Summary

While it is possible to install mods by hand (and many modders do in fact exactly that), we recommend using a mod manager.

This guide will walk you through installing and configuring your game. If you have already done that, you can configure the mod manager of your choice:

• How to install mods with Vortex Mod Manager

• How to configure MO2 (Mod Organizer 2)

To learn about how to install mods at all, check Using Mods

Prerequisites

• You have bought Cyberpunk 2077 on the platform of your choice (Steam, GOG or EPIC)

• You have the following things:

  • Visual C Redistributable 2022

  • .NET 6.0+

• You have updated the following things:

  • Your graphics card driver

  • The latest Windows Update for your operating system (checkout Modding on Linux if that's what you're doing)

Installing the Game

In order to set up your game to be best suited for mods, you'll want to keep a few things in mind:

For the purpose of this guide, we will assume the following install paths:

Performance

Like everything else, Cyberpunk will run significantly faster from an SSD rather than a HDD.

Permissions

By default, all three platforms (GOG, Steam, and Epic) want to install the game to their own install location, which defaults to C:\Program Files. That wouldn't be a problem if not for Windows and what it will permit there, which is not much.

This can (but doesn't have to) cause problems in two different spots by "protecting" the Cyberpunk install dir from modding tools such as mod managers (like our recommendation Vortex) or even CDPR's own REDmod launcher. But hey, at least things are very secure.

You likely won't run into any of these problems, but you can rule them out altogether by installing Cyberpunk to a directory other than C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files(x86), like C:\Games\Cyberpunk 2077

Now we will go through the install options to use on each platform to accomplish this, and the recommended settings for modded Cyberpunk 2077.

Installing Cyberpunk: GOG

Open GOG Galaxy, click on "Owned Games" in the left sidebar, and scroll until you find Cyberpunk. Single click on its picture to display the main Cyberpunk page.

1. Click the button at the top of the page labeled "Install".

2. In the pop-up window, choose your install location:

   • Click the drop-down box

   • select "browse"

   • browse to the target folder (we're assuming C:\Games)

   You don't need to create a subfolder for Cyberpunk, as GOG will do that for you.

3. Optional: Select a game language other than English

4. Optional: Create a desktop shortcut by ticking the first box "Create desktop shortcut"

5. Optional, but recommended: Disable auto-updates by unchecking the second box "Keep this game up to date automatically"

1. Press "Install"

2. Wait until GOG has done it's thing, then proceed to the next section.

Installing Cyberpunk: Steam

To be done

Installing Cyberpunk: Epic

To be done

Configuring the game

Configuring Cyberpunk: GOG

Once the game has installed, we want to make it run with mods. Click the button to the right of the play button (formerly the install button) pictured below.

From there, select "Manage Installation" and then "Configure". A window will pop up where you can change your desired settings:

1. Installation (first tab): Disable auto-updates

2. DLC (third tab): Select at least Cyberpunk 2077 REDMod

1. Click the OK button to return to the game's page.

2. Click Play on the game's page

3. Click the Settings button and Enable mods

   • If you can't enable mods, that means REDmod is not installed. Go back and repeat step 2.

4. Click Play (Do not skip this)

Configuring Cyberpunk: Steam

1. Navigate to Cyberpunk 2077

2. Click Play

3. Click the Settings button and Enable mods

   • If you can't enable mods, that means REDmod is not installed. Check the game's DLCs and make sure to get it.

4. Click Play (Do not skip this)

Configuring Cyberpunk: Epic

1. Navigate to Cyberpunk 2077

2. Click Play

3. Click the Settings button and Enable mods

   • If you can't enable mods, that means REDmod is not installed. Check the game's DLCs and make sure to get it.

4. Click Play (Do not skip this)

Starting to mod

You now have the following options:

• If you feel insecure about modding, follow the extremely detailed guide under Vortex Mod Manager

• Otherwise, you can head to Using Mods and start reading on how to do this

Last documented update: May 19 2025 by MyNameIsSpirits

MO2 (Mod Organizer 2, Nexus | Github) is a free, widely-used mod manager, especially popular for Bethesda games like Skyrim or Fallout. It fully supports Cyberpunk 2077 and is praised for its ease of use.

Using MO2 keeps your base game directory untouched and allows for easy mod installation, uninstallation, and updating. Additionally, you can create different profiles for mod configurations.

Before we start...

MO2 keeps all of your mods in a separate location from Cyberpunk's base game directory: however, when you launch Cyberpunk through MO2, it will load mods from both MO2 and the game folders.

