessible solutions. If you still want the mod to work, you will have to get involved yourself. A commendable attitude! (Not sarcasm, it really is.)

Check the log files

Usually, there will be a log file that will point you towards the source of your problem. If there isn't (the game loads and the mod just fails silently), that means that the error is inside the archive and you have to become a modder.

Fixing scripts

But sometimes, you're lucky. Sometimes, the error is in a script file. You can tell this by a log entry pointing towards a file in your Cyberpunk folder (e.g. r6\scripts\my_broken_script.reds).

Open up that file in a text editor like Notepad++ and try to find and fix the problem. Sometimes, the log file has more information. Sometimes, an online syntax check can help you — there isn't one for redscript, but it's fairly close to lua.

Sometimes, such mistakes are trivial — a forgotten , or incorrect file encoding. Often, they are not.

Ascending from user to modder

If the error isn't in any script files, you will have to unbundle the .archive, load it in WolvenKit, and get your hands dirty. We'll be seeing each other, choomba!