It's best to let MO2 handle all of your mods and leave the base game directory clean.

But I have so many mods to uninstall!

You don't need to go through your folders and manually delete all of your mods, nor should you reinstall the entire game. We have a handy mod remover script (courtesy of our dear manavortex) that will automatically do it for you. After running it and validating your files, you will have a 100% clean installation of the game and a backup folder of the mods it removed, in case you change your mind about MO2 and want those mods back.

Download and Install MO2

1. Download MO2 from either Nexus Mods (yes, Skyrim Nexus) or GitHub

2. Install MO2:

   • When installing, choose either the Global Instance option (recommended for multiple games)...

   • ...or choose Portable Instance if you want a separate installation of MO2 for each game.

Setting Up the Game

1. Launch MO2.

2. Create a new instance:

   • Browse to the Cyberpunk 2077 installation folder to create the new game instance.

3. Customize your Profile Settings (Optional):

   • These can be left unchecked unless you need profile-specific INI files, save games, or automatic archive invalidation.

   • You can change these settings later as needed.

Installing CET and Red4Ext (the script extenders)

Script extenders: Manual install

1. Download the mod from Nexus

2. Open the downloaded .zip file by double-clicking it

3. Drag and drop everything inside the folder directly into The Cyberpunk 2077 Game Directory

4. You're done

Script extenders: plugin installation guide

There exists a plugin for MO2 that will allow you to install CET and RED4ext the same way as any other mod (i.e. not manually). This is nice if you prefer to keep all of your mods within MO2's mod list, but it is an optional process. If you don't care about having CET and RED4ext installed in MO2, then I would recommend you to install them manually as detailed above. Otherwise, read on.

I'm going to stress this as hard as I can: this plugin is not part of the main MO2 build and is therefore prone to bugs. I haven't had any issues with it so far, and I was able to guide someone who'd never even heard of MO2 previously, and they also have not experienced any issues.

With that said, there is always a possibility that something simply doesn't work as expected. If you're absolutely, totally, undoubtedly 100% sure that you followed the below steps correctly and it still doesn't work, I would advise you to visit the official MO2 Discord server linked at the top of this guide and seek help there.

Installing Mods from Nexus

1. Go to the Nexus Mods website for Cyberpunk 2077 mods.

2. Download mods via the "Mod Manager Download" button. MO2 will start to automatically download the mod.

3. In MO2, open the Downloads tab and double-click the mod to install it.

4. After installation, ensure the mod is enabled by checking it in the Plugins list or the Installed Mods section.

Adding Mods from Other Sources

If you have mods from external sources:

• Download the mod and move it to the Downloads folder by using the file folder dropdown in MO2 ("Open Downloads folder").

• Alternatively, drag and drop the mod into the Downloads tab within MO2.

Launching the Game

1. Always Launch the Game through MO2:

   • If you're using MO2 as your mod manager, make sure to run Cyberpunk 2077 via MO2. Your mods will not be loaded otherwise.

   • Steam will still track your playtime and achievements.

2. Run the Game:

   • After setting up all your desired mods, click Run in MO2 to launch Cyberpunk 2077.

Tips and Best Practices

• Stay up to date with the latest versions of both MO2 and the mods for the best experience and compatibility.

Troubleshooting

Some mods aren't working!

• If you aren't using the updated plugin, make sure that CET and RED4ext are installed manually (check Installing CET and Red4Ext (the script extenders))

• If you are using the updated plugin and you're getting REDscript errors on startup, make sure you've restarted MO2 after updating the plugin.

• Make sure that your MO2 instance is not directly in the The Cyberpunk 2077 Game Directory. This has been confirmed to cause problems and is a non-optional step.

Vortex is a multi-game mod manager developed for and by NexusMods, the website where most Cyberpunk 2077 mods are hosted. Here you can download mods manually or with Vortex and keep track your download history.

Why do I need this?

Technically speaking, you don't. You can install mods manually or use Mod Organizer 2 (but without our support, sorry, choom). However, Vortex for Cyberpunk is the most beginner-friendly way of managing your mods and will save you a lot of hassle.

TL;DR

• Your staging folder must be on the same drive as your game installation

• Your staging folder must not be your game install directory

• Vortex has a lot of options. If you put wrong options, mods can go brr.

Download

Once you are signed in on Nexus, it's time to download Vortex Mod Manager.

1. Click this link, it will take you directly to the download page

2. Select the "Manual Download" option on the first entry:

1. You'll now see a download page. If you don't have Nexus Premium,

   1. Select "Slow Download"

   2. Wait through the five seconds cooldown

2. Optional, depending on your browser: Select your download location for files that you don't want to keep

3. Wait until the installer is downloaded

4. Run the installer: either

   • select the file from your download history (Ctrl+J for most browsers)

   • go to your download directory and double-clicking the file

5. Proceed with the steps in the next section

Installation

1. Run the installer by double-clicking it.

2. If Windows shows you a prompt now, select yes — you want the setup to make changes on your device, it's supposed to install Vortex.

3. Click through the setup and finish its instructions!

Congrats! You've finished installation! Vortex should launch automatically and you can now move onto setup.

Setup

Here is where we get into the weeds, the particulars of Vortex setup before we can use it.

Logging into Nexusmods

If you are already logged in, proceed to the next section "Adding Cyberpunk"

1. If Vortex didn't open by itself, open it from the start menu.

2. Log into Nexusmods by clicking on the red circle in the top right of your client

1. You will see either a browser window or an error message that Vortex couldn't open one – in this case, copy the URL in the box at the bottom and open the browser window yourself

1. Optional: log into nexusmods (if you aren’t)

2. Allow Vortex to access your Nexus account by clicking "Authorize":

1. Click "Log in to Vortex":

1. Instead of the red icon, you should now see your profile picture and username from nexusmods.

Vortex: Adding Cyberpunk

This section will tell you how to add Cyberpunk to Vortex's managed games.

1. On the sidebar on the left side of your dashboard, click "Games"

2. In the page that now shows, type "Cyberpunk" into the search bar

3. Hover over its thumbnail and click "manage"

4. You will now see a popup complaining about "Game support not installed". Don't panic, this is expected!

5. Click the "download" button at the bottom of the window to install the Vortex plugin for Cyberpunk:

1. The extension should download automatically

2. You need to restart Vortex – agree to the prompt.

3. Optional: If Vortex was able to auto-detect your game install, you are done now and can proceed with the Settings section.

4. Vortex will tell you that it couldn't detect your game install and prompt you to set it manually. Click "Continue".

5. In the explorer window that now pops up, navigate to the folder containing your Cyberpunk exe (e.g. C:\Games\Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64)

6. Once you are in the right folder, click "Select Folder"

Vortex can now manage your game! Proceed to the next section, Settings.

Settings

This section tells you how to set the recommended settings in Vortex, grouped by tab. If a tab isn't covered, there are no recommendations and you can do what you like.

Start by clicking "Settings" in the left sidebar of your Vortex Dashboard, then select the first tab.

Interface -> Customization

This section controls how Vortex looks and behaves. If this is your first time using Vortex, just leave it at the defaults and scroll down to "Automation".

Interface -> Advanced

Interface -> Automation

The settings here tell Vortex what to do with your mods as it gets them.

Here's a screenshot of the recommended settings with an explanation below:

To put a mod in the game, Vortex requires you to complete four steps. The folders for these are configured in the Mods section.

1. Downloading: Putting the mod into Vortex's download cache, either by clicking the button on Nexus or by dragging-and-dropping an archive onto the client. The archive will now live in Vortex's download directory.

2. Installing: Unpacks the mod and copies it to Vortex's staging directory.

3. Enabling: This mod should be included in the next deploy

4. Deploying: The mod has been copied from Vortex's staging directory to your Cyberpunk game directory.

In theory, you can configure Vortex so that you hit the download button on the website and it will download, install, enable and deploy for you. The downside with that is that you might not notice errors as they pop up in the background, which is why we recommend doing that one single click by yourself.

V2077 Settings

Mods

This section controls Vortex file storage. It's mostly a matter of personal preference and disk space availability on your end.

Mods: Staging

Where Vortex keeps its mods, ready to deploy them into the Cyberpunk game directory.

The default folder location is {USERDATA}\{GAME}\mods, which resolves to C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\Vortex\cyberpunk2077\mods

You can keep it as this, or you can make a folder for it in a place you can easily access it, like C:\Games\Mods. Wherever you decide, you want to make sure it is accessible and you can remember it in case of issue.

Mods: Download

Where Vortex stores downloaded archives. Can be wherever you like, even on a different drive.

We recommend keeping an extra folder in there for manually downloaded mods, as Vortex can manage these as well – you just have to drag-and-drop them into the client.

Dashboard

Finally, we will return to our dashboard.

No matter what settings you chose in interface, you should still have a section labeled "Tools", where at this point you should at least see four things, the last of which will be disabled:

It can be helpful here to toggle "Enable Toolbar" above it so that you can always see them wherever you are in Vortex.

These are different options to launch the game via Vortex.

"REDmod Deploy Latest Load Order" is also incredibly useful if your mods are acting up: Just using the "deploy" button on the main management page can fail – by using this button, you can debug your REDmod deployment.

Installing mods

This section will teach you how to install mods. Keep reading!

Installing the core mods

The following mods are requirements for many other Cyberpunk mods. We recommend that you install their latest version and keep them up-to-date, since you will run into them sooner or later.

• Cyber Engine Tweaks

• RED4ext

• redscript

• ArchiveXL

• TweakXL

• Codeware

Some mods that depend on redscript may say they require cybercmd, but it's unnecessary to install since RED4ext performs the same functionality and then more. It only still exists for users who wish to use redscript and REDmod mods at the same time, but not use RED4ext.

For more information on the core mods, check Core Mods explained

Starting up the game

Before you play your game, check the bell in the top right corner next to your profile picture. Click it to expand the notifications. What you want to see is all green or blue--any red or orange issues will need to be resolved before starting your game.

Since this is your first time launching the game with mods, you should see a prompt to bind an overlay key for Cyber Engine Tweaks (CET). (If it does not, check here.) You can assign whatever you like, this button will hide or unhide the CET overlay.

While you have it open, you can navigate to the "Settings" option, and select "Skip Start Menu" and "Suppress Intro Movies" (if you don't want them). The setting will become active after the next restart.

Make sure to click save to keep your choices.

Downloading a mod with Mod Manager Download enabled

Let's get a mod that'll change something. For this example, we've picked KS UV framework, which will change V's feet.

For now, you can simply go straight to the Files page of the KSUV mod.

So that you can see the changes in-game immediately, to know if you've installed correctly, you will download the first option, "Recommended. UV Framework New High Heel Feet with Custom Textures - Classic Install". This will change the feet visually now, and allow for custom textures later. Click "mod manager download". A window will pop up telling you that you need another mod "-KS- Vanilla Shoes for High Feet" installed before downloading this. You can do this after downloading this mod; your feet just won't fit in any vanilla shoes until you do. For now, click download to continue to the final download page, where you will select "slow".

Once your timer counts down, it should begin downloading in Vortex. The setting "Bring Vortex to foreground when starting downloads in browser" is enabled by default, so if you didn't change it, the Vortex window should pop up now. Otherwise, click over to it, and you should be able to see a 1 next to Downloads in the sidebar.

Assuming you're using recommended settings, the mod won't have installed itself, so you will click on "Mods" in the left sidebar. You should already have mods installed, enabled, and downloaded from the collection. Scroll down until you locate the blue "Never Installed" button next to the mod you want to install. Click it once, and if you're using recommended settings, it should enable and deploy automatically.

For this mod, a window will pop up, warning you that it may need manual adjustment, due to multiple .archive files. These are important windows to pay attention to, because many mods that have multiple files do require manual adjustment. This information is usually found on the description page, which is why you want to read it carefully before download.

For this mod, however, that is ok, and intended. You may simply click "Understood".

To test your new body framework mod, simply select "New Game" and pick a female-bodied V. If the feet are flat, it is not installed correctly. If they look a little funny, like barbie feet, you've done it right.

Downloading a mod manually to manage in Vortex

Let's install a mod without a mod manager download button and manage it in Vortex to show you how it works.

1. Click this link, which will take you straight to the files tab.

2. Select whichever one you like, like the "Arey", third option down.

3. Optional: Check what it looks like

   1. Click on the "images" tab (to the right of "files")

   2. Find the picture named "Arey"

   3. Navigate back to the "Files" tab

1. Scroll down to the third option, Arey Hair PHYSICS ENABLED The file doesn't have any particular instruction.

2. Optional: view the file contents – they sometimes contain helpful information:

1. Manually download the file – you know the drill by now.

2. Return to the Vortex "mods" page. You have two ways to install the mod now:

   • Drag-and-drop the downloaded file on your client, or

   • use "Install From File" in the orange bar and select the file you just downloaded in the explorer window that pops up

1. You should now have successfully installed the file.

2. If you have used the recommended settings, it should enable and deploy automatically. Otherwise, you need to do that yourself.

3. Start the game

4. Head to the character creator and create a female-bodied V.

5. Check hair 48 – normally, it looks like this:

If your hair is two big buns--you did it! If it's just the normal single bun with braids, go back and try again.

Congratulations! You know how to use Vortex!